So, I put my hands up
They're playing my song,
the butterflies fly away
When I first began going through this series of images, I couldn't help but think of the fan video that David Fudge made for the song Party in the U.S.A. If you haven't seen his take on the Miley Cyrus hit, you can check it out on YouTube HERE: In the video, a group of hot friends dance and play in the Ocean, harking back to those care free beach days so many of us remember when we were younger.
Carefree beach days don't belong just to kids, but once you've started your twenties, and are out of school, summers definitely change. Once you have a job, you don't really have those longer, two month summer vacations. When I was kid, they seemed to go on forever with countless days at the beach. Still, if you're lucky, you can still grab a week or two, or even just a day or two, of carefree summer beach fun.
It was that carefree fun element that drew me to his series. The shots were saved and shared by George from Random Exposures. I've featured George's work both behind, and in front of the camera many times on FH, and for this shoot, he's once again pulling double duty. If you don't immedeately recognize George, he's the only naked hottie wearing anything, and in this case, it's only a pair of eyeglasses.
Unlike the guys in the Party in the U.S.A video, this group of men were not really all friends. Some were random strangers who came together for a day of artistic and naked fun. George remember finding out about the shoot from photographer Charlie Archer. Long time readers of the site might remember my previous posts featuring Archer's work. (HERE:) The shoot however, was actually organized by fotorebelxt , another favorite, and long time collaborator to the site. You can check more work by fotorebelxt on FH HERE:
Some of you I'm sure might recognize the location, and the bridge in the background. Marshall's Beach in San Francisco is a clothing-optional beach. It's known for it's secluded spots, and its views of the Golden Gate Bridge and is a perfect spot for nude sunbathing, no to mention the odd nude photoshoot. The beach is accessible via a hiking trail from Baker Beach and is known for its rugged beauty and natural features.
Both George and Charles were going to be in town for Folsom weekend. The went to the shoot along with another photographer friend of George's. Bruce Alexander. Also along for the fun were three guys visiting from the Netherlands and a couple of local guys, all two had arrived for Folsom. Some of these images were shot by George himself, but most of those with him in them, were captured by fotorebelxt.
George remembers that a creative creative connection formed between the group as soon as the shoot began. Some of the men were gay, some were bi and some were straight, but none of that mattered in the least. What they all had in common was a love of being naked and the desire to celebrate community. These themes, along with their mutual love of the expression of sexual liberation, were not only themes of the day, but the festival they were all there to attend.
Although George had plenty of experience shooting nude, this was his first time shooting with a group of other nude men. George certainly had posed for groups before, usually rooms filled with clothed art students, but this was the first time stripping down as part of a group. Like so many others, one of the initial and instinctual feelings George had, was sizing himself up compared to the other men he was posing with.
The Dutch Duo
'I do remember feeling kind of average compared to those Dutch guys who were definitely hung. Bruce and Charlie were also in the average category with me. It ended up being sort of funny, that it was us with average junk, who were doing most of the shooting with the well endowed ones' 😊
1 comment:
How joyous and free.
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