Happy Halloween!
I love Halloween. Yeah, I know that is not earth shattering. If you have read FH for any length of time you know I go all ADD with the holiday graphics. Halloween is often called the 'great gay holiday' and I am sure many of you love it as well.
My love of the holiday is not just about the day it is more about the season. The time from mid September through mid December. Winter has not hit full force yet, it is cool, crisp, an energy in the air. Pumpkins, straw and apples. (can you tell I don't live in a city...). For many the summer is the time to be outside having fun. I find the muggy summer weather a bit much at times. From about mid September on I have been increasing my nightly runs, walking the dog longer than normal and heading the beach far more than I did in August. (The beach on a cool windy day is absolute Heaven to me).
Above: Photo by lens focus.
I think the reason I love Halloween is simple. It may also be a reason you do and don't even know it (I would be curious to know). When growing up knowing your different, family holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving can be stressful. When in the closet it means questions from dear Aunt Ruth about girlfriends, when Out of the closet it means whispers from cousin Miranda and scowls from Uncle Phil.
Halloween is not a family holiday. When I was a kid, after a certain age it was about leaving mom and dad at home to give out treats and running out of the house to meet your friends. As an adult it is still about gathering with people you want to be with instead of the stress of having to be with family who you may or may not get a long with. Families (and I love mine btw, most of them anyway) come with pressure. Halloween is pressure free, it is simply meant to be fun. At it core it is being exactly who the boy once pretended to be is not. Gay or straight, anyone who stresses over what 'family' holidays bring up can celebrate this day as it is for you, not them. I hope one day to incorporate this same feeling into my Christmas's as well, but until I become totally healthy, trick or treat!
You can check out my previous Halloween themed posts by clicking HERE:
Special Thanks to Melissa for today's banner! In the spirit of the day, check out Melissa's great blog Edge Of Forever which celebrates the theme of the day beautifully!
FLYFOTO Does Halloween!
The Photographer: FLYFOTO
Artist - One who is able by virtue of imagination, talent or skill to create works of aesthetic value.
I usually identify most photographers I profile as artists. Taking a great photograph is more than just the physical ability to perform the task. Great photographs, like art are often the result of forethought, imagination and knowing how to bring out the best, or something new from the subject in front of the lens.
It is not often however that I call a photographer a painter. In the case of Joey from Flyfoto I think the word fits. Not only because Joey uses make-up and color in the way many great painters do but as well because there is almost a feel in many of his photos, even when viewed on a computer screen that they were created on canvas, not on photo paper.
Although not as noticeable in this series due to the dark feel, Flyfoto combines light and color together in his work which helps creates the painting feel. His use of backlight is also a key element in setting a tone and feel for the subject. It is his use of color that has me going back to Flyfoto every time I am looking for shots for an upcoming holiday. If you search FH you will see some of his shots from this past Easter. His photos had exactly the same feel, color and even texture of a basket of Easter eggs.
Joey, who is based in Boston, has been documenting the masculinity of men for going on 20 years.
'To some, photography is a business. To me, it is a passion. It is through this amazingly creative process that I study my subjects, and always strive to find that elusive ‘precise moment’ which separates a great image, from one that captivates, enlightens, informs.'
Joey (FLYFOTO)
You can see more of Joey's work by Checking out his Blog HERE:
You can also see more of his portfolio on MM HERE:
This past week also had FLYFOTO Profiled on Beautiful Mag which you can read HERE:
The Model: Boston Aiden
24 year old Boston Aiden says of working with FLYFOTO:
'Amazing photographer-creative, respectful — has a great eye and ability to make an incredible photograph. Has the ability to make anyone feel at ease and comfortable with him and themselves. Great experience! Highly recommended.'
Aiden also enjoys creating unique and edgy images, making him the perfect model to help bring to life (or death) FLYFOTO's vision of the macabre.
e many
Artist - One who is able by virtue of imagination, talent or skill to create works of aesthetic value.
I usually identify most photographers I profile as artists. Taking a great photograph is more than just the physical ability to perform the task. Great photographs, like art are often the result of forethought, imagination and knowing how to bring out the best, or something new from the subject in front of the lens.
It is not often however that I call a photographer a painter. In the case of Joey from Flyfoto I think the word fits. Not only because Joey uses make-up and color in the way many great painters do but as well because there is almost a feel in many of his photos, even when viewed on a computer screen that they were created on canvas, not on photo paper.
Although not as noticeable in this series due to the dark feel, Flyfoto combines light and color together in his work which helps creates the painting feel. His use of backlight is also a key element in setting a tone and feel for the subject. It is his use of color that has me going back to Flyfoto every time I am looking for shots for an upcoming holiday. If you search FH you will see some of his shots from this past Easter. His photos had exactly the same feel, color and even texture of a basket of Easter eggs.
Joey, who is based in Boston, has been documenting the masculinity of men for going on 20 years.
'To some, photography is a business. To me, it is a passion. It is through this amazingly creative process that I study my subjects, and always strive to find that elusive ‘precise moment’ which separates a great image, from one that captivates, enlightens, informs.'
Joey (FLYFOTO)
You can see more of Joey's work by Checking out his Blog HERE:
You can also see more of his portfolio on MM HERE:
This past week also had FLYFOTO Profiled on Beautiful Mag which you can read HERE:
The Model: Boston Aiden
24 year old Boston Aiden says of working with FLYFOTO:
'Amazing photographer-creative, respectful — has a great eye and ability to make an incredible photograph. Has the ability to make anyone feel at ease and comfortable with him and themselves. Great experience! Highly recommended.'
Aiden also enjoys creating unique and edgy images, making him the perfect model to help bring to life (or death) FLYFOTO's vision of the macabre.
e many
FLYFOTO Shoots Steven Jutzi
BROKEN...
There are many things in this world that continue to live on even when the need, the reason for their existence is no longer really present. Landfills all over the globe are filled with Walkmans and VCR's. Video games kids longed for just a few years ago now can't be given away.
On the human front, it is rare these days to encounter an encyclopedia or vacuum cleaner salesman. Even Tupperware ladies are disappearing. One of the most iconic symbols of the US, the Cowboy is also close to joining the ranks of milkman, typist and Gas Station attendant. Cowboys are hang on hard though, especially in Texas and surrounding areas. Even though the actual role and reason for a cowboy to exist has been taken over by metal and machines, the cowboy refuses to go away completely.
It might be because 'cowboy' is as much about a mind set as an actual way of making a living. Many people in the South in particular wear three piece suits Monday through Friday yet put on their stetsons on the weekend and head to not just to a bar but to a time when Dallas was the only show to watch and Urban Cowboy was the movie that finally told their story.
Holding on to something that is already past it's expiry date is something Steven Jutzi is all too familiar with. After spending much of last year falling from someone who he couldn't have, Steve found himself in a place where his love was no longer current or welcomed. This led to him taking steps and making changes. Embracing change is not something everyone can do easily. Steven ended up becoming someone very different than the man who had begun the journey. Through the process, Steven may have become broken but, like the cowboy, with a little reinvention they just might be pulled forward into the present.
Check out Steven Jutzi on FH
Steven also welcomes you to join him on Twitter HERE: or on Facebook HERE:
There are many things in this world that continue to live on even when the need, the reason for their existence is no longer really present. Landfills all over the globe are filled with Walkmans and VCR's. Video games kids longed for just a few years ago now can't be given away.
On the human front, it is rare these days to encounter an encyclopedia or vacuum cleaner salesman. Even Tupperware ladies are disappearing. One of the most iconic symbols of the US, the Cowboy is also close to joining the ranks of milkman, typist and Gas Station attendant. Cowboys are hang on hard though, especially in Texas and surrounding areas. Even though the actual role and reason for a cowboy to exist has been taken over by metal and machines, the cowboy refuses to go away completely.
It might be because 'cowboy' is as much about a mind set as an actual way of making a living. Many people in the South in particular wear three piece suits Monday through Friday yet put on their stetsons on the weekend and head to not just to a bar but to a time when Dallas was the only show to watch and Urban Cowboy was the movie that finally told their story.
Holding on to something that is already past it's expiry date is something Steven Jutzi is all too familiar with. After spending much of last year falling from someone who he couldn't have, Steve found himself in a place where his love was no longer current or welcomed. This led to him taking steps and making changes. Embracing change is not something everyone can do easily. Steven ended up becoming someone very different than the man who had begun the journey. Through the process, Steven may have become broken but, like the cowboy, with a little reinvention they just might be pulled forward into the present.
Check out Steven Jutzi on FH
Steven also welcomes you to join him on Twitter HERE: or on Facebook HERE:
Justin Hartley as The Green Arrow
Justin Hartley is without a doubt one of televisions hottest actors and Smallville has always known how to showcase it's male talent. I have not watched much of Smallville the last 2 seasons, but this scene (so wonderfully capped by Superherofan) might just drag me back!
Bound, naked, in the dark,vulnerable. I am sure to many a turn on, but to many a frightening thought. Yet...watching it can somehow a turn on.
Now I am not into anything that brings anyone harm, but.... when you have characters like The Green Arrow or James Bond in Casino Royale, who you know are going to be just fine the results can be quite erotic. Not sure where the idea of the 'straight' villain, tying up and stripping the 'straight' hero for information came from but it is a phenomenon which also shows up in comics (Thanks to Just Beautiful Men for the inset photos from Marvel comics: Hawkeye from New Avengers Annual #03 2010 edition)
Got to give it to the WB!
Thanks to Superhero fan, DarkJoey75 and Just Beautiful Men for the post concept!
