Open Field: Jacob by Studio1x

'I asked Jacob to now run through the field naked. Oh the look he gave me, it was you are one crazy son of a bitch aren't you... But he did it and laughed the whole way.'

Studio1x

Living in the country, I've spent countless hours walking through open fields.  By myself, with friends, and usually with a dog or two.  In the summer, you have to watch out for cow shit, in the winter, it's also the shit, but frozen, like a hockey puck.  In the spring and fall it's moisture, and the hidden puddles you try to avoid.

One of the most interesting things about fields, is what surprises the tall grass and plants might be hiding.  Anyone who's walked through a field knows at any moment, you might surprise a hidden rabbit, turtle or even a fox, and the many pheasants that swoop into the air, when you step too close.  I always keep my eye out for what might be hidden in the field, but can only dream that instead of a lumbering turtle, I would stumble upon a naked Jacob running through the open field.

Well, thanks to Jim from Studio1x, we not only dream, but see, the beautiful Jacob, rising like a wild flower from the meadow.   This particular field is located on an abandoned dairy farm that Jim's been hoping to shoot in for awhile.  It's a couple of hours from his home, so it took a little planning.  Jim knew he'd have to make a day of it, to make it worth the four hour return trip and need a model up for the day long adventure.

Jim posed looking for models interested in the shoot.  Although Jacob didn't initially see the posting, one of his friends tagged him in the post and Jacob reached out to find out the details of the shoot.  Jim shares that that Jacob was excited about the idea as he hadn't done a shoot of this type before.  They quickly nailed down a date and time for their drive to the old dairy farm.

The met up early in the morning and along with another model, car pooled to the location.  The drive gave model and photographer plenty of time to get to know each other and discuss what they wanted to capture during the shoot.  In addition to wanting to shoot two different models at the farm, bringing along a second model had another purpose.  The diary farm has been turned into a park, so the second model was able to stand watch for anyone who might come by during the shoot.

'There were so many places to shoot at this location, many different buildings and looks were to be had. We ended the day in the open field. By that time everyone was relaxed and enjoying themselves.  Jacob got used to putting his clothes on and taking them off as he did so many times throughout the day. As you can see he has a fantastic body and knows how to move very well. We captured so many pieces of art that day.'

'It felt so natural shooting in the field and the photos come out beautiful. We did the typical dress to undress, then once he was undressed, I asked Jacob to now run through the field naked. Oh the look he gave me, it was you are one crazy son of a bitch aren't you. But he did it and laughed the whole way. The grass was tall and he was laughing cause the tall grass was tickling his balls. That is something I hadn't thought of.'

Jim loved shooting in the open field, and resulting images he was able to capture.  Even though they were in a park, there not many people around and when someone did stroll by, they simply took a short break, until they moved onto a different location.  One of the most rewarding aspects of the trip for Jim was the drive home.  After eight hours of the models ripping off and on their clothes, and a successful shoot behind them, the models were relaxed and open due to the trust and friendship built up over a day of working together.  Over the long drive, and a stop for dinner and drinks, both models were sharing stories with Jim on subjects ranging from their past modeling experiences stories more personal in nature...

'Jacob did a fantastic job, gave me many looks during the day.  He has the exotic look and is very masculine. I absolutely love working with models like him that are so open to different ideas, a bit daring and just out to have a great time. I can't thank his friend enough for tagging him in my original post looking for a model.'

Jim, Studio1x

Studio1x

Studio1x on Instagram

The Golden Egg: Jacob by Studio1x

'Eggcellent!'

When I was growing up, money was tight.  We always had enough, but just barely enough.  If I or my siblings ever thought there might be a little extra, holidays always swung us quickly back to reality.  Halloween meant my mom reminding us that we couldn't afford to buy a costume.  She would sew us something.  Christmas meant reminders that we each would receive one main gift. There was of course also usually socks and underwear and a book or candy from our great aunt.

For Easter, there were never any new clothes or toys.  Even growing up in the eighties, many parents went overboard at Easter.  I remember looking out the window on Easter morning and seeing neighborhood kids wizz by on their bright shiny new bikes.   For us, Easter meant we be receiving the same two things.  A handful of those gross, overly-sugary, marshmallow eggs, and the big gift.  That consisted of one piece of chocolate, usually in the form of a bunny or a large golden egg.

When I saw the large golden egg featured in this series of images, I was immediately taken back to early Easters, and my love of our 'big gift', the large chocolate golden egg.  I wasn't one to scarf down my candy,   I savored it, sometimes hoarding it for months in my bedroom closet.

I enjoyed looking at the shiny gold wrapper, smelling the chocolate, and then finally breaking into it, and eating slowly.  I eat that golden chocolate egg over weeks, sometimes even months. The impact of getting just one piece of chocolate suck with me. Even today, if I buy a bag of mini Kit Kat bars over Halloween, there are usually still some left by the time Christmas roles around, sometimes, even in to the new year.

For this shoot, the lucky receiver of the shiny golden egg is Jacob.  Some of you may remember being introduced to Jacob last summer, in a stunning series of images hot out in a beautiful open field. (HERE:)  It was Jacob's initiation that led to this shoot, and the previous shoot with Jim from Studio1x.  Jacob originally reached out to Jim after one of his friends tagged him in a post Jim had made looking for models.  They kept in touch after that initial shoot and Jacob reached out earlier this year about getting together to create again.  Jim thought Jacob would be perfect for the Easter shoot he was planning.

'Easter is the one time of year it's safe to put all your eggs in one basket.'

'Jacob had to work late the night before so he only had a couple of hours of sleep. He is so prompt, he showed up an hour early cause he didn’t want to be late. He rested while I worked with the model before him.'

'This extra time gave us time to get caught up before we started, I find myself building strong friendships with many of my models. The studio I had rented was beautiful and was very happy with the results from our shoot. Jacob once again did a fantastic job and his recent hard work in the gym really showed!'

Jim, Studio1x

Jacob on Instagram

Studio1x

Studio1x on Instagram

Rural Decay: Jacob by Studio1x

'The sight is a familiar one along dusty back roads in the country: an old roofless silo left to the elements along with decaying barns, chicken coops and stone homesteads. This is the landscape of rural abandonment that define regions that have struggled with generations of exodus.'

NYTimes

I think it was the work of StudioMGphotography that first sparked my love of urban decay.  Area's of abandonment, left to rot and decay, sadly, and painfully slowly over time.  These location were mostly forgotten, even when plain site.  It's fascinating how something so visually immense can be ignored with the passage of time.

Living in the country, I've seen for myself that architectural abandonment is not just an urban phenomenon.  Almost daily, I pass rundown and abandoned homes, and maybe most frequently barns.  Barns once filled with cows or chickens are now filled with nothing but garbage and unused open spaces.

There was once an old home near where I work.  It was a huge old hundred year old plus mansion, right outside the town, but visually protected by a row of pine tree's.  I used to visit that house often when out walking the dogs.  It had an eerie feel, not because it was so big, but because of what was left inside.

Although filled with dust and cobwebs, it was also filled with the belongings of the previous inhabitants.  The appliances and large pieces of furniture were missing, but there were chairs, tables and bookcases.  To make things even more creepy, those bookcases still had books in them, mostly children's books, those tables had plates and cups on them and the walls, the were filled with family photos.

It was a large family, father, mother and grandmother and at least seven kids.  The house looked as if the family bolted quickly one night, leaving with only the clothes on their back.  There were plenty of stories, plenty of rumors, of a murder, of disease, of running from the law or from debt.  What was so fascinating about that house was how those belongings remained intact for so many years.

No matter how many looky loo's, no many how many photographers or dog walkers toured the abandoned dwelling, those pieces of furniture remained, those books stayed in the bookcases, and those pictures remained on the walls.  It was almost as if everyone, even those weekend  partiers, had too much respect, or maybe too much fear... to destroy or move the families items from the rooms and walls.

Years later, the items would be gone, not removed, but burned in a fire that destroyed the home.  I think often of that house, that home, and the family that once lived there.  I've thought about it even more lately, given the current state of isolation.  Driving through my town is odd, eerie in the same way walking through that house was.  Most of our towns and city's are quiet, abandoned, like everyone got up and fled in the middle of the night.

While enjoying this series of images, my mind went back to that home, and the many abandoned houses, building and barns I've passed by and visited over the years.  FH readers know Jacob from his work with Studio1x from his recent Easter visit. (The Golden Egg)  Studio1x's Jim discovered this particular location, an abandoned dairy farm, last summer and spent the day there with Jacob and another model.

One of the things I love most about images of the male form shot in abandoned spaces is how their energy and naked bodies, bring spaces back to life, even if just for a moment.  I love the many spaces that Jim used within the shoot and the many angles and ways he captured Jacob.  I love how how Jacob's beautiful eyes seem to channel the many spirits enmeshed in the barns history.

Jacob on Instagram

Studio1x

Studio1x on Instagram

Dark Eros: Jacob by Studio1x 🥀

The heart was made to be broken.'

Oscar Wilde

For every angel floating around doing good deeds, there's a little devil causing trouble.  For every Santa spreading joy, there's a Scrooge stealing spirits.  On Valentine's Day, for every well intentioned cupid, there's an equally determined Dark Eros. They're just waiting for the opportunity, to turn love into heartbreak.  No one goes through life unscathed, we all experience heartbreak, and for many, it can be an enduring weight that hits harder, and lasts longer than most people think.

If I had to pick one holiday that might not survive, it would be Valentine's Day.  So many thing about love and relationships have changed over the years.  The holiday as it was intended, is already beginning to disintegrate. The antiquated visual of a husband, arriving home from work with a bouquet of roses for his wife, seems like something you'd see in a television show from the 50's or 60's.  

So many of the messages we were fed as kids no longer fit the way we live.  Most of the taglines in Valentine cards and on sweetheart candy, are today, but inappropriate and even offensive. Today, fewer people are getting married, many have the figure around 45 percent or less.  Stats tell us about 50% of people struggle to ever find true love or a long-term fulfilling relationship. and 20% of people, never experience true love at all.

The world has changed, there are far less reasons to have to partner and procreate. Women can make their own money, and raising children, has never been more expensive.  Advancements in technology and changes in social systems have also made it easier to live alone.  There are also less societal pressures, leading many who live alone to thrive, both socially and financially. 

They say there's an epidemic of loneliness, and they say it more, after someone commits a violent act. Personally I struggle with it being called an epidemic and i also struggle with connecting loneliness and aggression. Loneliness and depression cause people to feel sad,  not necessarily mad.  Aggression isn't an emotion, it's an action, and people choose actions.  

If you read the history of Cupid, you'll learn that the little cherub didn't always choose actions which resulted in love.  Often, his arrow's prick led to heartbreak and pain.  Dark Eros was a sexually mischievous little rascal, who loved to watch people's lives implode after his poke.  If we take a look back at one of Cupid's first targets, you'll see what mean.

After Apollo provoked the fierce fury of Venus’ son by mocking his seemingly toylike weapons, Cupid  took his revenge. He pierced Apollo’s heart with a golden arrow, causing him to fall passionately in love with the nymph Daphne. Daphne however, was a sworn virgin, and Cupid shot her with a lead arrow, intensifying her loathing for all things amorous. This led Daphne to repel all of Apollo’s advances.

In this series of images, it's Jacob who takes on the role of the sexually mischievous Eros.  Some of you might remember Jacob, and his work with Jim from Studio1x, from his previous appearances on FH. (HERE:)  I especially love Jim's shots of Jacob sensually crawling across the clouds, lurking and looking for his next lovelorn victim. 

If the clouds and the black wings look familiar, Jim shot the beautiful Jordan,  another evil, but sexy cupid for my 2021 Valentine edition. (Passionately Wicked)  Jim spent hours cutting pillow fill and attaching it to the studio walls to get the sky and cloud effect.  With so much work put into the planning and preparation, it was too good of a set-up not to have another hot model, strip down and crawl across the clouds. 

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