Ben Godfre and Will Wikle

Benjamin Godfre, one of the big “it” models right now, posted naked pictures of himself and Big Brother 5 contestant Will Wikle. Godfre posted the photos to celebrate the launch of his new website. [Click to enlarge.]

All photos in this post by Rolling-Blackouts Photography.

Horsehead

I found this photo on Tumblr, linked on one of Jeremy Lucido’s page, called, Guys I’d Fuck.

I have to confess, it is simultaneously creeping me out and turning me on at the same time.

The Male Nude, Explored

Here is a link to a great BBC article about an art exhibition in Vienna that’s focusing on the male nude, and causing a bit of a controversy (even in relatively progressive Austria).

Below is an excerpt:

“It’s quite unusual for an exhibition to focus on the depiction of the male nude. Surprisingly we had many exhibitions dealing with the female nude body, but so far never an exhibition which features the male nude. Somehow it is a taboo.

“On the other hand, we see that the male nude is getting a new presence in modern contemporary society. He is now on posters, he is on stages, he is getting more and more normal.”

An image of naked woman is still regarded in a very different light from that of a naked man, Natter says.

Exploration of our society’s taboos and ethics is one of the factors that made me decide to shoot male nudes. In fact, the following statement has been on my photo site since the day it launched: I shoot the male nude form because it irritates me that thousands of years after the Greeks were carving nude statues of Apollo and Poseidon, today a male figure study is often dismissed as pornography. I believe that the human body is beautiful and I’d like to play a part in changing that stereotype.

I’m a little surprised that even in Europe, the male nude is considered taboo. Below is a poster by Pierre et Gilles of three footballers that was created for the exhibit, which caused enough of an outcry on the streets of Vienna that the museum put red sashes across the models’ private parts. (Kind of defeats the purpose for an exhibit about nudes, doesn’t it?)

Maybe things are changing, and maybe they’re not. I’m noticing more and more male nudity in movies and TV, but people are still funny about it. Just by saying the word “penis,” you can almost send some people through the roof; five minutes later, that same person might be talking about boobs. I’ve had so many people refer to my photography as “dirty pictures” that it hardly phases me anymore. Some people have even told me that my artwork is acceptable in France, but not in the USA.

And yet we American consume more porn than anyone.

Here’s another excerpt from the BBC article, which might explain it in a way that I hadn’t thought about before:

“Male nudity is very often linked to the exposure of sexual organs – the penis – and this is often done in a way that responds to the classical model of aggression and strength.

“While the sexual organ in itself does not necessarily have to appear as threatening or aggressive, the difference from the dominant model of soft female nudity is great.”

The male nude is more aggressive? I can see that. But that shouldn’t mean it’s something to be afraid of.

I’d encourage you to read the whole article.

The Habits of Male Primates

I’ve recently done some work with my Habits of Male Primates photos (not safe for work). This is a series I started a long time ago, but one that I haven’t really put any effort into in the last four years or so. Now, I think I’m ready to relaunch it.

For one thing, I’ve changed it from a black and white series to a color series. I’ve cleaned up the photos a bit. And I’ve deleted about 50% of the photos from the series, ones that just didn’t work for me, or looked too staged, or otherwise weren’t up to my standards.

Here is Adam, from the Habits of Male Primates. This has always been my most popular model from the series.

Now, I’m ready to find new models and brainstorm new ideas for the series.

NSFW Tuesday: Jensen Ackles in the Shower?

If you know me, you know that I call Jensen Ackles my “TV husband” — I still think he’s one of the sexiest men on TV. And like any good celebrity, there are a few fake nudes of him floating around the internet, but a couple of weeks ago I found this photo — supposedly a shot of Jensen being caught in the shower (and possibly jacking off).

This one kind of looks like it could be real. Maybe.

Kieran O’Brien in 9 Songs (NSFW)

Actor Kieran O’Brien isn’t that well known (his claim to fame was a part in HBO’s “Band of Brothers”). But he was also in a movie called “9 Songs,” which I watched a couple of weeks ago. The movie is a love story that has two surprising elements:

1. A great underground soundtrack
2. Very explicit sex scenes for a mainstream film.

There’s even a male cum shot, which is about explicit as you can get for a film that’s not porn. See some very not-safe-for-work stills from the film below.

And for the record, I know a lot of people would disagree with me about whether this movie is pornographic. It’s not. It has a story and the sex scenes serve a purpose (and that purpose isn’t to make the viewer horny). Just because Americans are sexually repressed doesn’t make something dirty. I’m glad the British get it, and I’m glad they made this film.

 

If you want to see even more, I loaded the video of the oral sex scene on my tumblr blog.

Stefano

Here is a new photo series I created from a chance meeting with an Italian bartender while we were in New York last fall. I’m calling it Roman Encounter, Invited Me to His Place, and you can see the whole series on my fine art nudes website, Vir Impudicus.

Other Photographers: Richard Renaldi, Hotel Room Portraits

Richard Renaldi is one of my favorite photographers. Among the stacks of photography books I own, my autographed copy of Renaldi’s Fall River Boys remains one of most treasured, and his portraiture has inspired some of my own work on so many levels.

Richard and his partner Seth have traveled the world as a result of Richard’s photography as well as Charles Lane Press, the art/photography publishing company they established together. And that’s how his Hotel Room Portraits came to be: Richard has been taking a portrait of himself and Seth in every hotel room they have occupied since 1999. I love this series.

Below are some of my favorites of the collection. You can also see the whole series on Richard Renaldi’s website. [Click any to enlarge.]

All photos in this post by Richard Renaldi.

Captain America Cleans Up

I found these over on my friend Tye’s blog, Favorite Hunks & Other Things. Apparently, a body-painted Captain America has been a staple in the Seattle Pride Parade for a couple of years. This year, he was naked.

As an even better treat, Captain America was not shy about washing off the body paint in public. It looks like he’s just as hot out of the costume, if you ask me. Someone in Seattle… find him for me!

Jensen Ackles for PETA

I have little doubt that this photo is a fake, but I don’t care. I’ll take my TV husband naked, even if it’s just a fantasy.