'Everyone who ha seen my work is familiar with one particular head shot. It is a close crop, with the face filling the frame, and the focal point is a pair of bright, hazel green eyes staring intently back. The first question is always the same; "Are those really his eyes?"
It was those incredible eyes, and his beautiful face, that had me reaching out to Sean Dibble about featuring his work with Josh. Viewers may remember Sean's work from a series of pieces on FH back in 2010 and 2012. Sean then took a break from his art for a few years, but dipped his toe back into the water by entering some of his images in the Model Mayhem pic of the day contest. A series of wins helped Sean feel motivated once again.
I'd missed seeing and featuring Sean's work, and was thrilled to see one of his images in Josh in the contest. The image was one of Josh wearing the big winter jacket. The coat wrapped around Josh's incredible body and beautiful face did nothing to diminish his beauty, if anything the coat spotlighted Josh's beauty, with the fur frame drawing focus to his face and dazzling hazel green eyes.
'There are times when I try to describe my particular style, but the only common denominator that I have come up with involves my tendency to focus on the eyes, regardless of the type of image I shoot. For me, the eyes and the emotion or expression contained within, is what brings the photo to life.'
Beyond their beauty, Josh's eyes transmit an array of emotions, from thoughtful to seductive with both an innocence along with wisdom. Josh's gaze is a knowing a knowing one, created from his past, and his life experiences. One of the most Josh's most significant experiences was his time working as a military officer while in the Navy. It was during this time, that the young serviceman first connected with Sean.
'I was introduced to Josh by my best friend Lonny, who was stationed along with Josh in Bethesda. The photo shoot I had done with Lonny made the rounds on the base. (including another infamous photo involving a handcuff which you can see HERE:) Soon after, I was getting requests from other guys on the base to have their photos taken. Josh was the first that I decided to shoot because he had the gym physique, and I wanted to start incorporating more of that into my portfolio. As beautiful as his body is, it would be the aforementioned head shot that generated the biggest buzz.'
During his years shooting, Sean's had the opportunity to get to know many of his models on a personal level, even forming friendships with some, including Josh. For Sean, the models that make the biggest impression on him, are the models that reveal a level of insecurity, something that often surprises people who gaze at their images, and see nothing but the physical ideal. This was certainly the case with Josh, which only served to endear to Sean. Despite his confidence in front of the camera, Josh struggled with the same insecurities that so many of us do. Sean remember however, that Josh never took his physical attributes too seriously and had perspective over what priorities to focus on in his life.
Although they only had one photo session together, Josh remains one of Sean's favorite models, and considers many of the images from their work together, some of his best. Sean had hoped to get Josh back for another shoot, but sadly, Josh died last year after losing his long battle with a rare form of cancer. Being the recipient of both the Purple Heart and a congressional letter from congress, Josh's future was bright. Although his life far from finished, it was a life well lived and complete.
'When I think about Josh, I am instantly reminded of the loud, troublemaking frat boy you see in the movies. He's the one that gets all the girls, is the center of attention, and is usually getting into the most trouble. His face is adorned with full lips that have a natural pink hue and some of the most beautiful eyes that I have every photographed. For the record, yes, they really are his.'
If you want to check out more of Sean's work with Sean, you can preview or purchase his book featuring more from their shoot on Blurb HERE:
1 comment:
Thank you so much for featuring Josh and my work with him. He was an amazing, gine too soon. This is a lovely tribute.
Sean Dibble
rSEANd PHOTOGRAPHY
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