Above:
Dan by Michael von Redlich
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Saturday, October 12, 2024
Briancan Photography: Gratitude & Abundance
Thanksgiving is a time to feast on love and gratitude
Canadian Thanksgiving always sneaks up on me. Just as you're adjusting to summer being over, it's time for the holidays to begin. In the US, Thanksgiving is on the fourth Thursday in November. In Canada, it comes on the second Monday in October. In Canada, there are no Pilgrims, or feasts with Native Americans. In Canada, it's a simple Harvest celebration, showing gratitude for the abundance of crops grown and gathered for the long winter to come.
Given it's Canada's day to stuff, baste and cook the turkey, I wanted to ensure to show gratitude by ensuring some of my favorite Canadian artists and models were featured. I was fortunate to have spotlighted the work of Briancan, and his work with model Sébastien Clermont this past spring, (HERE:) but tucked away these Autumn themed shots to feature during the back-end of the year.
12 Days: Dan Payne in A Family Thanksgiving
At Thanksgiving, a lawyer trying to make partner is shown the joys of living a more balanced life.
I remember seeing 2010's A Family Thanksgiving many years ago, but didn't remember much about it, except for crushing over daddy Dan Payne. Thankfully, the film is on Youtube, (HERE:) so I was able to check back in, and the story all came back. It didn't take back, like so many Hallmark holiday films, the story is follows along the lines of the Charles Dicken's book, A Christmas Carol.
For this version, there's just one 'Ghost' named Gina played by Faye Dunaway. Gina is a mysterious older woman who makes it her goal to teach Claudia some moral lessons. Gina takes Claudia to an alternative world, where Claudia is a lower profile happily married minivan-driving 'soccer mom' with two children
Of course, we all get busy, so it's good to slow down but I'm not sure I love the 'moral' of this story, with a busy woman with a career, learning to slow down and appreciate her role as wife and mother. Just as Claudia is about to settle with her new life however, Gina returns to take her back. Claudia is reluctant to return to her corporate life, and thus must consider what she is most thankful for.
The actors sell the story, especially Payne, who has you wondering how Claudia could ever overlook his appeal. The Canadian born Payne has been a fixture on television the last twenty years. Payne began as a professional volleyball player, moving to Australia to play with his younger brother Josh. It was there, his love of working in film began, something he continued when moved to the UK, and then eventually moving back to Canada in the early 2000's.
Although Payne has appeared in many Hallmark films and television shows, it was his role as Nathan Davidson in the film Mulligans that first introduced me to the actor. I watched the film initially due to my love of actor Charlie David, but Payne stood out as a married, sexually-repressed father, who eventually acts on natural feelings and desires.
The Tilt of the Earth: Dan by Michael von Redlich
'I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.'
L.M. Montgomery
Most FH readers know how much I love spotlighting the visual changes throughout the year with seasonal sightings. Although the focus of the site is of course the male form, I try to feature photoshoots on the site that celebrate the season we're currently experiencing.
I appreciate that so many who check each week are from all over the globe, and therefore not experiences the seasons that I do. Even people in America, depending on where they live, experience the seasons very differently. Living on the East Coast however, an area with four distinctly different seasons, each which has had a profound impact on my life and on my experiences.
My memories are often categorized by season. I tend to remember most of my best, and more of my worst relationship moments through a summer lens. My first love from when I worked at a summer camp, but worst break-up, on a beach while camping. My best family memories are connected with winter, both the family holidays, and the family stresses which those holidays heightened. Some of my most painful memories and losses occurred on hot sunny days during the summer.
Some of my best memories growing up occurred during the fall and spring. I loved school, all the way from primary through my University days. The start of school year, sporting events, and so many parties. Those parties ended with many walks home, on cool October nights with the wind whipping and the leaves blowing around my feet on the sidewalk as I walked home.
Autumn remains my favorite season, most likely connected to how many great memories I have from the great Autumns from my past. Maybe it's connected to those memories, and the first days of each school year, but the Autumn for me, always feels like the beginning. I know people make plans and resolutions for the first of January, but for me, my energy is never more focused than in the fall.
In addition to the glorious visuals, my favorite part of October is the sun. On many days, when the sky is clear, the sun is as hot as was during the summer. But... on a cool day, when it's cloudier or windy, the air can quickly turn, inspiring everyone talking about that crisp in the air. That crisp can last all day, or just a second or two when the clouds float bay, sneaking in front of the sun, blocking the sun for a moment or two.
So many believe that the air temperature changes are caused by how far the earth is from the sun during the fall and winter months. Truth is, the distance doesn't change enough to make that much of a difference. The sun also, maintains it's hot temperature each of the 12 months of the year, but it's the tilt of the earth that causes the temperature changes. At certain time of year, including the month of October, the tilt causes the sunlight to be spread over a larger area, therefore making it weaker in certain regions.
So, there's a reason for the ramblings. One of my favorite FH memories was searching for Autumn themed images and discovering the work of photographer Michael von Redlich. It was actually an image from this series of Dan, that I attached to my e-mail when I contacted Michael one previous Autumn day.
It was during October, that Michael and I first communicated and he offered his support with my featuring the shot on the site. I was beyond excited when Michael recently sent on a selection of Autumn images which included so many great shots of Dan. I teased a few last month, with Dan naked on the train tracks, (HERE:) but wanted to save this series for a full feature.
I of course love the Autumn color sand the stunning surrounding forest, but there's also something so raw and natural about Dan that really stands out. Dan is so darned adorable, with I think, more than a passing resemblance to a young Matt Czuchry. As you can see, although there was a crispness in air, Dan stripped down let the sun cascade over his naked body. Then, just as he was being captured by Michael sunbathing on the rock, the sun disappeared behind a cluster of clouds and it got really cold.
Dan quickly got dressed again, but then just as fast as the clouds came by, they disappeared again, letting the sun's rays again descend over the forest heating everything it touched, including Dan and Michael. With the pond beckoning, Dan quickly stripped down again, hesitant, but joined with a strong yearning to slide into the still, and crystal clear water.
Dan indeed slides into the clear, but incredibly cold water for a series of stunning shots you can check out on the NEXT PAGE HERE:
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