The Energy Of The Moment: Tyler by AJL Photo

When I first saw a shot of 21 year model Tyler I wondered just briefly if he was from Europe. The blonde hair, blue eyes and his beautiful crafted facial structure initially had be thinking he might be Swedish. Well I was off....way off as usual. Tyler hails about 4726 miles and an ocean away in the Pacific Northwest State of Oregon.



Regardless of where I thought he came from, Tyler has a look that draws attention. The hair and eyes, the facial structure and his chest and torso so beautifully defined. My favorite shots from the series presented are the first four, there is a sexy sophistication with the jeans and blue striped shirt. It is almost as if Tyler just stepped out of a nautical themed shoot on the pages of GQ.



Each of the shots in this series come from Salem Oregon based photographer Andre from AJL Photo. Andre has been involved in photography since the days of film, developing pictures in his laundry room at home. Like many photographers Andre leads a bit of the superhero life, by day a technology consultant, by night and on weekends the business wear comes off and the camera and his passion for shooting comes out.

'I love the balance in life that photography offers. I enjoy capturing "moments in time" and love working with models who want to make the most of their look.'



'It's the energy of the moment that creates the image. I love contrast in a shot, be it "light and shadow", or a guy in a tuxedo walking down a grungy alley. In my opinion, contrast to me does NOT mean a girl in a bikini and high heels, holding a power tool. Contrast is the firefighter holding the baby or puppy that just got rescued.'



Andre says that Tyler was an absolute pleasure to work with. Professional, punctual and personable. Andre says that building trust is key in his work with models.

'He is not shy and has a build that is incredible. He is willing to do what it takes to get the shot. One weekend, we were shooting at a barn, it started to rain, and I was all set to wrap for the day. He wanted to keep going. I got wet, the camera stayed dry, and it was a good day.'

Check out more of Andre's work with Tyler as well as many other models on Model Mayhem HERE:
Check out Tyler on Model Mayhem HERE:

Favorite Pic of the Day for June 13th

Above
Ray Luis by Carl Proctor
-See more below-

You can check out today's birthday's HERE:

Kudos to 20/20

Kudo's to 20/20 and Debra Roberts for last weeks story on reality tv. I have not tuned into 20/20 for years but for some reason the story on reality tv stars had be press record on the DVR. Now believe me I am not giving up the few reality shows I watch (mostly competition), but... there was something about the story, the casting, the behind the scenes filming on reality tv that was so sleazy and depressing.

People used to flock to California with dreams of stardom. Back then however, it was about becoming an actor, a performer. Today it all about reality tv. The new focus for those in casting is now looking for the oddest, hottest, stupidest and craziest person they put in front of us. Hot and stupid seems to be one of the most sought after combos...

Soap Operas, often criticized, at their worst are Shakespeare compared to most of the garbage networks and cable channels are throwing at us. I think it speaks to what a network thinks of it's audience when it is trash they are trying to shove at them. Soap Opera's, like most scripted shows require things like a bit of commitment and a wee bit of a brain. These two things most reality producers hope viewers do NOT have.

It speaks to a tv form which capitalizes on those who fail to be it's stars. Washed up performers, out of work actors, could 'not sell a ticket if they tried' singers are coveted in the reality world. What other industry looks to it's failures for it's success.

20/20 did not make me want to stop watching reality all together. A little of anything is ok. It did however make me look at the reality industry very very differently. I always felt the popularity of Jersey Shore was a bit depressing but I now see it as a really sad statement on our current culture.

I am sort of proud to say I have yet to see one second of a Housewives show. I say sort of because, I can't judge, I have my guilty tv pleasures. But...I also know that like a McDonald's fry, if I had seen a minute a Housewife show...I most likely would have enjoyed it and watched so much more.

Whether it be Jersey Shore or another, I know there is really nothing wrong with enjoying any one of these shows. But there is something about the quantity of reality shows on the air that is becoming almost overwhelming. There just seems to be this rather scary connection with the education issues America is battling, and the increase in kids having the attention span of a gnat and the general dumbing down of our culture that reality not only promotes, but exploits.

The Tony's

Above: Hugh Jackman & Neil Patrick Harris

I have a few issues with NPH but I won't dwell on them here as last night overall he rocked hosting The Tony's. The least rated major award show is arguably the most entertaining. The show sped by last last night (when do you hear that about an award show) with amazing performance, fun acceptance speeches and lots of humour. My favorite number surprised me but I loved seeing the ensemble from Company performing together. An entire number which includes Patti Lupone without her getting a solo was a surprise, but the song and the staging of it were so entertaining you didn't miss it.


Above: Daniel Radcliffe

I was hoping for a Andrew Rannells win and the Spider-man Jokes were verging on boring (they have all been said before) not to mention those few minutes wasted repeating last years incredible number from Memphis over all a great 3 hours of television.


Above: Aaron Tveit (who should have had a Tony nom for NtN) in Catch Me If You Can.


Above: Andrew Rannells in The Book Of Morman

Below: Backstage with Patrick Wilson

Not A Shy Bone In His Body : Ray Luis by Carl Proctor

One of my favorite features that I worked to put together this year was my profile of photographer Carl Proctor's work with model and actor Keith. (re-posted below) There was an energy to the shots which were creative, sexy and playful. The energy also came from Carl's love of his work and support of those he works closely with. One of the marks of a great shoot is when the viewer wants to see more of both the model and the work of the photographer. Carl's work with Keith left me wanting to see more!


Above: My favorite shot, so beautiful, so hot!

The Situations Abs, Fawcett's mane, Jolie's lips, Tim McGraw's tight jeans and Lopez & Kardashians boo-tay...

When working with a subject who is 'known' for something a photographers job has to be to both showcase it, as well as ensuring you don't simply rely on it. I mean you could just simply focus your lens and shoot it but then there would really be nothing creative, nothing different and especially nothing new about doing that.



I think in the case of 33 year old Ray Luis the task is easy. He certainly has it, but he also has so much more. There is reason Luis has been so busy, so popular, and has been working so many talented and respected photographers. Ray has been literally jumping on and off planes shooting much of the last several months. If all he had was it I am sure the continued job offers would have shriveled up long ago.



Ray describes himself as cool, calm and collected and very easy to work with. These adjectives along with his professionalism provide even more reasons photographers are eager to work with him and why they are singing his praises. Carl Proctor describes working with Ray as a real pleasure.

'You never know when you have the opportunity to work with a hot Internet model what the experience will be like. The minute you meet Ray, all concerns are put to rest. He is just as he describes himself: laid back, fun loving, and very serious about his modeling work. He doesn't have a shy bone in his body and he's very confident with his appearance. He brings so much to a shoot you can't help but get successful results.'
CP




'The first shoot we had was supposed to start with me picking him up at the airport at 9am on a Sunday morning from a flight originating in Chicago. However, due to weather issues, overbooking practices, and flight delays he wasn't able to arrive in Atlanta until after 4pm. I was worried that he would be tired and would not deliver his best. My worries were totally unfounded. He put 150% into a shoot that went well into the night with no complaining or grumbling. He's a real pro all the way.'
CP




Ray Luis has a truly amazing body, head to hmmmmm, toe. Beautiful face, sultry eyes, lips an amazing torso and muscled arms and legs which make every beautiful inch of him meant to be captured. Equally impressive though is his work ethic. Ray has a plan and his current crazy schedule and all the hard work is an important part of it. Besides this hard work, Ray has studied fitness and nutrition. Ray continues to study but his eye is on the prize. For Ray that prize is an acting career and he is currently studying acting at the Barbizon professional acting school in Detroit.

Check out more of Ray at ModelMayhem HERE:
As always check out more of Carl's work at his official site HERE: