Friday, January 14, 2022

Favorite Pic of the Day for January 15th

Above:
-See More Below-

~Check out today's BIRTHDAY'S HERE:~

Snow Day:

'A Snow Day is a little gift from the Universe.'

It's just too bad that gift has to include shoveling...  FH readers know I love a great seasonal sighting, especially when that's a hot model naked in the snow.  I've done a few snow days on the site over the years, and given that where I live, a blast of winter is on the way, today seemed as good a day as any.  Even if you're sitting in a warm, sunny local, I hope you enjoy you virtual FH snow day.

Luke G: Snowed Under

Despite the sub-zero temperatures, artist and model Luke G braved the winter weather for another shoot in the snow.  Check out the new shots on the NEXT PAGE HERE:

A Vintage Vantage:


'I never eat December snowflakes. I always wait until January.'
Lucy Van Pelt


As an adult, one of the things I love about a snow day is the feelings they evoke.  Sure, now they can be a bit of a pain, the shoveling, driving through it if I have to go out or to work. But now matter how I spend them, they still remind me of those early winter mornings as a kid.


Those who live in places that get a lot of snow understand that mentally, snow days begin the second we hear a storm is on the way.  As soon as we hear the weather, we start getting excited about a free day from school.  As much as we hate getting up early for school, many of us get up even earlier on snow days to listen to the radio.  Before we all had e-mail, it was usually local radio stations that first spread the good news that school was cancelled. 


After jumping for joy, usually as our mother groaned that it wasn't 'that bad' out there, we usually headed back to bed.  We didn't sleep though, we just lay their, waiting for it to be ok to get up, scoff down breakfast and head outside.


We put on our long johns, our parka. then the toques, mittens and winter boots. It didn't really matter, no matter how much we wore, we would be soaked when we got back home later in the day.  Snowball fights, snow angles and snow forts were always a part of the day.  So was just lying in the snow, looking up at the sky as the snowflakes quietly fell above us.


Before too long, the wetness usually turned to freeze and our mittens got stiff and our feet got cold.  We headed back home, just as our mother started calling us for dinner.  If we were lucky, we had something hearty and hot.  We hoped for beef stew or hot dogs and beans, but tomato soup and grilled cheese was welcomed as well.   


I miss those snow days.  I still get them, but the childlike excitement I felt when I was in school is mostly gone.  Maybe tomorrow, after I shovel, I'll make a grilled cheese.

Studio Snow: Michael Moody by Lights On Studio


'We both had a mission to accomplish as much as possible in an hours time. '


When I was planning my 'snow day', I thought back to one of my favorite winter pieces featuring model  Michael Moody shot by Tom Nakielski, Lights On Studio.  I first featured imagery from the shoot back in 2018.  (Snowed In/Snowed Out)  I asked Tom if he'd be up for revisiting the shoot by going back into his archives and hunt images we hadn't used before.  


Tom was up for it, but it didn't end up being as easy as I initially assumed.  Last year, Tom lost a lot of his work with a hard drive crash, but thought he might still be able to retrieve them in Lightroom.  This also didn't come easily and Tom sought out the help of a friend to help find images.  Although Tom couldn't salvage the original edits, he did find the raw files and graciously went through them editing shots we hadn't previously used.


I appreciate all the time and work Tom put into sending on new shots.  The shoot was a favorite of mine for a number or reasons.  For starters,  Michael Moody is one of my favorite models to feature, especially his work with Tom.  In addition to being incredibly hot, his background and experience as an actor and stage performer means his images are not only sexy, but full of personality and character. 


I also loved the shoot, because it turned out being a combination of fake, studio created snow, and real snow, shot a local cemetery.  Michigan is listed as one of the countries coldest states meaning, especially in December when this shoo took place. Few photographers of the male form shoot outside in Michigan during the winter. 


It's also not easy finding a model who'll drop their drawers leaving the tips of their fingers and the tip of their.... exposed and at risk of frost bite..  It's  not only uncomfortable, but dangerous to expose so much skin to the elements. So although Michael's grimacing from the cold was manufactured in studio, it was definitely real while they were working outdoors. 


This set of images were from the first part of the shoot in-studio.  When they were done, it was time to head outside.  Check out images from the second part of the shoot, on location at the cemetery, on the NEXT PAGE HERE: