'If you open the armpits, the brain becomes light. You cannot brood or become depressed.'
B.K.S. Iyengar
Whenever I get the chance, FH viewers know how much I love exploring visual themes. Maybe in part, it's my tendency to be a little OCD, as I love and am drawn to a visual flow. I dislike blending black and white shots with color in the same post. I struggle at times with fashion with conflicting color, or too many conflicting patterns.
I like simple lines, solid colors and a straight forward order with how I layout images. One of the things with FH that I spend a lot, (too much) time on is the order of images. I stive for visual consistency in every piece. Even with this series of images, I struggled with how to weave together both head shots and body shots. Ultimately however, I did what I usually do, go with my gut, and and find a way to include my favorite images.
Putting the images together may have been a challenge, but when the artist is Jeff from ShutterClickPhx choosing favorites is never an issue. Narrowing those favorites down however, can be difficult, which is how this piece came together. Many of you may remember the last time I featured Jeff's work last December, the focus was face. (Full Facial)
Jeff had sent along dozens of his favorite head shots, and I chose my favorites to showcase in the previous piece. When choosing images, my focus quickly became even more specific than just the models beautiful face. I was drawn specifically to eyes, and the images I chose were shots in which I was especially provoked and engaged with the models eyes, gaze or visual expression.
For this series of images, I went just a little below the neck. The axillary, also known as the armpit, the underarm, the sink, the hollow and even the cesspool. Like most other, usually covered, body crevices and protrusion's, one's passion for the pit can change depending on the person, and depending on the circumstances.
There are some people, and there are some circumstances, which the thought of sticking your face in an armpit could cause one to recoil with nausea. There are other times however, and with certain men, where licking an armpit is an almost euphoric experience.
Most of the time, our armpits are hidden. Like other covered body parts, our desire for a peek only increases, the more they're covered. We don't organically find ourselves in situations where raising your arms above our heads while shirtless is the norm. But when it's warmer, when we're at the beach, or wearing a tank top while playing a sport, a quick flash of pit.
If there is a place where showing off one's underarms is both expected and natural, it's in a studio. It is almost a standard pose for models, both men and women, to raise their arms above their heads when posing, especially when posing nude. The pose is classic, going back to the early days of figure photography.
Almost every early pin-up girl poses with their arms above their head, even Marilyn Monroe's iconic nudes (HERE:) feature her exposing a little boob, a little ass, and a little pit. As classic as the pose is, each of the poses featured here were deliberate. Especially with portrait and head shots, Jeff is very deliberate with his direction and with what he wants to capture.
'As for the models I collaborate with, I am very clear with my direction, and I think any model you ask that has worked with me, would tell you the same thing. I tell the model exactly what to do.. where to look… tilt of the head, very subtle changes between each frame. I’m very hands on, where I will place the models hand exactly where I want it.'
Our obsession with armpits isn't only visual, it's also about scent. Beauty isn't always in the eye of the beholder, it can also be in the nose. While one man's sweaty armpits may turn off some, they can also turn on others. The male pheromones secreted in underarm sweat, can cause both men and women to be more sexually attracted to the scent secreter.
According to research, even a guy who may not normally be seen as hot, can be seen as even more attractive, due to his pheromone release. Most of us have experienced being drawn to a guy's pits. Although I love the look of a shaved pit in images, generally, I like a guy with natural, but neatly trimmed underarm hair. For some people however, the draw is much more powerful. Like most things, there are some people who have an armpit fetish. (maschalagnia) These people enjoy not only looking, but also smelling, licking, kissing, tickling and tasting armpits during foreplay and sex.
For me, the connection to felling pulled to the pit came down to the power of the portrait. Which each of these images, the allure of the armpit was directly connect to the allure of the man's face, his eyes, and aura captured. With Jeff's head shots, I find my attention instantly drawn to the model's eyes. Then, my focus expands to their nose, their mouth, their neck and beyond.
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