90 minutes: Michael by Stephan Tobias

'We kept playing around and discovering new opportunities.'

Stephan Tobias

Given my passion for male focused imagery, I consider the male form a work of art.  Over the years, I've featured male models in poses replicating famous art pieces, and posing with art pieces.  For this shoot, photographer Stephan Tobias surrounded his subject with art, paintings, sculptures and an array of colors and textures, contrasting with his smooth skin and muscular body.

Although at first glance, it may appear the beautiful Michael is posing in a museum, the setting is actually an opulent apartment in Berlin.  The apartment belongs to a friend of Stephan's who generally opened up his space for the shoot. Although he lives in Washington DC, Michael was visiting Berlin last year, and a short window of opportunity opened for a shoot with Stephan.

FH readers are aware of Stephan's work as both a model and a photographer.  I've always been impressed with Stephan's eye for beauty and especially his knack for pushing boundaries in his work, especially with spaces..  Stephan has an acute feel for connecting, both physically and emotionally, with the spaces he work in.  Stephan beautifully carried on this theme in this series with Michael.

'As a photographer and as a model, passionate for the male nude, I am always eager to find interesting shooting opportunities. When I see one, I am happy if I can just go for it. I love to discover and to be spontaneous. A moment of inspiration may never come back.'

'Michael has a really nicely proportioned and well trained body, but also expressions which speak of struggles and vulnerability. It was a pleasure for me to explore that a bit and to put it in context with that beautiful apartment space around him. Don't we always need that space around us to define ourselves and to find out who we really are?'

'This apartment offered numerous decorative props too, like the pallette which had belonged to my friend's grandfather, who was a well known painter. Such items can easily be used for pictures which have what I call "obscure symbolism". A pallette resembles a fig leave, but also can stand for the color which has been bestowed on us and which keeps influencing us, throughout our lives.'

'A glass table and framed pictures in the right light and angle can offer beautiful reflections. Capturing those may raise other visual questions, like what we really are and what we could become if seen from a different angle. Obscure symbolism can be found in many ways and often it becomes part of my photographic explorations subconsciously. The disappearing  daylight forced us to terminate our creative collaboration after a short, but productive, 90 minutes.'

Stephan Tobias

Stephan Tobias 

Stephan Tobias on FH:

Movement at Teufelsberg: Stephan Tobias by David P. France

'In many ways those pictures now are a reverence not only to movement but also to times lost.'

Stephan Tobias

Regular FH readers no doubt recall the work of artist Stephan Tobias.  I have featured the Berlin based artist's work as both a model and photographer.  As a photographer one of my favorites pieces was the 2015 feature Row Boat. (HERE:)  As a model, I especially loved the spectacular views of Stephan on The Italian Island of Ischia shot by Stephan's friend Marco Cortese.  (The Forces of Nature)

Today's set of images again feature Stephan's modeling work, and well as his artistic editing and creative collage work.   For this shoot at Teufelsberg, a former US air control and surveillance station in West Berlin,  Stephan collaborated with US dancer and photographer David P. France, who was visiting Stephan from Basel.

'After the end of the cold war, Teufelsberg fell derelict. Although there was a fence and some security, it became a popular place for sprayers and urban explorers. They cut into the textile cover of the high radar tower, and until around 2010, it hung down around that tower like a theater curtain.'

'We crawled under fence and were lucky to get into the tower with no one else around. We were stunned by the aesthetic qualities of the place. I was happy to do some nude modeling there and while David wanted to focus on my body movement and tension I was more interested in interacting with the surreal and unique background of the tower and radar domes and the Grunewald forest and suburban Berlin cityscape on the horizon.'

Stephan shares that he and David shot there for almost two hours in pretty chilly conditions.  Despite the cold temperatures, Stephan was pleased with the results.  So pleased, that he used many of the images from the series to compose a set of digital collages. Stephan loved the look of the curtain-like of the curtain like tatters of the tower, especially how the looked flowing in the air and wind.

'When asked this year to come up with a contribution about movement I again thought of this series and decided to rework some of those older collages. They indeed represent David's concept of movement, but also mine of surreal combinations. They also are portraits of my younger and more handsome self, which now for me adds to the intended surreal twist.'

'In many ways those pictures now are a reverence not only to movement but also to times lost, Teufelsberg has been leased to an artist community shortly after that shooting which closed all the holes in the fences and allows a restricted regime of occasional guided tours only. No creative nude shootings are possible there any more and those beautiful tattered curtains have been cut off. Movement of time could be considered a sad affair, if it were not for a new opportunity springing up for each old one lost.'

Stephan Tobias

Stephan Tobias Art Photo

David P. France on ModelMayhem

Virtual Vacations: Langkawi with Stephan Tobias

'Taking nude pictures of each other there became our way of paying tribute to the beauty of the place and the experience.'

Stephan Tobias

One of my favorite parts of working on FH, is the virtual, and visual vacations I get to experience thanks to the models and artists I follow.  FH has traveled across the globe featuring models, photographers and shoots taken on each of the world's seven continents.   In many cases, the locations are new to me, and so many are on my bucket list of places I hope one day to visit. 

Through his work, artist and model Stephan Tobias has taken me to some of the most breathtaking places that I've been fortunate to feature and learn about.  As both photographer and model, FH has joined Stephan  to various lakes, museums and factories in Berlin, the Castello Lighthouse, the Italian Island of Ischia and the stunning coastline along the Gulf of Finland.

Today, Stephan invites us to join him during a trip to visit one of his friends in Langkawi. Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah is an island part of a cluster and chain of over 100 islands located about 30 km off the coast of northwestern Malaysia.  Some of the islands in the cluster are only visible when it's low tide in the Strait of Malacca.

Stephan's friends was house sitting a recently built brand new villa on the island of Langkawi. Given the stunning visuals behind and surrounding Stephan's stunning form, it's easy to understand why the island is one of Malaysia's prime tourist destinations.

'The owners had chosen a wonderful place for their new property, close to the jungle and overlooking a small bay on the east coast of the island. Highlight of it all for me was the pool and the terrace around it, which offered a charming view and a nice place for relaxing at all times of the day and night in wonderful tropical conditions. '

In addition to the breathtaking visuals, you can almost feel the sense of calm and tranquility in the location.  You can also feel both the heat from the sun, and the rush of coolness when Stephan dives into the villa's pool to cool off.  These shots were taken by Stephan's friend, and each took turns shooting the other during their time together.  Stephan did send on a few shots of his friend, but he's a little shy and preferred to remain on the sidelines, at least for now...

'This charming spot, in spite of our many beautiful other island explorations, became the center of the universe for me during this stay of 10 days. We could hang around nude there too, with exception of some daytime hours, when local workers were pursuing the completion of two side buildings.'

'Taking nude pictures of each other there became our way of paying tribute to the beauty of the place and the experience. Life is about enjoying the moment. '

Stephan Tobias on Instagram

Stephan Tobias on FH:

Stephan Tobias: The Light before Dark

'You need to be lucky to experience magical moments, but you need to be ready for them too.'

Stephan Tobias

One of the main components with photography of the male form is relationship.  The connection between model and photographer, between image and viewer, and the relationship between form with space and location.  Artists who neglect these connections miss out on touching so many emotional layers.  A great body may draw your eye, but a great body within a great image hits senses beyond the visual, and stays with the viewer for so much longer.

One of my favorite relationships to explore on FH is the relationship between the body and it's surrounding environment.  So many of my favorite shoots capture not just a model and a location, but the locations emotional and actual history as well.  One of my favorite artists exploring this natural nexus is photographer and model Stephan Tobias. 

Through his work, Stephan has taken myself and FH viewers on many spectacular visual vacations.  If you check out some of my previous pieces featuring his work (HERE:), you'll remember Stephan taking on many incredible locations from enchanted forests and oceans and even battling the wind.  One of my favorite of Stephan's series, Forces of Nature, came from shooting with his friend Marco Cortese. Marco was also along for Stephan's visit to the Castello Lighthouse.  

It's difficult to see a lighthouse, in person, or in art, without thinking about it's history.  Flashing back to a time when the light was the sole beacon of land and safety.  Lighthouses hit an emotional core with so many of us, so much so, there are huge efforts by so many individuals and so many communities to save those that still remain.  

Lighthouses are not only symbols of the past, but the many men and women who were both guided by the light, and on the other side, waiting for their loved ones to return.  Like so many, I've always been drawn to them, and like the characters in so many movies, dream of renovating one to live in.  In addition to elements of romance, they also hold an abundance and mystery, and, thanks to John Carpenter, and the original The Fog, can also manifest a degree fear.

This series of images were taken at the lighthouse of the old Castello Aragonese at Ischia Ponte. The Aragonese Castle is a medieval castle next to Ischia, at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples, Italy.  Can't think of a better place for a photo shoot, or a better place to explore the relationship between the nude male form and his environment. As you can see from the incredible natural lighting, most of these were taken just before and while the sun was setting over the castle.

'I love transitions and am happy every time I get a chance to experience them. One of the most obvious form is the transition from light to dark. Another one is my own process of ageing. The images are a narration about the fall of dark, a very small lighthouse, and some expressive nude creativity in between.'

Whenever Stephan is visiting Marco, they are always on the hunt for beautiful and meaningful locations for shoots. Most often with Stephan as the nude model.  While exploring the old Castello Aragonese in Ischia Ponte together, both Stephan and Marco were surprised that on that day, a door open which led to the small Castello lighthouse. Stephan shares that normally,  it is tightly locked. 

'We both embraced that opportunity and started a shooting on the little lighthouse terrace, with the beautiful Vesuvio volcano silhouette on the horizon. The real excitement began when it became dark and the little lighthouse started its blinking routine, while the golf of Napoli sank into its blue hour. We didn't stop until darkness had taken over and the lighthouse had itself become a volcano of flashes, ruling over the formerly serene scenery, like age over our existence.'

Stephan Tobias

Stephan Tobias on Flickr