Above:
Dex by Studio1x
-See More Below-
Monday, December 4, 2023
Happy Birthday today December 5th
12 Days: David Elsendoorn in My Norwegian Holiday
'She needed a change. He had just the ticket.'
Now that I've started watching Hallmark holiday movies, I've sort of gotten on a roll. Today, I had a ton of work to do at home, and had 3 that I had PVR'd on in the background. I think my favorite was My Norwegian Holiday. First off, I had to check on it's filming locations, and indeed Vancouver wasn't used as a stand-in for Norway. The movie was filmed earlier this year in Bergen, Norway and in Ireland.
Second of all, I had to find out if the character Henrik Strom, the romantic lead was actually played by a Norwegian actor. Indeed he was. Dutch actor David Elsendoorn played Henrik, and was totally enjoyable in the role. I use the word 'enjoyable' with purpose. Although I loved the scenery, the story was just your typical Hallmark fair. Nothing more, nothing less. Elsendoorn however, was not only beautiful to look at, he was equally beautiful to listen to and watch on screen.
David Elsendoorn
Date of Birth: November 27, 1994
Birth Place: Utrecht, Netherlands
Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
Nationality: Dutch
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Blonde
Height: 6’4″ Inches
Weight: 74 Kg
Elsendoorn got his start with role in Norwegian film and television projects in 2023. Since then, he's been working steadily with regular roles in the Psychological thriller Ik weet wie je bent. and the high school set drama Spangas De Campus. The talented actor got his big international break when he was cast Jan Maas on Apple TV's Ted Lasso. I believe My Norwegian Holiday is just his second American produced project.
'JJ, grieving the loss of her grandmother and seeking inspiration, stumbles upon an unexpected holiday destiny. Meeting Henrik, a Norwegian from Bergen, their connection deepens when he discovers she has a troll figurine from his hometown. '
Stocking Stuffers:
KC
Bodytorium
Alfresco Nudes
Nicko by Shax Carter
Industrial
Sergey
Ash by Mark Leighton
Muscles & Mountains
Greg by StudioMGPhotography
My favorite Christmas gifts have always been books, calendars, posters and photos. I'm not a fan of getting or giving food, and I like to pick out clothes for myself. Getting a good book however, especially one that I hadn't heard of, was a truly a great, and lasting present.
My bookshelves are full of books I was given, many with hand written messages from friends and relatives. I treasure those gifts, especially now that I'm older. Books aren't just a favorite gift to get, they're also a favorite gift to give. Below are some of my favorite artists and some printed works from their collections. Many are available only in hardcover editions, which may still get to you by the 25th. Others are available in instant download versions which you can give to a friend, a loved one, or as a gift to yourself.
Michael Moody
I love featuring model Michael Moody in solo shoots, as well as following his work with The Duelists. The Duelists are out with their annual calendar to raise money to support the duo of performing duelists. You can order your directly by contacting them on their Instagram, (HERE:) or on Facebook. (HERE:)
If you enjoyed my piece featuring Marek, (above) last mont, (HERE:) you can check out the 3 galleries, with close to 600 images on Bodytorium HERE: You can also check out Phil's store on Amazon featuring his first two books, (a third is on the way) and his 2024 calendars, Young Men in Nature, and Nothing to Hide. Young Men from Slovakia. Check them out HERE:
In addition to books and calendars, you can also give the gift of a site membership, or a month or two of your favorite model or photographer on OnlyFans. Check out a list of some of artists and models I've featured over the last 12 months on the NEXT PAGE HERE:
Earlier this Autumn I featured images of the incredible men from Alfresco Nudes, the newest book from photographer Greg Lindeblom. You can check out that post HERE: and preview more images and check out the book on Blurb HERE:
Last month, I featured photographer Shax Carter and his work with Nicko. (HERE:) Shax has made more than just a book devoted his work with Nicko, it's a close to 400 page Epic compilation of their work together. It features solo shoots with Nicko as well as sections of Nicko with other male models. check it out on Blurb HERE:
I love the work of photographer Robert Colgan, and have been fortunate to have featured his work many time over the last 10 tens. I especially love Robert's 'Industrial' work, blending the nude male form within industrial landscapes. The contrast is both erotic and visually fascinating. The first part in a planned trilogy of books and themes, Robert's Industrial, was published earlier this year.
If you can't go somewhere tropical this winter, how about a virtual vacation to Portugal with photographer Mark Leighton. I've featured many of Mark's shoots over the last ten years, including Ash, (above) and other models and theme's Mark has both covered and uncovered, in his series of stunning images and books. You can check out Mark's books on Blurb HERE:
In his series of book, photographer Gordon Nebeker features some of FH's most popular models in the water and in the mountains around Lake Powell. In addition to Muscles and Mountains, Gordon also takes you to Mexico, and in a tropical forest for a little Love in the Afternoon. Check out Gordon's series of books on Blurb HERE:
In addition to the every popular Greg, (above) Mark from StudioMGPhotography has created over 20 visual novels featuring some of the hottest men he's captured, many of whom, I've ben lucky to feature on the site. In addition to his themed book, Bask and Bedtime stories there are books devoted to single models including; Greg, Andrew, Kyle, Yorgen, Bond, Renn, Nicolas, Tyler, Jason and so many other incredible men. Check out Mark's book site HERE:
Studio1x: Sweatered
'The goal for the shoot was to give Dex a few different looks to update his portfolio. We did the dressed look then took each of those looks further to nudes.'
FH readers know how much I love a reveal. It's my personal belief that's it's not possible to truly appreciate the beauty of the nude male form without first seeing it dressed. I know many of you might disagree, and that we all have seen images of a nude model and more than appreciated the visual. I'm not sure though, that an image, or a model, can really been seen in it's entirety, without a little clothing context.
We all enjoy final outcomes, a fully cooked dinner, a bouquet of flowers. But dealing in only final outcomes is sometimes less than satisfying. Sure, I love going to restaurants, but I don't think I truly started appreciating what makes a good meal, until I learned how to cook. Seeing something in it's entirety, at least for me, is far more gratifying than just seeing the end result.
For photographers of the nude male form, the end result is of course, an image of a nude male model. I've always been fascinated to hear photographers describe how they reach that end result. For some photographers, there's little finesse. Their expectation is that the model come in, get naked, then pose as they snap away. I featured many artists who work this way, and often, the results are spectacular.
Their process however, doesn't often lead to interesting stories, and process and story are why I continue to love working on FH. I suspect and appreciate that's it's the reason that many of you continue to come back to the site. I'm keenly aware that in many ways, FH is a little antiquated. Blogs became out dated almost as soon as they became popular. At the same time, this site had more viewers this past year than in the last few years combined. So many sites, most notably tumblr, sites where images of nude bodies can be uploaded in mass, have come and gone quickly during the time since FH began.
I've explored the theme of reveal many times before on the site. It was again however, brought front and center, when Jim from Studio1x shared his goals going into his shoot with Dex, Jim shot Dex in several different looks, each starting with distinctive shirt or sweater. In the thousands of images that Jim sent on, over half were Dex fully clothed. The remainder of the images consisted of shot of Dex disrobing with the final shots being the full nudes.
When I was choosing images, I found it easy it pick my favorite nudes. My struggles with choice, were with the images of a dressed Dex. I like to organize most model features to have a beginning, a middle and an end. The beginning is of course the clothed and portrait shots of the models. This makes them the introduction to the model and to the shoot. It is the impact of that beginning, that motivates the viewer to want to scroll down to the middle and to the reveal.
Since I often post the final reveal on 'the next page', the beginning is crucial in ensuring as many people as possible want to get to the end. I know from the stats for the site, not everyone who views the first part of a post, clicks on that link to see the second part on the next page. It's mainly about the model and the images of course, but I think for some, it's also about story. Did the introduction, the clothed shots, tempt them to want so see and read more.
I know, that when I saw an image of Dex on Jim's Instagram page, I wanted to see and learn more. Dex has a great body for sure, but it wasn't just his hot body that seduced me in. I was drawn to Dex's face and especially his eyes. There was something about his look, his gaze, that had me wanting to see and learn more.
I'm not sure if the first images I saw of Dex would have had the same impact. I'm not sure I would have spent as much time looking at his face, looking into his eyes and having my curiosity peaked.... I also loved Dex's choice of sweaters, especially the black one, which I've been looking for on-line. I course also wanted to see Dex rip that sweater off, and see what was underneath. If you had a similar reaction, by now you know the drill. Check out more of Jim's work with Dex on the NEXT PAGE HERE:
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