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Saturday, March 1, 2025
Ukrainian Views 💛💙
I would never want Ukraine to be a piece on the map, on the chessboard of big global players, so that someone could toss us around, use us as cover, as part of some bargain.
Volodymyr Zelensky
Last week, when looking over my stats for the previous 24 hrs, I was surprised to see Ukraine second on the list of countries viewing the site. It really struck me, that given all the country and it's citizens are going through, they still look towards art, beauty and diversions from the horrors of war.
After seeing the shit show, and the ambush of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week, it seemed appropriate to salute him, and the country he's fighting so hard to keep free. So many in America seemed to be turning their backs on Democracy, for reasons, I'll never fully understand. Some of the reasons that are clear however, are frighteningly rooted in ignorance, stupidity, racism and the lack of caring for fellow human beings. Sadly, for many this is done in the name of religion, ironic, as the orange idiot and his followers seen to no nothing about the actual teachings of Christ.
Some of you I know recognize Serg Shepard, a model of Ukrainian decent I've had the privilege of featuring dozens of times on the site. I was first introduced to Serg through the work of one of my favorite photographers, Richard Rothstein, over seven years ago. These images, are from Serg's very first appearance on the site back in 2018.
If you follow Serg on-line, you know how much he loves and honors his heritage. Some of Richard's shoots with Serg, have also incorporated pieces of his culture and life before moving to America. You can check out all of my features spotlighting Serg, and his work with Richard on FH HERE:
All Good Things..... Victor by Bob Burkhardt
'Working with Bob was an incredible experience..'
Having worked on FH for so long, I've had to practice my patience. I'm not a naturally patient person, everyone who knows me well would verify that. When it comes to the site, it means that whenever I see an image I'm drawn to, I immediately want to contact the artist or model about featuring the shot or shoot. Over the years however, I've tended to go to the well a little often. I know there are a handful, (or maybe more) photographers and models who roll their eyes when they see yet another e-mail, and another request, in their inbox.
When I first saw photographer Bob Burkhardt post images from his work with Victor last month, I was instantly captivated. I loved how Bob captured Victor's beautiful body and the calm, but powerful sensuality in every shot. There were many factors which contributed to the look and feel, for me, primarily Bob's use of light, along with Victor's beautifully expressive eyes.
I also loved the Canadian model's body art, especially large, colorful serpent slithering across his back. The snake is especially apropos given we recently just celebrated Lunar New Year with the year of the snake on the Chinese zodiac. I wanted to get in touch with Bob right away, but decided to use a little patience. I'd bugged Bob more than a few times last fall and early winter, and didn't want to be too pushy.
Bob didn't make it easy however, as he tested my patience by regularly posting more incredible shots of Victor. Just as my patience was beginning to wane, voila, a message appeared in my inbox from Bob, asking if I was interested in featuring his work with Victor. Sometimes good things do come to those who wait. Now, the issue was which of the close to 200 images from the shoot do I choose!
When I was narrowing down images for this piece, it was actually the snake on Victor's back, and in the front, his beautiful face and eyes, that helped make the choices a little easier. There is often one feature that instantly grabs my attention, and with Victor, it was definitely his beautiful, large brown eyes. I especially love how Bob so beautifully captured Victor's eyes and face, and his beautiful body, with the light from the window.
'Victor was a dream to work with and to get to know. I was thrilled that he chose to fly in from Canada to work with me. He wasn’t terribly experienced but he was easy to work with and needed little direction. We hope to work together again in the next few months. '
Check out more of Bob's work with Victor, as well as Victor's thoughts on modeling, his first nude shoot, and his work with Bob on the NEXT PAGE HERE:
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