Above:
Dominic by JW Johnson
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Thursday, June 19, 2025
Summer Blockbuster
'Strap in, you're in the driver's seat now.'
Ahh, the summer blockbuster! I remember going with my dad to see A View To A Kill in the summer of 1985. I was just a kid, but I loved the feeling of coming out of that theatre in the dark on a hot summer night. I had that same feeling with The Goonies, Top Gun, Jurassic Park, Ghost, The Lion King and so many more.
I've usually enjoy Brad Pitt movies, I think I've spent a few summer nights staring at his face and body on the big screen. The last Pitt summer blockbuster I remember was awhile ago, probably World War Z back in 2013. I hadn't planned however, on seeing F1: The Movie, I'm really into race car flicks, but one of the films stars has changed my mind.
I think my crush on British actor Damson Idris began went I tried to get into Snowfall. I didn't stick with the series, but my crush was cemented. I also saw him in the 2018 drama Farming. Farming wasn't always an easy watch, but Idris was excellent in the role. Rumor has it, that Idris is also in line to start in Black Panther 3.
Liliaceous: Dominic by JW Johnson
'Dominic was one of my favorite male models to work with.'
If you're a photographer without a home studio, you have a couple of choices. You can rent a space, a studio or a motel room, or you can shoot outside. No matter where you live, shooting outdoors can be challenging, especially when your subject is a nude male model. First you have to find a private space to work, one without too many lookie-loos. Then of course, there's dealing with the weather, and trying to somehow regulate the power of your natural light source, the sun.
If you live and work in the South, or along the west coast, you can shoot outdoors all year long. If however, you're on the East coast or in the Midwest, your opportunities to shoot can be more restrictive. I've been fortunate though, to find many photographers who head out with their camera, and a willing male model, regardless of the season or the weather. JW Johnson is one of those photographers.
Although no stranger to studio work, some of my favorite visuals from the Missouri based photographers are from his outdoor shoots. If you check out my previous pieces featuring JW's work, (HERE:) you'll see hundreds of images of hot male models surrounded by the sites from each of the four seasons. I often head to JW's site when looking for autumn or winter themed shoot but today, it's all about the start of summer.
For many years, JW was fortunate to have been able to shoot at a farm belonging to one of his close friends. The farm had tons of space, open fields, barns, horses and a great back porch, patio and swimming pool. It also had many incredible gardens, including one with a gorgeous wall of orange day-lilies. As you can beautifully see, JW took full advantage of the liliaceous plants as an incredible background for his work with the equally stunning Dominic.
It's hard to dispute that any studio background could possibly compete with the outside location. I'm also not sure any studio lighting could rival the sun in highlighting Dominic's beauty and the surrounding garden. Speaking of that sun, after spending all afternoon posing under the heat of it, a dip in the pool was most definitely in order for Dominic. You can join him by heading on over to the NEXT PAGE HERE:
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
A Look Back: One Summer in the Late 2000's
Early in the mornin' I'll be heading out the door
To where the waves are splashin' as they dance along the shore
And after having caught a few lyin' on the sand
We'll listen to the radio, blast a rockin' band
The Beach Boys
If there are any viewers from the early days of FH, I mean the really early days, you may remember this model and series of images. (HERE:) I'm guessing even if you didn't see them here, if you were surfing the net in the 2000's looking for hot naked men, you spotted this set.
I decided to visit the series again for a couple of reasons. First, images of this model were some of my favorites stored in my old Yahoo Group. It was that group, that led to my creating this site. There were some of just a few images, I transferred over when I began FH.
The image also just scream summer to me. A hot naked hunk rolling in the sand and salt water, it's a formula used by so many photographers of both the male, and female form. It's been so long, I don't really remember where the images originated. I do however, remember the model's name was Vitaly.
The name Vitaly means 'alive' and vital'. It's often considered a Slavic male name, specifically Russian or Ukrainian in origin. I originally thought the series might have come from the Australian Boys site, but given the credit, it may have come from an old Slavic Boys site. I do remember though, they hit the net in the mid-2000's, making the beautiful Vitaly today, I'm guessing somewhere in his mid to late 40's.
Porch & Pool: Dominic by JW Johnson
' Over the years, I was able to shoot so many hot guys and a few hot female models as well. Inside the house, on the porch and in almost every inch the property and farm..'
One of my favorite parts of any home, including my own homes, is the porch. If you've never had a great front porch, you don't know what you're missing. Back porches and patios are fine, usually more private, but a comfortable and welcoming front porch can be particularly special.
I think photographer JW Johnson first introduced me to the farm's porch in a piece that I did in 2018 featuring his work with Steven. (HERE:) If you check out that earlier piece, you'll see the porch is a wraparound porch with beautiful wooden pillars and of course, a large wooden porch swing. There are also plenty dangling chains, like the ones Dominic is holding onto for some of his poses. The chains are used to hold both the swing, and the many hanging flower baskets during the summer.
JW actually had two shoots with Dominic at the farm, and most of these images are from their first shoot together. Most of the images from the second shoot were unfortunately lost after a computer crash. That doesn't mean JW and Dominic didn't meet up again, but when they did, it wasn't for another shoot.
Although the farm is still there, sadly JW is no longer able to shoot there. JW's friend who owned the farm, died from cancer two years ago. JW shares that although his friend was younger, he lived a difficult life, one that made battling his health issues more challenging. If you visit JW's site, in addition to the numerous images of hot models and firefighters, the site is also a bit of a visual love letter to the farm, it's owner, and the many models JW brought to the location to shoot.
Out of the blue one day, Dominic called JW for a favor. Dominic ended up getting stranded in St. Louis City, after getting in an argument with his then girlfriend. Dominic didn't know anyone in the area, but thought JW lived nearby. Turns out, not as close as Dominic remembered. JW was over two hours away, but still, did the almost five hours return trip to see Dominic and ensure he had a safe ride home.
Every time I visually visit the farm, and JW's work there, I'm always struck by it's beauty. Not just the natural beauty of the land and fields, but the obvious care and hard work the owner put into his property. The barn, the porch and patio were always so well taken care of and you can see and feel how much passion the farm's owner had for his property.
I used to have a large property, and taking care of it, meant devoting almost every day off from work to it's upkeep. Currently, I have just one small garden area in my backyard, and it still can sometimes be a chore to keep up. I hope whoever ended up buying the farm has the time and energy, (and money) kept it up!
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