Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Lower Extremities: Max by Cooks Photography


'How long should a man's legs be? Long enough to touch the ground.'
J.D Salinger


In the contest of the male form, when lower extremities are mentioned, it's usually used as an innuendo.  The lower extremity, the lower limb, is usually a play on works, hinting at the penis and often it's size.  The term technically refers however, not to the penis, but to the hips, thighs, legs and feet. When it comes to the work of Hal Cooks from Cooks Photography, those are the particular extremities that I usually notice first. 

I've been both featuring and enjoying Hal's work for awhile now, and whether he confesses it or not, I pegging him as a leg man.  So many photographers of the male form ignore legs, unless they're thick and muscled up.  Hal always shoots his models from head to toe, and the long, beautiful lines that he captures are something that I always both see, and love about his work.


In so many of the shoots of his that I've featured, (which you can check out HERE:)  Hal includes panoramic views of the male form with elongated images of legs both bent and folded into the body, or beautifully flexed and extended having his models look long and lean, no matter how tall they might be.  It's not that Hal ignores the other parts of the body, he doesn't, he just has a way of capturing the male form as a stunningly sleek and sculped configuration. 


Hal first connected with Max on Model Mayhem.  It wasn't Max's legs, but his long, flowing hair that Hal shares that he first noticed.   Hal also loves looking for men with unique and interesting looks, and Max certainly fit the bill, with his fantastic body being icing on the cake.  Max had modeling experience, so there wasn't much to discuss prior to shooting, but Hal did ensure to check out Max's comfort levels when it came to nudity.  


As you see from this series of images, Max seems very relaxed in front of Hal's lens, moving in and out of sensuous and elegant poses with ease.  Hal and Max worked both inside Hal's studio, and outside on the hills and cliffs near his home.  Hal enjoyed the entire shoot, but felt the outside shots were more natural, and shares that Max seemed more relaxed with the elements and less direction was required.


For some readers, the location may look a little familiar.  The first time I featured Hal's work, back in 2016, it spotlighted his work with Matt, (HERE:) at the  top of the Cove, outside behind the houses in Cathedral City California.  Some of you may remember that Hal now lives thousands of mile away after his move to Scotland last year. 


Although Hal has connected with some photographers and models, and found some equally stunning locations, he's to shoot in his new home in this new location.  When he does, I'll be sure to let you know, and hopefully share the results!



1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Nice Lower Extremes