MasculineCurves

Happy Valley

I’m not religious, but I’m intrigued by the culture of religion in a voyeuristic way. That’s why this kickstarter photography project might be worth getting off the ground.

The Eye of the Ego

What happens when Albany's best dressed man takes off his clothes in the name of art? We'll soon find out. If you happen to be planning a visit to New York's capital city next month, you'll want to be sure to stop by the Romaine Brooks Gallery where blogger/photographer/writer Alan Bennett Ilagan will present his first solo photography exhibition.

The exhibit titled "The Eye of the Ego" is a series of self-portraiture in which  Ilagan promises to explore themes such as self-reflection, self-criticism, and the temptation of vanity.

"This exhibit revels in the ego. Self-portraiture is often seen as the most blatant form of vanity. However, vanity seems like too easy an explanation, a dismissal of a powerful art form, a tradition that goes back centuries. From the most ancient hieroglyphics to our modern-day MySpace pages, we are a species that has always searched out different ways to represent ourselves, to leave an impression behind, to shout out, 'I was here!'" as Ilagan describes in his artist's statement.

Though Ilagan has been taking photographs since 1991, it was only after working with photographers Steven Underhill and Dennis Dean that he was inspired to seriously explore the art form. After being voted Albany's Best-Dressed Man by the readers of the Times Union, he ironically doesn't don much for his self-portraits, and such intimate self-exposure adds an element of self-preservation to the exhibition, one that goes hand-in-hand with the theme of the ego. There's a thrilling tension between artist and his ego, and the resulting clash reverberates throughout the journey - a trajectory that begins is a decidedly singular, self-obsessed fashion and evolves to a universal, all-encompassing level.

WHO: Alan Bennett Ilagan
WHAT: Solo Exhibition (Photography)
WHERE: Romaine Brooks Gallery Capital District Gay & Lesbian Community Center 332 Hudson Avenue, Albany, NY 12210
WHEN: Opening Reception September 5, 2008 ~ 5-9 PM (and running throughout the month)

Photo du Jour: Waiting

He sits by the window and waits for the photographer to get ready to shoot the next set.

Photo du Jour: Saved

Photo du Jour: Glisten

A Mile In His Shoes (a shy photographer's self-portrait)

I don't post a lot of self-pics on here, and that's for good reason. I'm a pretty shy guy, and as much as my eccentric little mind may be filled with delusions of grandeur, I really do appreciate my anonymity. I used to have quite a few headshots and candid pics on my commercial website, and believe it or not there were a few times when people recognized me in public. Those are always sort of awkward and humbling moments. There was this one time when I was walking by a bus stop and an RTA bus driver came running off his bus (he was stalled at a layover) and asked me if he could purchase one of my 2007 calendars (he must have recognized me from my commercial site). I happened to be carrying a few in my bag that day, so I sold him one. Hey, how often do you get to make a quick ten bucks while walking the street--legitimately?

There was also an incident where I was at a rapid station (Cleveland's version of a subway) and this kid (he must have been in his early 20s) walked right up to me and asked me for a modeling gig. I was impressed by his ambition so I gave him a card. He called me a few weeks later, but something in his tone on the phone told me that he wasn't quite at the right maturity level to be a MasculineCurves model. So I did not shoot him.

Photo du Jour: In My Window (Part II)

 

Photo du Jour: In My Window

Photo du Jour: Untitled Encore

Due to the popularity of yesterday's Photo du Jour, Untitled, I've opted to exhibit a few more untitled pieces for all to enjoy.

And, of course, here's the original inspiration for this angle. The model here is Cowboi, who was my very first nude shoot (see more from his shoot here).

Photo du Jour: Untitled

Photo du Jour: Smooth

Photo du Jour: The Art of Seduction

Photo du Jour: The Personal Touch

Photo du Jour: Pretty In Pink

Photo du Jour: Torso in Soft Light

Photo du Jour: Tender

Photo du Jour: The power, The beauty, The inspiration of Man

I'm often approached by women to do nude shoots, and while I'm flattered  they would choose me to photograph them, I have to somehow explain that I exclusively shoot men. This is difficult for me to respectfully convey, but it all boils down to artistic motivation. I think these women approach me because they're proud of their bodies and probably feel more comfortable and less threatened by a gay photographer. This is understandable. Women are beautiful beings too, and clearly there are many gay male photographers that do an extraordinary job at capturing the essence of a woman. But in the case of my work, I'm highly selective with my subjects and I'm not an artist that can just create. I have to have "artistic motivation," and for me that's the power, the beauty, and the inspiration of man.

You see, this artistic motivation comes from a place deep within me. I didn't have strong male role-models in my childhood so part of this work stems from my quest to be inspired by amazing male figures. It stems from my own diverse upbringing which has given me the ability to relate to and identify with these men regardless of their socio-economic class, race, or sexual orientation. As an artist, it's what I do best. And I wouldn't want to put any woman (or anyone for that matter) in front of my camera and not be able to give her the justice she deserves.

Photo du Jour: Merry Christmas!

So I bet you were expecting a naked man wearing nothing but a Santa Claus hat. Sorry to disappoint. I went out and bought the hat, but I just wasn't feelin' it when I put it on the model. It seemed sort of overdone to me. But I'm sure you can find plenty of  hot naked Santas on the web. Anyways, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Photo du Jour: To have and to hold

Photo du Jour: Huggable

For Kit.