MasculineCurves

A San Francisco treat!

Wassup fellas?! So I've just returned from my west coast trip, and while not an official stop on the American Boy Tour,I did manage to cram a wee bit of street photography into my schedule. I'm working feverishly on my photo album from this trip, so hopefully I'll have it posted a little later this evening (be sure to check back later). Though I brought my DSLR with me, it was pouring rain in San Francisco the day I was there. Since I didn't want to risk damaging my $1200 camera I shot everything with my iPhone (including the image above). I'm sort of fascinated with the concept of iPhoneography as an art form, so this was an unexpected but welcomed experiment.

Video Diary: Powell Hotel Check-in

Hey everyone. Just another quick little snippet from my iPhone video diary. Sorry, these are probably really boring (I do them more or less to entertain myself...haha). Anyways, still out here on the west coast. Business meetings in Oakland are over so I hopped the BART over here to San Francisco and checked in at the Powell Hotel. I was hoping to get a little street photography in before heading back to Cleveland tomorrow, but it looks as though it may rain. I may even hit the streets in spite of the rain. I don't know yet. Anyways, here's a little tour of my hotel room in the adorable boutique Powell Hotel in Union Square...

Video Diary: Oakland/San Fran Trip

Wassup blogosphere?! As y'all know, I'm out here on the west coast for a few days on business. So in a moment of down time I thought I'd share a little random hotel room commentary. I recorded this video from my iPhone for one of my facebook pages. Like I said, it's random and most likely boring... but such are the days and nights of a desperate artist...

Oakland? San Francisco?... are you out there?

As it turns out, I'll be making a quick little trip out to the Bay Area February 23 - 27. While this isn't an official stop on the American Boy Tour, I do hope to get a little street photography in while I'm there. Unfortunately, my time will be limited as I'll be there on 9 to 5 business, but I've arranged to take a personal day on Friday the 26th. And, as always, I'm chomping at the bit to get my camera out there on the streets. So if you have an interesting look, and I know you bay area boys do, shoot me an email at aaron (at) masculinecurves.com perhaps we can talk about shooting a few portraits while I'm out there.

ABT Update: Fashion Editorial Outtakes

To see outtakes from this weekend's shoot check out the American Boy Tour blog.

Wassup blogosphere?! I guess I’ve been doing a really bad job of keeping you all up to date on my photography, ABT project, and other life happenings here on the blog.  That doesn’t mean things aren’t moving. Sometimes I just need to be “in-the-moment” as opposed to getting wrapped up in documenting the moments.

Last weekend (Thanksgiving Weekend) I got to shoot my very first fashion editorial for our upcoming American Boy Tour webzine (working title). The webzine is set to launch next March, so obviously I can’t share final images from this weekend’s shoot. But I can leak a few “behind-the-scenes” teasers. Not only was this shoot exciting because it was my first fashion editorial, but the fact that all the elements seemed to fall into place just in the nick of time kept the entire crew at the edge of our seats the entire two days.

It was really cool working with New York-based model Cordette Vanzant. It was my first time working with a New York City model, and I have to say he was a sweetheart and an absolute professional given the elements we encountered. Our location was not heated and temperatures were pretty close to freezing. Though he was often shirtless I never heard a single complaint from Cordette’s mouth. Speaking of location we were so blessed to be able to get access to an old industrial warehouse in Cleveland’s meat packing district for free!  A special thanks to Jonah Boles who runs the eclectic second hand store on the facility's first floor (appropriately called “The Warehouse”). Jonah not only granted us unlimited use of his merchandise for props, but helped immensely with the set design for many of our scenes. See outtakes below. Also,check out the American Boy Tour Facebook page for more images.

 

Part-time Blogger

I would be guilty of irresponsible blogging if I didn’t explain my extended absence from the blogosphere lately. A while back I read somewhere that the typical blogger starts a blog, builds a following, and immerses himself in it for an average of about two years before he is ready to move on to something else. Well, as many of you know, I’ve been doing this blog thing for a little over two years now. And while I’m not quite ready to shut it down, I am ready to begin focusing my attention on other projects.

One of those projects is getting the American Boy Tour website up and running. You all know I’ve been talking about the American Boy Tour since April, and what originally started as a simple street photography project has evolved in scope (with much thanks to my collaborator Keelyn). Earlier this month we took our first trip to magnificent city of Chicago and came back with so much video footage, imagery, and stories that we felt the American Boy Tour could stand on its own in the form of a blog-zine. So for the next few months I’ll be preparing for the January 2010 launch of the American Boy Tour (working title) blog.

Also on my list of to dos is upgrading the member’s only section of the MasculineCurves website. I’ve already begun working on some new features that I hope will enhance members’ experience. The galleries will be easier to access, new models are scheduled to be featured, and exclusive member only content is currently under development. Look for these enhancements to debut in November.

On a personal note, the objective of joining a gym is on my list. You all know I need to shred these extra pounds I’ve been complaining about for the last year. Of course, building a workout routine into my already jam-packed schedule will be a challenge, but it’s important to me. I think it will be worth the 3-5 hour investment per week.

So, as you can see, just because I’m keeping quiet here on the blog that doesn’t mean I’m not a busy blogger. For the remainder of the year I’ll be on intermittent hiatus, and will only be posting once a week or every other week (with a picture thrown in here and there for good measure). I’ve certainly got my work cut out for me, so please bear with me as reduce my time spent here. Also be sure to check in every so often for an update on my projects, and if you just can’t get enough of ‘the days and nights of a desperate artist’ hit me up on Twitter, where I’m experimenting with tweeting my days and nights in the third person. You can certainly count on that to be interestingly uneventful (or not?).

Hand Held

 

ABT Chicago: The day after...

Okay, so it’s really the day after ‘the day after.’ We arrived back in Cleveland on Thursday morning around 3 a.m., I didn’t get to bed until about 4 a.m. So needless to say, I spent yesterday catching up on sleep and recharging my emotional batteries. I wasn’t expecting this street photography trip to be so exhausting. The energy exerted in Chicago put me on the plane of a natural high. So when we returned I was left with sort of a melancholy cloud over my head. My mood yesterday was reflective and pensive and still is today. I think this is because there were a lot of powerful moments on this trip, but two of these moments are weighing heavily on my mind.

  Emmett Till Rd, South side, Chicago

The first was discovering Roberts Temple, the church where Emmett Till was funeralized 54 years ago, and getting to interview a 78 year-old deacon who had actually attended the funeral in 1955. I never dreamed I’d receive a first-hand account of a piece of civil rights history that I had previously only read about in a text book.  Our theme for this trip was image, and that image of Emmett in the open casket published by Jet magazine has always been one of the most powerful images I’ve ever seen. Being in the land where the African-American image is so positive and influential (Obama and Oprah), I left the church with the sense that  the traumatic image which helped to spark the Civil Rights Movement continues to have a profound impact on this South side community.

 The house at 2300 Jackson Street

The second most powerful moment was on our drive back when we stopped off in Gary, Indiana to visit 2300 Jackson Street. Now, if you’re not familiar, 2300 Jackson Street is the childhood home of Michael Jackson. It happens to be coincidence that the Jacksons lived on “Jackson” street. The street was named prior to them taking up residence here. However, the cross street has since been renamed Jackson Family Blvd. to commemorate the legacy. Visiting this location was extremely powerful for a number of reasons. To be able to see just how humble the Jackson family beginning was gives me incredible hope. This was, and still is, a very economically depressed neighborhood. The Jackson home, of course, has been “caution” taped-off and the current resident has been temporarily relocated for obvious reasons. There wasn’t a chaotic crowd of fans when we arrived late in the evening, but there was a steady flow of people driving up and stopping to take pictures. We were given a tour of a neighbor’s house which has an identical floor plan to the Jackson’s house, and I was astonished at how small this space is. I couldn’t imagine a family of 11 residing in a three-room house that couldn’t have been more than 600 square feet. As the sun began it’s final decent under the horizon I stood at the corner of Jackson Street and Jackson Family Boulevard and snapped pictures. I imagined what these images would tell me if I could set the camera on a tripod and click backwards through the past 51 years.

a group of young fans pose for a picture in front of the Jackson Family home at 2300 Jackson Street

So here I am. The day after ‘the day after’ and the work for American Boy Tour: Chicago isn‘t finished yet. Now begins the tedious process of reviewing our frames and footage, editing for our documentary and our upcoming launch of American Boy Tour web-zine (check out our landing page here). Also you might be interested to know that Keelyn and I will be taping our first video-blog this Sunday with more reflections, thoughts, and images from Chicago (post date TBD - early next week I hope). As you may have guessed, we’ve chosen to give American Boy Tour it’s own home as a web-zine come January 2010 and Chicago will be our featured city for the inaugural issue. So be sure to follow us here on the MasculineCurves blog, Keelyn’s blog, and our twitter and Facebook pages, as we’ll be sharing snippets of our adventure as we prepare for the January launch.

Night Conversation on Milwaukee Avenue...

ABT Chicago: Day 5

Wow! So we've really extended our stay here in the windy city. We had originally intended to leave yesterday morning, but here it is 10 a.m. on Wednesday and we're still here. Yesterday was quite an emotional day. On a whim we decided to go on a search for the original church in which Emmett Till was funeralized. Speaking of male image, the photograph published in the 1955 issue of Jet Magazine is a powerful image that I just can't get out of my mind. So after spending hours researching this on the internet and making phone calls, we discovered the true location in which he was funeralized to be Robert's Temple Church of God In Christ at 4021 S. State Street.

By happenstance, or by an act of a higher power, we arrived at the church just before evening bible study was about to start. The first person we met was a 78 year old deacon who was actually present at the Emmett Till funeral some 54 years ago! He gave us very emotional interview and shared his thoughts on how faith is a part of manhood.

Throughout these last few days we've heard from a lot of men and women on the topic of the image of masculinity. We've heard sad stories and we've heard incredibly empowering stories. We've recorded tons of footage for our documentary, and I've gotten hundreds of pictures. But I still don't feel I've captured that portrait I'm absolutely in aww about.  As I was explaining to Keelyn last night, I am missing the image I am "in love" with. It's the image based on aesthetic and photographer/subject/audience relationship. It's a difficult concept to attempt to verbalize, but I think those of you who follow my work know what it is I am searching. Will I find it in Chicago? Will I find it today?

ABT Chicago: Day 4

In the wee hours of the morning, after clubs closed in Boystown, we interviewed a same gender loving couple. These two African-American Men (21 & 22) spoke about the difficulties and triumphs of loving men. Today we are traveling to the funeral home where the body of Emmett Till was publicly viewed. The event recounted in that haunting Jet photo (9/15/1955). Do people fear black male sexuality and/or black love?

ABT Chicago: Day 3

Wassup everyone! Just checking in on day three of our trip. I know I said I wasn't going to blog on this trip, but I have a little down time and wanted to keep you all up-to-date. Yesterday (day two) we drove out to Flossmore, an upper-middle class suburb, to interview what many of us would define as the model suburban family. As you know, the American Boy Tour project is about getting the perspective on image from men of all sects of Americana. We felt it was important to capture the thoughts and opinions of the heterosexual African-American family man. One who is seemingly living the "American Dream." A high-climber on the corporate  ladder, a beautiful home in the suburbs, 2.5 kids, and a loving relationship. The only thing I didn't see when I was there was the picket fence. So how did this African-American family man come to realize his American Dream? What challenges do he and his wife face? And how has the image of an African-American family in the White House influenced their lifestyle? Those are just a few of the questions we brought to Mr. and Mrs., and they were so kind to share their thoughts and time with us. Not to mention, Mrs. prepared a delicious lunch for us, mouth watering teriyaki salmon, steamed edamame, brown rice, homemade pound cake! Now, you all know, Aaron likes him some food!

So today, we are a little behind on our itinerary, and unfortunately a technical difficulty with our equipment caused us to lose some of our footage from the street interviews we conducted on Saturday. Obviously, we're frustrated, but we won't let this get us down. It just means we have to work extra hard today. That's why we're devoting the entire day to street photography and "man-off-the-street" interviews for our documentary. Wish us luck! And, keep in mind, I'll be tweeting our happenings on twitter as time permits!

ABT Chicago: Day 2

I know my Twitter tweets are kind of sporadic and cryptic, but what I'm discovering is it's difficult to tweet coherently when things are happening at a rapid pace. So I thought I'd blog a few thoughts on how the Chicago trip is going so far. Oh, and by the way, if you're commenting on my tweets at Twitter (as I noticed a few of you are) and I don't respond right away, please don't get offended as my device is not set up that way.

So we arrived in Chicago yesterday and wasted no time getting out on the streets. Our first location was the intersection of Damon and Milwaukee which is a popular spot for street photography. It's an artsy neighborhood that draws a great deal of diverse foot traffic. I thought this would be a good place to start and sort of get our feet wet. And boy, did we get our feet wet!

I gave Keelyn a little point-and-shoot to capture some shots as well (in between shooting footage for our documentary), and I was amazed at his street photography acumen. His approach is totally different than mine. I like to be invisible and blend in with the background as I shoot. Whereas he doesn't hesitate to walk right up to people and make them aware that they are the center of our attention. This has actually worked quite well and has lead to a lot of really great conversations and interviews. Compared to Keelyn, I feel like such an amateur.

Like I mentioned, things are moving at a whirlwind pace. Yesterday we were interviewing a film student and his mother one moment, and the next we found ourselves with an invitation to step inside a trendy fashion boutique/gallery and shoot the happenings there. Once we left that environment we were back on the street talking to a group of frenchmen who are shooting a documentary of their road trip across America. It was interesting comparing notes with them.

Our theme for the Chicago trip is "image and the American dream," and what better place to explore this theme than the home of the most iconic Presidential campaign of all time. This city has certainly set the backdrop for the conversations we're having.

Today we're headed out to the southside suburb of Flossmore to interview a family man and discuss his image of the American dream. Then we'll be headed back to the city for more street photography in the Millennium Park/Michigan Avenue area. This evening Keelyn and I will be splitting up to attend different events. He's got an invitation to attend a posh diplomatic reception, and I'll be hanging out with a friend who flew in from Toronto to participate in American Boy Tour (how cool is that if you can get people to hop an international flight for you?). 

BTW - I'll be posting images from the trip once I return from Cleveland. I'm shooting in "raw" mode, and I don't have access to the software I need to convert the image files here. Will check in again soon!

 

Chicago or bust!

Okay, so it's nearly midnight and I'm exhausted... in a good way. It's been a day of running errands, picking up miscellaneous equipment for the trip, and packing. Not to mention, Keelyn and I have been texting, emailing, and voicemailing all day in order to square up last minute details. Tomorrow (Saturday, September 5th) we leave (at 7 a.m.!) for Chicago. Of course, I'm only up at this hour because I'm waiting on my laundry to come out of the dryer. Hey, I've got to have something clean to wear, right? Anyways, this will be the last post here on the blog for a few days. But that doesn't mean you can't get up-to-the minute updates on the trip. Keelyn and I will both be tweeting our happenings all weekend.  As you may know, we've set up an official American Boy Tourtwitter account, but we're experiencing difficulty enabling the mobile feature. So be sure to follow Keelyn at koal2k and me at desperateartist for up-to-the-minute details on our Chicago adventure. This should be interesting for all you twitter users because you'll get to experience our trip from two very different perspectives in real-time!

Chicago, here we come!

P.S. Check out our official ABT landing page here. And be sure to friend ABT on Facebook.

ABT Chicago UPDATE

The kick-off of the American Boy Tour is less than two weeks away and I have to say I'm getting really excited about the Chicago trip. It's been some time since I've been able to take my camera to the streets, and I can't think of a better place to hit the pavement than Chi-town. So far we've raised a total of $105 for the Chicago leg of the tour. Still a ways to go towards our $300 goal, but I'm extremely appreciative of all those supporters who are helping to make this project a reality. I especially want to give a shout out to Ian, founder of M.A.L.E. blog, for all his generous publicity and enthusiasm for this project.

As you may recall, the concept of the American Boy Tour is to visit the cities you, the readers of this blog voted on in my webpoll earlier this year, and simply walk up to all the interesting and exotic urban men that cross my path and ask them for a picture and a story about their life. Of course, I'll be handing out cash for their willingness to share, hence the need to raise some funds (I think of it as doing my part to create economic stimulus). So if you're feeling generous and like what I'm doing here on the blog, please check out the PayPal button in the upper right corner of the page. Any amount big or small helps. Plus, anyone contributing $10 or more will receive a lifetime password to the member's only section of this site.

Also, you might be interested to know that I've been keeping a tightly held secret regarding this project. I've been collaborating with a film maker recently, and it's quite possible that the American Boy Tour might take on the form of some sort of documentary style YouTube webisode series. Don't want to give out too many details just yet, as that part of the project is still taking shape. So be sure to stay tuned!!

American Boy Tour - Chicago Bound!

Desperate Artist sings "Take me on a trip I'd like to go some day. Take me to New York, I'd love to see L.A." - Estelle, American Boy

Since April you've been hearing me talk about getting this "American Boy Street Photography Tour" off the ground. You nominated the cities, voted on the destinations and now I'm pleased to announce the first trip - the one and only Chi-town! Yep, that's right, September 5 - 8 (Labor Day Weekend) I'll be hitting the streets of the Windy City in search of the men of urban Americana.

Interestingly, both Chicago and Atlanta tied for the top voted city in my web poll. Since this is my first opportunity to travel this year I figure I better hit Chicago first given that street photography wheather isn't a year-round luxury there. (I'm sorry I'll be missing you all down there celebrating Atlanta pride on Labor Day Weekend. But don't worry, getting to the ATL will be my next priority).

So the whole concept of this  American Boy Street Photography Tour is that I am literally on the search for the men of Urban Americana. During these trips I'll be taking my camera to the streets and stopping men of various ehtnicities and backgrounds to ask them for a portrait and tell me a little about their lives in the given city. It's all in the name of documentary art, and of course I'll be sharing these stories with you all here on the blog (much like my previous street portrait series).

Now, here's where I could use a little help from you all, the readers of this blog. I need to raise a little money to help cover travel and expenses related to this project. Obviously, I always find it helpful to be able to offer the men I meet on the streets a few bucks for a pic and a few moments of their time. That's only fair, right? So I'd like to raise about $300 for the Chicago trip. (Fortunately, this trip can be done on the cheap due to a good friend who is so kind to allow me to stay with him.) In the next day or so I'll be setting up a PayPal donation button on the blog, and any support big or small will be greatly appreciated. Plus, anyone who donates $10 or more will be emailed a lifetime user name and password to the member's only section of this website! Or, click here to purchase a lifetime membership to the member's only section for a one-time fee of $10.

Would you like to be a part of the American Boy Tour?

If you live in the Chicagoland area and would like to hang out with a Desperate Artist, and perhaps even get your picture taken, contact me here and I'll send you the details.

UPDATE: The American Boy Tour

So remember back in April when I announced my American Boy Street Photography Tour and how I was raving all about how I was going to travel to cities all over the U.S. and Canada to take pictures of the men of urban Americana? I even posted a little poll on the blog asking readers to vote for which cities I should visit (thanks for all your votes btw).  So recently I’ve had quite a few people ask me to post an update on this project.

The truth is, this summer isn’t turning out exactly as planned. It’s already mid-July and I haven’t visited a single city yet. A lot of unexpected things have popped up (some good, some not-so-good). Under the good category, I moved into a new apartment and after three years of relying on public transportation I’ve finally got a car (which was welcomed news to all my friends with cars who have been hauling my ass all over the place these last few years). Under the not-so-good category my living expenses with the new apartment and car are a little more than what I was used to before, which means less money for frivolous travel.  Not to mention the fact that the economy is resistant to rebound which means people are spending little money on art (waning support for independent artists like myself). Also impacting my ability to go gallivanting around the country are the ever-so-increasing demands of my 9 to 5 job which are leaving little room for vacation time this summer (this is the thing I hate the most about the corporate world, there really is no such thing as vacation anymore).

I realize that what I just said about the reasons for not getting the American Boy Street Photography Tour off the ground are just excuses – plain and simple. They’re certainly not insurmountable odds. I’m partly to blame for this because I feel I haven’t put enough blood, sweat and tears into this project. First, I didn’t plan it appropriately. A photo tour like this is really a one or two year project, not something that can be done in the course of a couple months Secondly, I haven’t put the enough energy in to promoting it. I should be out talking to gallery owners and networking with bloggers about the tour. But I’ve let the 9 to 5 take priority of my time.

So, the point of this post is to make it known that I haven’t given up on the American Boy Street Photography Tour. I’m in the process of re-thinking the strategy and execution of this project, because it’s definitely something I want to get off the ground. So, for now, please continue to vote in my poll for your city of choice (located on the left column of the blog).  I’ll keep you posted as The American Boy Street Photography Tour develops. Wish me luck!

P.S. If  you’re feeling generous, don’t forget you can show your support of my photography projects by becoming a MasculineCurves member.  I recently lowered the lifetime membership rate to a one-time fee of just $10 so now’s a good time to join (plus you’ll get access to the uncensored galleries for the life of this website).

American Boy Tour Update

So I thought I'd give a little update as to the status of my American Boy Street Photography Tour. I have to admit I'm having a few doubts as to whether this will get off the ground or not. Especially since last week I posted the poll of the cities you all nominated and have only received five votes so far. But I also realize that the lack of interest shown could stem from my failing to commit time and effort to promoting the tour.

Speaking of time and effort, you've probably noticed that in the past couple weeks I haven't been blogging as frequently as usual. There are a number of reasons for this as it seems there is a lot going on in real-life right now (all good, so don't worry). Not to mention the fact that pleasant wheather has finally set in here in Cleveland. We get so very few sunny days here that the last thing I want to do after a hard day at the office is come home and spend even more time in front of the computer. But please don't worry. I won't stop blogging, I'll just be posting a little less frequently over the summer months.

Anyways, back to the American Boy Tour. The web poll will be posted through June 30th, so if you see a city you'd like me to explore with my camera please vote (web poll is posted in the left column of the blog). This year my goal will be to take my camera out to the streets of at least two or three of these cities to capture the extraordinary lives of the men of Urban Americana. Can it happen? Vote today....

Nominate your city today!

Hey everyone. So far I've received quite a few nominations for my Summer/Fall 2009 street photography tour (aka the American Boy Tour). Just wanted to post a reminder that the deadline to nominate your city to be considered as an American Boy Tour destination is May 15. Once the nominations are received and counted I'll be posting a blog poll (on May 18) of the top ten cities. Your votes will help narrow those down to 3 or 4 "must see" urban destinations to explore on my travels. Yep, that's right. I just might be bringing my camera to a sidewalk near you in search of the extraordinary men of urban Americana. Oh, and I'm including our Canadian brothers too. So send them nominations from up North too!

Click here to nominate your continental U.S. or Canadian city.

Click here for additional details on the tour.

Will you be my American Boy?

Did you ever want to meet a desperate artist? Well, here's your chance. This summer I'm heading out on a street photography tour to capture the extraordinary Urban American Male, and I'd like you to help me choose which cities I'll visit. If you’d like to nominate your city as a destination on my American Boy Tour click here. Nominations are being accepted through May 15, 2009, and voting for the top ten nominated destinations will begin on May 18.

Soundtrack: “American Boy” by Estelle
Take me on a trip, I’d like to go someday. Take me to New York, I’d love to see L.A. I really want to come and kick it with you. You’ll be my American Boy.