Above:
Zach by Lights On Studio
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Sunday, May 26, 2024
Traces & Faces
Memorial Men
'In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.'
Martin Luther King, Jr.
In today's political environment, silence is not an option. These men fought against fascism and autocracy. Their sacrifice and massive loss of life was about preventing, not facilitating the return of a hateful cult lead dictatorship.
Ryan O'Neal: ACTORS & Skin
I never considered myself much of a fan of actor Ryan O'Neal. When he was alive, I mostly knew him as the boyfriend of Farrah Fawcett and for all the stories about what destructive father he was. Stories, both real tabloid created were reported about his strained relationships with his four children, most notably, his daughter actress Tatum O'Neal.
When he died however, I did decide to include him in my tribute to those who passed in 2023. (Unforgettable) I did so, because I was reading some quotes from Tatum who spoke about how O'Neal tried to reconnect in recent years, and how lucky she felt that they were on good terms prior to his death.
I also included him, as when I was researching, I was impressed by his career. Starting on television in the early 60's, O'Neal, despite his flaws, managed an over six decade career working with some of the industries biggest stars. His initial claim to fame was that of a heartthrob on Peyton Place, a night time soap. Few actors who reach fame on prime-time soaps went on to feature film superstardom, especially in the 60's and 70's.
O'Neal by Baron Wolman
When looking for 'nude caps' for the piece after his death, I found four films in which O'Neal appeared nude. So many sources reported he was nude in Love Story, (which garnered O'Neal an Oscar nomination) but although there were promotional shots from a shower scene, there was no nudity. O'Neal did however, soap up and have a nude scene in the film's sequel, Oliver's Story.
I also read a bit his turn in the 1982 gay themed film Partners. I'd seen the caps, but never watched the scene or the film. I finally found a copy and watched last week. The film inspired me to put O'Neal up next in my Actors & Skin series. The film had all the gay stereotypes and lame jokes that you'd expect from a cop buddy comedy made in the early 80's. It also had surprisingly fewer than I expected, and was really an enjoyable watch.
Love Story (1970)
You can check Ryan's nude resume on the next page in Part 1 HERE: and Part 2 HERE:
Oliver's Story (1978)
Eyes on the Prize
'And The Trophy Goes To....'
Anyone whose had a cat, knows no matter how many toys you buy them, the cat will ultimately choose the grocery bag or the cardboard box. It doesn't matter how fancy or expensive the toy, the attainable, and the close at hand, is always the safest, and the most reliable. That philosophy, often also applies to men, and in this case, male strippers.
One of the most popular posts on the site last summer was my two part feature on Rent Cheque. (First of the Month) Rent Cheque is a Vancouver based strip club with a focus on Amateurs and Amateur nights. I've featured many professional strippers, but people love to see an average guy stepping up on stage, and taking the risk and taking it all off.
Many strip clubs used to have regular 'amateur nights'. One night a week, audience members could jump on stage and fulfill their fantasy, and sometimes bucket list entry, to strip naked in front of a room full of people. Earlier this month, when putting together my Drag Queen inspired Mother's Day post, (HERE:) I noted that drag queens are often the hosts in male strip clubs. They also sometimes host amateur strip nights. Check out some of my favorite shots of amateurs taking it off, some for the first time, on the NEXT PAGE HERE:
As The Come: Zach by Lights On Studio
'Man muss die Dinge neh men,wie sie Kommen.'
Zach
In German, the above quote translates to 'You have to take things as they come.' Most of us have learned this is woefully true. We welcome the good things, we begrudge the bad, but regardless, whatever things are coming, are impossible to avoid. As many FH readers are aware, photographer Tom Nakielski, (Lights On Studio) knows this all to well.
Tom has been dealing with some health issues, and the aftermath of a fall, making lifting, and then holding his beloved camera, an impossible task. Still, the desire to create, as Yoda would say, is strong with this one. So strong, Tom takes the plunge into his archives, whenever there's a model or old shoot I want to explore and share more of on the site.
FH were first introduced to Tom's work with Zach with a piece back in 2016. (Après-Ski) In that winter themed post, Zach was coming off of the slopes, sliding out of his ski clothes, and posing nude in Tom's studio in front of a large wintery backdrop. I loved the series Tom sent on, and thought Zach was completely adorable, and wanted to know if Tom had shot any other themes when he and Zach worked together.
Before getting too much further,, I don't want to forget to mention why I began this piece with the quote that I did, and of course, why it was in German. Tom first connected with Zach on Model Mayhem and although the young model was eager to shoot, he was also incredibly busy. The finally fit in some dates, in between Zach's busy class work schedule, his night classes, not to mention an upcoming trip overseas.
Turns out Zach was heading to Germany for work just a week after his last shoot with Tom. This was going to be Zach's first trip to Germany, and while dressing and undressing, he entertained Tom with the many German words and phrases that he was studying and learning before his trip. The quote was one of the phrases that stood out to Tom, and that he remembers Zach sharing.
So back to this series. Tom and Zach shot twice together, the images with the winter themed background images resulting from their second shoot. These images, are from their first session which lasted almost all of the afternoon. Tom planned several other set-ups and themes and as well, they spent time shooting outdoors in front of a local museum. Many of these shots are from that shoot, outside on location.
Given their location, and many spectators mulling around, Zach was a bit shy, and more than a little smart, and decided to keep his pants on while Tom snapped away outside. The later returned to Tom's studio to shoot some fitness themes, as well as some nudes.
On that first shoot, Tom's focus was on physique and artistic, implied nudes. The theme was geometry, with Tom doing some experimental work with some bright colored geometric props that he had acquired. It wasn't until they focused on full nudes, including the winter themed images that I have previously featured.
To check out more of Tom's work with Zach, as well as the results of their studio sessions, simply CLICK HERE:
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