MasculineCurves

faces of men project

Check out my street portrait session with Charles, an RTA bus driver, who obliged me when I asked for a pic.

faces of men project

Just posted my Tumblr blog update for the Faces of Men Project. Check it out and follow me on Tumblr. 

faces of men project

Just posted my weekly Tumblr blog update for the Faces of Men Project. Check it out and follow me on Tumblr. 

the faces of men project

So, a few years ago on the streets of Chicago, I nearly captured the perfect James Dean-esque shot but weary traveler's point and shoot got in the way. So who is this guy? Check out my new Tumblr blog, Faces of Men Project, and see for yourself.

the pen, the sword, and the mind...

Shinken del Fénix is an incredible creative spirit here in the Cleveland area. I had the pleasure of photographing him a few years back. You can see more of him on my Faces of Men Project tumblr, or in the portraits section of my new book.  Keep up with his poetic journeys on his blogs, The Pen, The Sword, & The Mind and Shinken del Fénix.

Phillip: A familiar face?

Last Thursday I had the pleasure of getting to meet and conduct a brief photo shoot with Phillip. Now, if you're thinking Phillip looks familiar, you're right. Coincidentally he actually crossed paths with my iPhone last spring and wound up in the guydar files (post here). As you might imagine, it's probably a once-in-a-lifetime chance that I get to meet someone up close and personal that I've captured in a fleeting street photography moment.

As Phillip and I wrapped up our shoot I invited him to sit down and peruse my website. I like to do this with new models in order to give them an opportunity to see how the images will be used. Just moments after I stepped out of the room to make a copy of his ID I heard him proclaim "Hey! Wait a minute. That's me!"

Sensing that he must have stumbled upon the guydar tag here on the blog, I hurried back in to the room to see what all the fuss was about. And sure enough, there up on the screen was Phillip as I had captured him at an RTA bus stop one random day last May. I was embarrassed at first, because after all, I had been caught red-handed. So I asked Phillip how he felt about discovering a pic of himself on the internet that had been taken unbeknownst to him (as you know I'm very curious how my guydar subjects might feel about this). I was relieved when he told me he was flattered.

Like I said, it's a rare opportunity to get to meet a guydar subject up close and personal, let alone get to see him naked! Be sure to stop back tomorrow for a post featuring the semi-nudes I shot with Phillip.

See Phillip's original guydar iPhone capture after the jump.

 

  

Ced: Revisited

You may remember Ced from our outdoor shoot this past Summer (hereand here). I recently received an email from a reader inquiring when I'll be shooting Ced again. Well, the answer is it's something I hope to happen soon. Meanwhile, I revisited this set and experimented a bit with an alternate post-production technique. It's sort of a grainy, overblown, high-contrast look. What do you think?

More Ced...

 

 

 

 

Ced

 

Today I met with Ced for what I hope is our first collaboration on many photo shoots. This 27-year old father of three stands at a towering 6'5" and is probably the tallest guy I've ever shot. Not to mention, he's also one of the most impressive. Ced was referred to me by one of my other models and after looking over the frames from today's shoot, I'm so thankful for the referral.

Being a photographer, I often meet a lot of guys with huge aspirations of being a model. If I agree to shoot them I'm careful not to fill their heads with expectations I can't meet. After all, I'm just a small-time Midwestern amateur photographer. What do I know? But with Ced, it's a different story. I could actually see him pursuing this modeling thing and perhaps even making it to the high-fashion level. The funny thing is that he tells me he's only shot with one other photographer before and that was a few years ago. When I asked him why he hasn't pursued this aspiration with more vigilance he tells me he's a bit unsure and that he doesn't see himself the way other people see him. This is amazing to me, seeing as I was hard pressed to find a single flaw. Also, you should know that he's a really nice, down-to-earth type of guy. The point of today's meeting was to see if we have chemistry as photographer and muse. I most definitely think so, and I can't wait to have him in front of the lens again!

 

 

 

 

Faces of Men: Will

The above image is probably one of my most favorite portraits I've ever shot. So much so that I'm considering having it framed for my personal collection. These shots were taken a couple years ago when a young man by the name of Will contacted me online to inquire about shooting with me. He was a friend of one of my other models and as such was somewhat familiar with my work.

After a few brief email exchanges I invited Will over to my strudio to discuss the possibilities of a shoot. Though he wasn't prepared to shoot that day, I was so compelled by his incredibly beautiful face that I couldn't resist asking him for a few head shots. I remember him being a little hesitant at first, because he felt he needed a shave and his cornrows weren't fresh and tight. However, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and in this case I was the beholder. When I'm moved to behold beauty, I don't get too caught up in tiny details.

After our initial meeting Will and I emailed back and forth several times attempting to set up an official shoot, but our schedules didn't pan out. I remember him telling me that he was getting ready to leave town in one of those emails, and I soon lost touch with him after that.  Will if you're out there, I'd love to have you in front of my camera again.

Faces of Men: Wesley Washington

Today, I'm pleased to debut a new category tag here on the blog, "Faces of Men". Up to this point, most of my studio work has focused on the male physique. So I thought it would be interesting to simply take a pure look at the faces of men. What do our faces tell us about who we are? How are we the same? How are we different? The Faces of Men studio series seeks to explore the transparency of the range of emotions we experience as men. They say a picture speaks a thousand words, but that isn't enough for this desperate artist. In keeping with the MasculineCurves Photoblog tradition I'll be sharing the stories behind the men who pose for this series.

I remember the first time I met Wesley Washington. It must have been about a year ago this fall. I was walking down Euclid Avenue and I happened upon this cute kid with wire-rimmed glasses and crazy hair. I remember that day being extremely chilly and he was dressed in a parka-like coat, standing on the street holding a cd player and headphones in his hands. He stopped me and asked if I'd like to hear the album he recorded, and if I'd consider supporting him by purchasing one. While I was pleasantly surprised by the eclectic blend of neo-soul, blues, and flamenco guitar flowing through the headset, I was most impressed by this 25-year old musician's dedication to his art. I mean, any artist who takes to the cold streets to self-promote his own album has got to be serious. And there's just something you have to admire about that.

Now, nearly a year later, it's clear that Wesley is the hardest working independent musician in Cleveland. It seems as though I run into him everywhere. Whether it be at the West Side Market, art gallery openings, or on the corner outside of my office building, there he is with a guitar in one hand and stack of CDs in the other. I have a "Wesley" siting at least once a week. Earlier this month his local celebrity status was elevated when he was arrested for playing his guitar on the train and the story made the evening news (see the video here).

Since the first time I met him I thought he had a face that would do well in front of my camera. In fact, we've been trying to connect for a photoshoot for several months now, but our schedules never seem to work out. That is, until last Monday when I headed to the Tower City shopping center to buy a pair of shoes and who do I run into along the way? It turns out both Wesley and I had a little time to spare that evening and my studio was close by. It was the spontaneous nature of this photo shoot that made it so much fun.

  What is so interesting about photographing him is that Wesley has one of those faces that changes with the tone of his voice. I was able to get this range of expressions from him by asking him to tell me about the happiest times and the saddest times of his life. It was amazing what I learned about the life of a musician that night, and he tells me he's happy every day he's doing what he loves. And that is making music.

To learn more about Wesley Washington and hear samples of his music visit his MySpace page here.