Dominic (Reprise) by Marlen Boro

Early last week I posted a picture of Dominic as pic of the day. Usually I am not a fan of photos where the model's face is covered but the shot was so incredible it had me wanting to see more. I promised then to share more and thanks to the generosity of photographer Marlen Boro, I was able to choose my favorite shots from the shoot to share on FH.



'Marlen Boro was born in the magical seventies in a magical land called North Dakota. Though his childhood was idyllic and wholesome, a hefty dose of Disney musicals and conservative Lutheranism resulted in a unique vision of the world.'

Unique visions are my favorite to feature, and expanding on Marlen's words I have to say going through his portfolio and site I was reminded a bit of my own time at Disney, that is of course...if Disney were ever to open a theme park devoted to beautiful men.

Checking out Marlen's site Gentlemen Photography, is like being in the middle of an erotic theme park with light and colors and an intensity which make it difficult to know where to look first. Like being at Disney your surrounded by excitement where deciding where to start is hard choice. Marlen's work is erotic, sensual with a sense of fun made up of conceptual shoots where guys are not just posing, but playing strip twister, wearing hello kitty underwear and covered in glitter.



There are not rides at Marlen's park but there are categories of shots ranging from 'hot gentlemen', 'gentlemen next door', 'goofy gentlemen' and of course 'naked gentlemen'. Although there is not Alice and her looking glass there is a window. This window may not be magic but it is beautiful and at one point or another most of the men Marlen shoots end up in front of this window and in each case the results are spectacular. (I promise you will see what I mean in future posts).



As I said one of the first shots of Marlen's that caught my eye was of Dominic.

'Dominic and I chatted for two months before we found a day that worked for the shoot. Sometimes it takes that long - but building the proper rapport with my model-collaborators is more important (in my mind) than camera settings, etc. As I suspected/hoped, working with him was well worth the wait.'
Marlen Boro

There is something about Dominic and Marlen's shots that I fell in love with; the hat, the face, the wrist band, the body...and the fact Dominic reminds me of that hot bad boy in high school we all crushed over at one point or another.



Thanks to Marlen Boro for sharing his shots of Dominic with FH! I will be showcasing more of Marlen's work again soon. In the meantime be sure to drop by Marlen's site to check out more of his work. You can find Gentlemen Photography HERE:

Also be sure to join Marlen on Facebook where he regularly shares some of the best shots from his shoots. You can find Gentlemen Photography on FB HERE:

Pic of the Day for March 22nd

Above: Issac by Ian Robert Knight
See More below!

FH Readers, I am on the road for the next couple of days, back by weeks end!
Tye

Happy Birthday March 22nd to:

Love actor Cole Hauser who turns 36 today.

More of Cole and fellow birthday boys Daniel Erthal & Benjamin Godfre HERE: and Stanislavs Olijars, Dax Griffin, Mario Cipollini & Matthew Modine HERE:

I left my heart....in Francisco San Martin

Shot above from Francisco's new site opening soon.

It has been awhile since I have watched a soap. They are dropping like flies so it might be time to invest. Never really watched Days Of Our Lives (is it any good?) I often work at home on Monday's and today as I was 'working' I flicked to find a shirtless wonder arguing with a rather annoying actress on the show. The torso was hot but the face was magic. A little googling led me to find out the actor was Francisco San Martin whose beautiful eyes and smile are mesmerizing. A think a little more research is in order!

Issac by Ian Robert Knight

Ian Robert Knight:
Expression Of Male Beauty

On his website, photographer Ian Robert Knight says the work is an expression of his vision of male beauty. In America, the word 'beauty' is not often used in association with men. Here, beauty is generally connected with women and when used to describe a man is not always intended as a compliment. Ian's work is both beautiful and innately masculine.

Masculinity in America is generally connected to physical prowess, strength and fitness. You can see these influences in the modeling world, especially in the growth of fitness industry. The Journal of Men's Health conducted a study in 2008, asking men from China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan what they consider as important masculinity attributes and the results were somewhat different. The majority considered ‘having a good job’, ‘being seen as a man of honour’ and ‘being in control of his own life’ as the most important attributes.

Although I would never try to generalize one culture (and Asia is made up of many many cultures) having attributes for masculinity that one can actually control is incredibly empowering and to me also incredibly sexy. In America it seems 'big' is what it is all about, bigger muscles, bigger penis, bigger bank accounts. Although we all strive, and although we like to pretend being a good person is what is most important it is not something we readily reward.

Issac (not Isaac), is Vietnamese from Chinese descent. He is a University student in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, speaks perfect English, likes to travel and work out. Although China works hard to keep Western influences at bay, Ian says that is not the case in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. Issac is trying to build up his body to Western ideals. Most Vietnamese men are naturally lean and slender. Although not shy, Issac feels that his body is not good enough compared to what he sees in the Western culture that floods Vietnam's media. It is rather ironic that precisely what I am seeing as so beautiful is something someone wants to change.

'Shooting Issac was a long process. I was living in Hong Kong when we first met and I went to HCMC to meet him in person. He is a full time University student, and couldn't find time to be photographed during my visit. We had followed up over the next year, and finally managed to do a shoot about 16 months after we met, during one of his breaks. When we managed to find time to do a shoot, it was very last minute. There was no theme planned, and no wardrobe set out. He even borrowed a swimsuit from the friend whose apartment we shot the photos in. The whole shoot took place over a span of about 2 hours, and Issac was quite skilled at posing, considering he'd never been photographed before.'
Ian Robert Knight

Ian has been shooting professionally for about 20 years, but turned his focus to photographing men 5 years ago. Currently Ian teaches photography at a private college in Beijing, mostly to foreigners.

'Many of the men I photograph are true beginners. Most have never been photographed professionally until I did so. It's tough sometimes, to work with an unskilled model, but I find that they are often more interesting this way. I like the freshness about them, compared to the highly skilled model with years of experience. I work and travel light. All of my work is shot with natural light when possible.'

While many photographers have the model come to their studio, Ian often travels to the model. He says they are more comfortable when they are in familiar surroundings. Ian has traveled to 59 countries and lived in 5 of those countries. Originally from Canada, Ian was born in Winnipeg, raised in Calgary, and lived in Vancouver most of his adult life

'I left Vancouver in 2008, and lived in Hong Kong for a while before moving to Bangkok. I moved to China in June 2010, and quite like it here. I prefer Thailand, though. If the political protests didn't happen (along with hundreds killed, daily bombings, etc), I would still be there.'

Ian has some interesting summer plans, shooting nudes on the Great Wall.

'It will be a challenge, but something I am looking forward to. The contrast of the grandeur and immense stone structure, and the softness and vulnerability of the naked male body will be amazing'

Ian will also be a part of the judging panel for 'World Supermodel' pageant, also this summer. International finals take place in China this year and will be televised globally. You can check out more about the contest HERE:

Be sure to check out more of Ian's work on ModelMayhem HERE: and on his beautiful website HERE: