Above:
Image by Photoby010
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Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Happy Birthday today June 24th
Generally, most white rappers confuse and annoy me. But... I think you'll agree, there is something,(especially in his Nike sandals with white socks below) interesting about the talented, not to mention gorgeous, Derek Luh.
Happy 20th Derek!
A Bare Bares
Although I understand it, Broadway Bares is a worthy fundraiser, the day after on-line coverage hasn't been nearly as exciting since they clamped down on spectators using their camera's to take pictures and videos. In addition, some of my favorite BB reporters (DavidAsset) no longer attend, so it has been more difficult to get great videos to link to and share.
That being said, I am on the case. Some of the most talented, and some of my favorite theatre hunks (whom I profiled HERE:) were there, and thanks to social media, many of the performers have posted images from the show. Below is a short piece of returning favorite Nick Adams from the show.
Photoby010: Static & Flow
-Static-
'I like to keep things simple, clear and focused on the object so there had to be less accessories and a great way of using shadows and light.'
One of the most difficult, and enjoyable, tasks of working on FH is choosing which images to use for each piece. When not using just one model or shoot, usually, I try to choose images that fit a specific story or theme I want as the focus. With Patrick, from Photoby010, I could not let go of two contrasting themes that I felt weaved beautifully together.
It might partly be the date... Although summer officially began a few days ago, it has been cold and rainy here since season kicked off. Although most of us think of heat and beaches when we think of summer, I also have vivid memories of playing games inside, especially when on vacation, on cold and rainy days. Games usually come down to the static; games we play while sitting still, Monopoly, Clue, Chess or cards. Or games with movement such as Twister, Tag, any type of race or sport.
I think my favorite games however, were the ones that included moments of intense movement, balanced with moments of absolute stillness. There was intensity and dramatic tension to these games that I was reminded of when spending time with Patrick's work. Remember those moments playing games like Simon Says when you had to concentrate to remain static until you were sure the task was truly from Simon. Hide and Seek is probably the best example. A game where remaining quiet and still is as important as knowing when to switch to an energy burst to get back to home base.
Patrick heightens the dramatic tension with his use of darkness and light. There is a fascinating, and erotic, vulnerability created by focusing light solely on the naked body of the model. Surrounded by darkness, the models specific pose, either in stillness or movement, is crucial as there is no where else to look, nor nothing surrounding him to provide contrast or distraction.
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-Flow-
Although his full time job is that of a real estate manager, Patrick considers his photography a great way get out all off the stress that his job can bring on. Patrick lives near Rotterdam in The Netherlands and although just 28, has spent pretty much all of those 28 years with a camera in his hand. Like many artists, Patrick's first subjects were nature and architecture. Patrick had a desire to express himself differently, to do something different than he saw in most of the commercial work around him. 'I often go out with the camera for a walk and see the great, small things around and it's awesome. A couple of years ago I rented a studio, but for now I have my own business with several high end studios in it.'
In his quest to create something new and different he began focusing on the male form a couple of years ago. Many photographers I have featured have talked about their passion for the male form and their decision to make it their focus. Patrick had a slightly different way to express this that I found interesting. Not only does Patrick love the male form, but his goal is not only capture it physically, but to somehow tap into both the physical, and as importantly, the psychological power, great images of the male form can hold.
We all remember vividly those first visuals of the male form we saw growing up, and how they became permanently imprinted in our minds. I will never forget seeing an copy of People Magazine sitting in a pile of old magazines at a flea market when I was 7 or 8 years old. Christopher Atkins and Brooke Shields were on the cover and although I couldn't afford to purchase that pile of magazines, the power of that image impacted me enough to steal a copy I found in a dentist's waiting room about a year later.
Patrick says he lucked out the first time he shot his first nude model. The model was very experienced which helped make the shoot comfortable. Patrick also spend a lot of time discussing exactly what they both wanted before hand, so there were not surprises that popped up during the shoot.
Patrick reports finding models isn't difficult, the hard part is finding just the right model. He understands not every model wants to work without pants and is very flexible when it comes to working slowly with models who are nervous or inexperienced. It is important for him that all his models are comfortable with the process, and much of this occurs by putting in the time before a shoot, discussing with his models every aspect of the shoot to ensure they are comfortable. But... when it comes time for that actual shoot, Patrick believes just diving in is the best way to work on those nerves...
'Some photographers begin with clothed or underwear shots. I like to start shooting right off the bat with the full frontal naked shots. Working this way, the potentially scary part is gone right away, taking away the nerves immediately and making the remainder of the shoot much more comfortable and relaxed.'
Favorite of The Five: Jimmy
Given there have been five seasons already, I know I arrived late to the party. Sometimes arriving late though, has it's benefits. A couple of weeks ago, when away for a meeting, I was stuck in a hotel room for the night. Thanks to Showtime on Demand, I decided to spend my evening with a group of Gigolos.
I really hadn't had much interest, the few previews I had seen didn't exactly have me salivating to watch. Although I like reality competition shows, I tend to hate reality shows which exploit emotions and relationships. Gigolos proved a nice diversion for that hotel evening though. There was something very interesting about briefly following the lives of the five Las Vegas gigolos the show focused on. The women, and couples who hire the fab five are a fascinating lot, and after seeing, and meeting some of them, it is clear, that beyond the fun and the sex, this is also a job. Out of the five, only two really appealed to me. Brace and Vin did nothing for me and despite a hot body, Nick (why must every reality show have a talentless wannabee singer...) was not all that.
That left me interested in Stephen and Jimmy, the two who from a quick IMDB search, must have left the show shortly after the season 1 episodes that I watched. Jimmy waas the most intriguing to me. All American face and that killer jaw line. Dazzling eyes and charisma. Yet... beneath the package there was a complex, even a little tortured soul. Jimmy seemed uncomfortable with his role on the show, maybe because he did have a mildly successful acting career on the go before joining the reality show.
I didn't realize I had actually featured Jimmy on FH in the past until doing a quick google search. I featured Jimmy in a short post featuring Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild! in 2008 (HERE:) and I used a great image of Jimmy in his green undies from the incredible Michael A Downs (HERE:) in 2009.
From my google search, it seems life hasn't been all smooth sailing since leaving the show. Accusations by an ex-girlfriend led to a charge which was eventually dropped after she was accused of falsifying a police report in another matter. Jimmy continued to act on stage, in commercials and with small parts CSI and The League and Jimmy continues to model when opportunities arise.
Unlike shows like American Idol and The Voice, Gigolos isn't really a stepping stone unless you're next step is nude modeling (Nick in Playgirl) or porn maybe. It is very difficult to shake the label of gigolo and slide back into a legitimate acting career. In hindsight, it may have been wise to ride it out and stock away as much cash as you can. Hopefully Jimmy can find the right role to help him transition as he has something to offer, it is just a question where he will fit in best.
Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild!
'The thing was, though, that they shot all the nude scenes first—so we didn't have that much time to think about it. The only time you could really think about it was when we were sitting in the wardrobe room—well, I guess there wasn't much of a wardrobe, was there? [ Laughs ] That was the most nervous I was. However, the more we talked about the technical aspects, the less nervous I was. I didn't have time to think about being naked with 10 people in the room, and it helped that we broke the tension by making jokes. Actually, I think if I had done an explicit scene with a woman, I would've been a lot more nervous, I would've chewed a lot more gum and my hands would've been shaking.'
Below: Jimmy by Michael A Downs
Showtime's Gigolos
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