Rewind: Visual Stimulation: Keith by Carl Proctor

'I've always been fascinated by visual stimulation and photography of all kinds.'
Carl Proctor



I don't think there is much we do as adults that cannot somehow be connected to the first decade or so of our lives. For some it is a great thing, pulling childhood dreams and goals into adulthood. For others it can be a painful process trying to get as much distance from those years as possible.

I feel lucky that although not perfect, my first 10 years were full of fantasies and dreams of the future. I am going out on a limb here but I am sure I am not the only person who answered pretend questions from famous interviewers while sitting on a lawn chair in the backyard. I of course was being asked about my latest movie and how I prepared for the role. Perfecting my autographed required countless hours of practice.



There was nothing better as a kid to dive into a great book and be taken on a wild and exciting adventure. For Carl Proctor his interest was in far away places and says he would spend hours at the local library looking at photos in travel magazines. As an adult Carl has spent 35 years in the travel industry living out his childhood travel fantasies.



Eventually Carl moved from experiencing to capturing his fantasies something he says was helped by moving to digital photography which allowed him to do his own online editing to get the results he desired. Although Carl's portfolio is diverse and he loves shooting all types of subjects he says, 'I am most interested in capturing people either by surprise or by design.' I love this line as I am sure like many, if it was not for the fear of getting the crap beaten out of me, I would love to go around photographing people as they go about their day.



When I read Carl's about me section on his web page the words Visual Stimulation were a perfect description of what I felt viewing his work. Colorful, creative, erotic and alive are all words I would to describe Carl's work. What most stood out to me though was how specific and detailed Carl's images are. I have often assumed editing is generally about covering, hiding something you don't want the viewer to focus on or see. Carl however also uses his editing skills to highlight something, sometimes the smallest of detail, which enhances the viewing experience.



When it came to choosing a model to showcase Carl's work the choice was easy. Carl's work with 21 year old Keith embodies each of the adjectives I used above. Keith's energy shines through every shot. Something I rarely comment on but that stood with Keith is how exceptional and skilled he is with posing. Keith hits just the right physical and emotional mark. This may be connected to Keith's extensive acting experience. Keith, primarily a stage actor and has been in many local theatre productions. He believes that being able to perform on stage night after night and consistently be good is the mark of a true actor.



Keith also has visions of his future. Keith says he wants to always stay positive and confident in the pursuit of his dreams. Unlike many actors who dream of stardom Keith's goals are quite specific. Besides the cover of Men's Health Magazine Keith hopes one day to win an academy award for best supporting actor. I love that Keith says supporting. Firstly, I think it says a lot about who he is as a person. Secondly, the supporting category is still seen as somehow secondary even though it has been won some of the best actors on the planet. One of my favorite performances ever was Timothy Hutton in Ordinary People. His portrayal of Conrad led to Hutton's only Oscar thus far in the best supporting category.



'Working with Carl has been one of the best experiences of my career so far. Some of the best images in my portfolio were taken by him. Not only has he taught me so much about the art of creating a unique and brilliant photograph, but he has also helped me grow so much as a model. Working with Carl is so much fun and his shoots are always relaxing and stress free. He is always professional and respectful and he always notices the little things that really make his work standout. I can't wait to work with Carl Proctor again in the future.'
Keith



'I have had the pleasure of working with and getting to know Keith in three amazing photo shoots over the past couple years. During that time I've also been enthralled watching him lose himself in a couple highly entertaining stage productions. As I would watch Keith on stage I would often think, "If the people in this theatre only knew how good Keith REALLY looks!". He would give me as much while modeling as he did to the audiences he performed for. In his theatre playbill bio, when asked what his hobbies were, he said "Working out. Acting. Working out. Acting. And working out." It shows! He has become leaner and more defined with each shoot. He comes to each photo shoot excited and fully energized and willing to push the envelope in any direction. Watching someone like Keith mature and continually improve is very gratifying. After nearly ten years of working with hundreds of models, it is no stretch to say that Keith has become one of my proudest portfolio stars.'
Carl Proctor

Thanks to Carl and Keith for sharing their work together with FH!

Check out much more Carl's work on Model Mayhem HERE: & at his official site HERE:

Favorite Pic of the Day for June 11th

Above:
Steven, one of my favorite shots by Jon Seneca from JSGPhotography
-See more of Jon's work below-

Happy Birthday today June 11th to:

Above:
Soccer player and model Ramirez Allender turns 29 today.
Check out more to today's birthday boys HERE:

Thumbs Down:

I always thought he was like Jerry Lewis, possibly found brilliant in other countries. I felt this because I had not really ever found anything he did even remotely entertaining or funny. Yet... people who I did enjoy and respect kept calling him some kind of genius. I thought maybe I just didn't get it. He was the main reason I could never stomach 30 Rock. Unfunny is one thing, dangerous is another.

Dylan Rosser's tMf: Less Fashion-More Skin

'Male nude photographers seems to do their own thing, quietly trying to make some money by selling prints and books. I’m more than happy to bring attention to these guys and hopefully promote their work.'
Dylan Rosser from his recent interview with my friend Brenton Parry from Aussielicious

Over the past several years Dylan Rosser has become one of the most successful photographers of the male form. Dylan's online presence is impressive and his site THE MALE FORM is one of the most popular destinations of fans of beautiful men beautifully photographed. I long ago stopped being surprised when researching a model for a profile that shots from Dylan would be apart of their portfolio.


Above:Bassili Hendy

Amazingly hot shots are not the sole reason for Dylan's popularity. Dylan has wisely and carefully forged a community of support by reaching out to not only models, but fellow photographers and maybe most importantly lovers of the male form.

Dylan was one of the first photographers to contact FH when the blog began. Dylan's first contact with me was not about being on my site but a request about an image he wanted off. Dylan then went on to work with me to provide what I needed for my post that was in keeping with the direction he was so carefully following. Since then, Dylan not only maintains regular communication with myself (and a host of other blog/site owners) with updates and news he is also quick to respond anytime I have a question, request or assistance with a profile. Last year Dylan began bringing on guest photographers on THE MALE FORM again enlarging his community and offering his stage and vast audience for fellow photographers to share in the spotlight. Most interesting, but not surprising has been how this community rallies to support the artist when needed. Dylan used some of this support this past year by pulling and using quotes from those who support his site making them a small part of it.

Dylan brings some of the best of this community together for his new project tMf, a new online magazine which provides talented artists and models another platform to show their work. The launch issue includes a hot cover shoot with model Matt, plus interviews and portfolios with among others model Max Rhyser and top photographers like Rick Day, Walter Kurtz, Mark Henderson, Kurt R. Brown, and many others.

Be sure to check out tMf which launched this week. If the issue is a success Dylan promises we will see more!

Below:
Matt


Given tMf is all about community I decided to talk to a few of those Dylan features in the first issue. Cover boy Matt is new to the business but is serious about his work and his career. Matt loves the simplicity in Dylan's work. Matt says it was natural, without complications. Matt says working with Dylan was a pleasure and what he liked best was knowing the results were going to be quality.

'My favorite shot is when I'm looking out the window and I'm naked. I just love the outline of my body and the lighting was perfect.'
Matt

Below: Max Rhyser


Actor and model Max Rhyser shares with tMf his experiences as a model, actor and spiritual healer.

'Dylan is very calm and quiet, somewhat graceful as is his work. He's a great guy, centered which makes him really easy to work with. Our shoots have always felt very casual and relaxed.'

Max says that what he loves about Dylan's work is that it is'clean, tight, simple, elegant... simply beautiful'. Max admits that that he did not do his homework when he first worked with Dylan and says the visibility he obtained came as a great surprise. Dylan is the only photographer Max has posed naked for and was thrilled with the results. Max and Dylan also shot an extensive underwear series that have become Max's favorites. You can see all of Dylan's work with Max (including the shot below) on THE MALE FORM.



Below: Poolside with Mark Henderson


I have enjoyed the work of photographer Mark Henderson for many years. Mark is a color and lighting master and his work, both exterior and in studio, always have me feeling tropical and most certainly hot. Mark discusses his new book Poolside with Dylan and shares some of his wettest shots! I asked Mark about the connection between water and the sensuality within his work.

'To be honest, images shot by the pool are a relatively recent addition to my repertoire and represent a fairly small (but growing) part of my work, most of which is shot indoors. But photographing models by my pool and in my back garden has allowed me to further explore and experiment with lush, saturated color, which has always been an important element in my images. The way the pool water reflects numerous shades of greens, blues, and yellows, depending upon the weather and the time of day, adds an expressive quality to the images that I wouldn't be able to recreate indoors.'

Mark says that he greatly admires the fact Dylan brings an editorial-style sophistication and polish to the appearance of his images.

'This sophistication, combined with a forthright, honest depiction of the fully nude and eroticized male figure.It's a tough balancing act that few photographers attempt and even fewer do well.'

Be sure to obtain your own copy of Poolside HERE:



Below: The work of Walter Kurtz


Walter Kurtz and his work have always been exciting and fascinating to follow. It is filled with artistry, intense sexuality and has a layer not many artists are able to tap into. The dichotomy of mixing both pleasure and pain, joy and sadness, fantasy and dark reality. Walter's work blends these complexities better than any. In tMf, Walter discusses his struggles with motivation over the past couple of years (a place of frustration and immobility) and his return and need to do something different.

He also has a hilariously dark and witty sense of humor that brings me many regular laughs. His responses to my questions (which I would not even consider editing) give you a bit of a taste.

What is it about Dylan's work that speaks to you?

Ugh, please don't make me talk about another artist's work! I hate doing that. No matter what you say, it always comes off trite and contrived. Let me talk about Dylan "THE MAN". He's a true gentleman and, other than myself (of course), possibly the nicest photographer working today.

Your new work has a focus on black and white and 'arsty fartsy' (Walter's words) as you call it. Tell me about the change and tell me your signature black and orange theme is not gone for good!

It's not black and ORANGE! You need to get your monitor calibrated!! LOL

It's actually golden. I HATE looking at my work on other people's computers because it's VERY color specific and if the monitors haven't been calibrated the pics look awful. The best thing is to see my prints in person. I can't tell you how many people have said to me "Oh, NOW I get it!" after seeing the prints.

If you read the interview Dylan's going to include it explains all of that. But the highly condensed version is that I burned out and wanted to do something new. I still shoot in my signature but very rarely. Right now black and white film is my focus.

Whether black, golden (orange!) or black and white it is great to see new work coming from Walter Kurtz!



Check out more from each of these talented artists as well as many others on tMf