It's always visually satisfying visiting the portfolio of Male Beauty by bengie. The UK based photographer is one of my favorite chroniclers of the masculine beauty of the male form. bengie not only capture incredible shots of the male physique, he always manages to capture a glimpse into his sexual soul's of his subjects.
It am always bewildered when encounter images of hot naked men who are shot almost like Ken dolls. I am never sure whether the photographer is hoping for more mainstream recognition, or whether they think masking the carnal will help their models feel more comfortable. It's almost as if think the models they're shooting will fool themselves into thinking they're in a suit and tie and not standing in front of the camera and posing completely naked.
There's a place for those images I'm sure, and maybe some feel better about hanging them on a living room wall, but there's also something so clearly missing. One of the things I love so much about bengie's work is both the beauty and honesty in what I see reflected back.
I was truck by bengie's images of Dan for just that reason. Dan's not manscaped to perfection, not every hair on his head in place, his natural sexiness exudes naturally from bengie's shots, from Dan's eyes, his poses and beautiful body and poses and his confidence in front of the camera.
I was also struck by bengie's images of Dan because of it's studio setting. As FH readers are aware, many of bengie's shoots occur on and around his Chester England home. As much as I love bengie's shots of models in fields, in his barn and especially in his famous shower, I love the variety of shots, and the blend of Dan's modern look with both sexually dynamic and classic poses.
When shooting on his property, bengie's subjects are often lit by window light and the sun. I love the way the light cascades over Dan's body, especially in the black and white shots. Shooting out in field may seem bigger, but shooting on location can often come with more limits, with clouds covering the sun or difficulty finding the perfect background. Although shot in studio, bengie's images of Dan have a sense of freedom and expressiveness without any creative boundaries or limits.
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