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My favorite type of photo shoot is men's beauty. This is what the majority of my work is, though I'm not always very comfortable sharing it in forums. It's a genre that in my opinion isn't as celebrated or appreciated as much as I personally think it should be, and I love it when I get the chance to photograph someone who is confident and also enthusiastic about creating the images I have in my mind. Kamyar really brought the right attitude to make this shoot work out, in my opinion. This was purely for collaboration, so there wasn't a particular goal or story for these photos other than to create something that would hopefully be beautiful. We drove several hours into the desert to get here, and stayed the night in a hotel in Bend Oregon that had a beautiful soaking pool, which I utilized the natural light from a skylight in the ceiling and a single golden tinted glass window for those shots. On the way home we stopped at the Umpqua hot springs. I know that the color toning in the ones that turned the sky a teal color might not be liked by everyone, but for these I was trying to emulate an effect that I love from a particular pair of my sunglasses.
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Soaking pool:
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At the hot springs. I didn't really love the color I was getting from this location, so I opted for a black and white conversion instead:
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Some great shots here, Dan. I particularly like the black & white ones. He has a kind of timeless face, and an intensity, that works well in monochrome. He is also very good at subtle emoting, certainly better than some female models I have seen.
I agree that photos of men are not done enough, and aren't celebrated enough. As a dance photographer, 98% of my shoots are with girls or women. The few times I get to photograph boys or men, it's really a lot of fun -- and it's so different than photographing girls/women.
This is an exquisite set, possibly one of your best sets that I've seen from you. No. 12 is an absolute killer image! After that, I'd simply list all the others as great. Maybe No. 13 stands out as well, 4, 9, 11.... you see what I mean? Voted, but this was a no-brainer.
Very nice work, pictures, light, poses.
I'm guessing he is already a model, if not, he could/should be.
Good ole Umpqua hot springs, never know who or what you will find there
Looks like the Painted hills in the background as well.
charley5 wrote:
Some great shots here, Dan. I particularly like the black & white ones. He has a kind of timeless face, and an intensity, that works well in monochrome. He is also very good at subtle emoting, certainly better than some female models I have seen.
-Charles
Thank you so much Charles. He's a fantastic model. We've done two shoots since this one and he never disappoints, although this is definitely my favorite shoot that he and I have done.
friscoron wrote:
I agree that photos of men are not done enough, and aren't celebrated enough. As a dance photographer, 98% of my shoots are with girls or women. The few times I get to photograph boys or men, it's really a lot of fun -- and it's so different than photographing girls/women.
This is an exquisite set, possibly one of your best sets that I've seen from you. No. 12 is an absolute killer image! After that, I'd simply list all the others as great. Maybe No. 13 stands out as well, 4, 9, 11.... you see what I mean? Voted, but this was a no-brainer....Show more →
Thank you so much Ron, and I couldn't agree more when it comes to men's photo shoots. They are honestly the type of shoot I do most often and in my opinion I produce my best work (or at least my favorite photos) when I have men in front of my camera for the sole purpose of showcasing their beauty, but I'm not always feeling secure enough to share them in forums like this. The response I'm getting to these photos is certainly helping me feel less insecure about that though.
It's funny that 12 always seems to be the viewer's favorite. Even outside of the forum that particular shot gets the most praise, but ironically it's my least favorite of them all.
Bill Gass wrote:
Very nice work, pictures, light, poses.
I'm guessing he is already a model, if not, he could/should be.
Good ole Umpqua hot springs, never know who or what you will find there
Looks like the Painted hills in the background as well.
Thank you so much Bill. Yes, he's a very experienced model and actor. This is just one of a few collaborations that he and I have done, though this shoot is my favorite of them all.
James Markus wrote:
Daniel,
This is an excellent set of images. However, I do have a favorite that just stands out to me - #12. Congrats on the super work.
Jim
I hope you do feel more secure about it. Guys should be on here just as much as women. And it is always funny about what our favorite pics are compared to the client, or others. That's what makes photography so subjective.
DanielScott wrote:
Thank you so much Ron, and I couldn't agree more when it comes to men's photo shoots. They are honestly the type of shoot I do most often and in my opinion I produce my best work (or at least my favorite photos) when I have men in front of my camera for the sole purpose of showcasing their beauty, but I'm not always feeling secure enough to share them in forums like this. The response I'm getting to these photos is certainly helping me feel less insecure about that though.
It's funny that 12 always seems to be the viewer's favorite. Even outside of the forum that particular shot gets the most praise, but ironically it's my least favorite of them all. ...Show more →
friscoron wrote:
I hope you do feel more secure about it. Guys should be on here just as much as women. And it is always funny about what our favorite pics are compared to the client, or others. That's what makes photography so subjective.
Thanks Ron. I guess it depends on the day. Some days I don’t care or think about what others will say, and some days I can be sensitive to it. I haven’t experienced any negativity regarding my photos of men on this forum thankfully, but outside of this forum I’ve been called all sorts of names when sharing those photos. Even recently with a few selections from this set I was told that my work wasn’t professional and that I could never be a professional photographer if this is the sort of work I create, though honestly that just made me laugh rather than feel insecure.
DanielScott wrote:
My favorite type of photo shoot is men's beauty. This is what the majority of my work is, though I'm not always very comfortable sharing it in forums. It's a genre that in my opinion isn't as celebrated or appreciated as much as I personally think it should be, and I love it when I get the chance to photograph someone who is confident and also enthusiastic about creating the images I have in my mind. Kamyar really brought the right attitude to make this shoot work out, in my opinion. This was purely for collaboration, so there wasn't a particular goal or story for these photos other than to create something that would hopefully be beautiful. We drove several hours into the desert to get here, and stayed the night in a hotel in Bend Oregon that had a beautiful soaking pool, which I utilized the natural light from a skylight in the ceiling and a single golden tinted glass window for those shots. On the way home we stopped at the Umpqua hot springs. I know that the color toning in the ones that turned the sky a teal color might not be liked by everyone, but for these I was trying to emulate an effect that I love from a particular pair of my sunglasses.
Beautiful work Daniel!! Love the collaboration. Collaborating with others is my favorite way of working. A collaborative shoot often becomes so much greater than the original concept. Love the different environments and your sensitive presentation of your beautiful model. Nicely done.
