Summer Dream

Rosewater AI - Summer Dream 

 The technique is AI, but the colour palette is interesting, if somewhat cool for summer. Pity the wet shirt is not mirrored in the underwear, but there's nice body highlights to admire. Odd chunky watch.

It Must Be April

Evening Downpour in the City

by hongd542 at deviant art 

Watery Fate

 

Photographic models have to get used to being asked to do weird things

Especially if they have well-honed physiques.
 

Even so, this most unusual modelling assignment involving extremely thick rope the size of an octopus tentacle and a great deal of splashing water while trapped within a cage might have given any young man pause for thought about where exactly all this is headed.

Model: Muriel Vilela

More wet boys at Dannyboi2

Speedo Heaven

Breyette - Alan in Swimming Trunks

 There's something special about swimming trunks, the cut, the texture...
Breyette has cleverly captured it in this picture.
The water stream cascading in the background is, ahem, 'skillfully' positioned. 

See Life Saver for more nice speedos

Swimming pool steps also seem to capture the imagination of beefcake photographers. This artist has mirrored the sweeping curves of these modern hand rails in the arched shaping of the swimmer's body. It's almost as if they have life and are wrestling with him.

Compare that effect with this watery image by Breyette (from mitchmen blog)

click on the 'wet' label below for more Breyette 'wetness'  

Explore The Art of Michael Breyette

Night Life in the Rain

 

'Night Life' by Michael Breyette

There are many ways to show off the beauty of the male physique. 

Wet clothes are particularly effective and an almost traditional technique in the realms of non-explicit homoerotica, as my long running series on Royale Studio military images (ca. 1960) at mitchmen blog shows. Those images, largely published in black and white, were barely able to pick the surface. This splendid picture of a man caught in a rainstorm shows why. The wet fabric of his trousers clings to his thighs in the Royale manner, framing but not revealing sensitive, adjacent areas. His thinner shirt, however, becomes translucent in the wet, almost transparent and skin tones and other detail show through. 

Breyette is an old hand at discreet portrayals of manly physiques but the stubbled face he has given this one is right up to the minute. Removing his jacket is an entirely rational response to the drenching he has received but combined with the wet effect it creates the titillating suggestion of a man stripping off in the street.

Visit Michael Breyette Art

Wet, wet, wet, wet

 

There's a summery, wet thing going on here recently, 

what with all the swimmers I've featured.

This contender for wettest T-shirt sombrely marks 

the transition into the rainy season and autumn.

Wet shirts always flatter shapely figures

but this takes wetness to a different level. 

Sometimes getting wet is fun!

it helps if you're wearing someone else's clothes of course.

I like the way this models abs mirror the quilting of his jacket.

But does that make you think the jacket is waterproof?

 Sometimes getting wet isn't fun!

I'm not sure this is a good advert for a raincoat either.

To me it seems to say "Should have stayed at home".

Still it's a fabulous image.

Getting into the realms of torture here!

(or some hare-brained charity stunt).

Water cascading over men's bodies in showers is a familiar sight

but flooding the face seems much more disturbing

The rivulets draw out the model's facial contours beautifully 

but coupled with his less-than-cheerful reaction 

there's an uncomfortable comparison with floods of tears.

This great set of photographs entitled 'Waterfall' are the work of

Solve Sundsbo

Models: Matthew Terry, Matthew Noszka & Vitor Melo

For more wet or uncomfortable men, click on the labels below

Silent Reflection

Gabriel Garbow - Silent Reflection

At this time of year thoughts turn to lazy days in and around water.

(in the Northern Hemisphere at least!)

Actually, the cool palette in this image does not conjure up a sunny day,

which makes the title seem all the more appropriate.

This seems like a natural pool in a wooded glade. 

A place of escape from the worries and pressure of life,

and the exhausting need to constantly enjoy and experience.

The serenity of the swimmer's face shows his calm pleasure

in simply doing nothing, a rich man indeed.

This artist has a passion for watery subjects

 including an obvious admiration for Scott-Tuke 

I suppose it's a bit chocolate-boxy but then again,

Who doesn't like chocolate once in a while?

Actually, there's possibly an allusion here to Millais' 'Ophelia'
which would assign a much darker overtone to both image and title. 

 see more at Gabriel Garbow on Instagram

Bath Time

'Man in a Tub' by Philip Gladstone is one of a very long series of 'Tub' paintings,

variations on this mildly homoerotic subject which have cleverly judged palettes.

The finger tracing a line on the mirror is suggestive of reflection

or is it something more significant than that?

This prolific painter juggles many subjects and styles of art in such a colourful way

that it's hard to tell if his allusions and references are deep or merely entertaining.

Great images though!

Art by Philip Gladstone

Bee still my beating heart

Aaron Kuttler for Aronik

The generous proportions of the pink swimsuit Aaron Kuttler wears here as he wades into the sea seem distinctly retro, reminiscent of the days when modesty was the rule for beach attire, but they would have been thought very daring back then and you can see why. The unconventional, bright colour draws the eye to his shapely bottom and the striking pattern shows off it's shape, indeed it seems to enhance it. Aaron looks round as though he can feel the eyes of fellow beach boys upon it. The honeycomb pattern links with Aronik's use of a Bee for it's logo but it's also the shape of chicken wire, which conjures up a rather different fantasy.

Parasol Beach

HongTao - Man with a Parasol

Images featuring umbrellas on beaches have had to compete with something of an iconic cliche in recent years, but this straightforward picture of a handsome, young man arriving at the beach, oiled up and ready for a day in the sun by-passes self-conscious artiness and has a strong gay vibe. His loose shorts contrive to be almost as naughty as closer fitting, racy styles. The artist's casual use of green spotting, suggests not just sea spray but the sensual wetting of the body.

Another Spring Shower

This image of Dwain Leland presenting an arching body to the sprinkling water of the shower showcases his fine physique but there's a sense of reckless abandon in the pose, underlined by the soggy, sagging underwear and turned-down waistband which his mother would scold him for. (Photographer: Mark Jenkins)

If you look at Dwain Leland's Instagram you'll see he's a man that loves to show off his body also at White Steel

You 'orrible shower!

Dillon Parkes

This image ties in with a couple of themes at this blog of which the most obvious is the watery theme, nicely capturing the thorough drenching of the model. The arms held up in the air allows the interesting speculation for darker minds that this is not a routine hygiene routine but some sort of hazing or punishment under restraint. The curious off-centre cropping helps by creating the impression of an unplanned moment not deliberately posed for publication.

The second theme picked up here is the '15 minutes of fame'. The picture that is the highlight of a model's career. Actually Dillon is a successful model with a disappointing penchant for being photographed with women, but this memorable homoerotic image that pops up everywhere seems to be a unique classic. Searching through his published pictures I have found nothing to match it and discovered that his normal appearance is a good deal more boyish than this picture suggests. Oh well, maybe in a few years.......

Thor's Hammer

This is a truly masculine image, stereotypical perhaps but I'm not complaining about that! 

It's a great example of how simple clothing, like the humble T-shirt can showcase the body, 

in this case by demonstrating and emphasising the size of his biceps 

- and far more more effectively than a mere tape measure ever could.

The inexplicable watery downpour highlights the muscular details of his arms 

and has caused the wet T-shirt to produce a terrific sunray pattern around his shoulders.

At the risk of being picky, I might question whether the pile of whatever it is he is hitting (ice perhaps?) is a worthy target, it don't look that solid!

I can't credit the model or the photographer unfortunately, 

if anyone knows who they are please add a comment to the post

Wet 2

Cory Mason photographed by Pat Lee

This heroic image uses water, not to reveal a man's physique, but to create an impression of toughness and resilience which Cory Mason's rugged profile seems completely right for. I find the hair on the point of his chin, seen as an outgrowth and not part of his profile embarrassingly cute!

The impressive, voluptuous dimensions of his chest muscles are flatteringly enhanced by the drawn back singlet (which seems to be squeezing them forward) and by the bright highlight tracing their outline. There's a similar 'bulking up' effect with his right arm and lower torso, which is actually more narrow-waisted than it seems at first sight.

 Pat Lee also cleverly uses the light here to capture the droplets of water cascading down Cory's torso and also the hair on his body to the point that you can't tell them apart. There's a similar (dry) hairy phenomenon in my post on Dmitri for Bad Puppy. 

The upward looking angle gives the hero authority and together with the water spattered on the camera lens draws us into the scene (I wish!). The addition of a water tower looming menacingly in the background like some alien robot (and seen by us but not by the hero) is witty. It draws the threads of the image together.

If you have a look at Pat Lee's website you'll see he has a knack for capturing rugged masculinity which is not totally dependent on muscularity.

Wet Underwear

Diego Sechi photographed by Dylan Rosser

 

Wetting the skin of a model is a sure way to bring out the contours and details of his body in bright light, but wetting his underwear reveals more than just the secret contours within. A garment intended for civilised modesty instantly fails in contact with this natural element. There's a tantalising sense of sudden exposure here that is amplified by the model's furtive downward look - just to check.

 

Paradoxically, the wet creases encircling the legs actually increase the impression of tight containment, already created by the brightly coloured hems and waistband. This wet underwear show draws our attention to the lower part of this athlete's body, and the truncation of his legs by the water level brings out the bulky substance and muscular tension of his thighs. 

 

This highly masculine imagery contrasts dramatically with the submissive hands on head pose with which the muscular model submits to the whims of the photographer and the vaguely threatening water, in which he has been instructed to stand. It's a power relationship that always intrigues me, all the more so when the photograph seems intended to demonstrate just who is in control and who is the controlled.

 

Photo by Dylan Rosser,

but you may find search engines more fruitful than his own site



Fifteen Minutes of Fame

It seems like every model produces a truly memorable picture at some point. An image that will be around for rather more than fifeen minutes. Everybody remembers the picture but the name of the model is soon forgotten - and as for the photographer, the true creator, well....

This is Joseph Odorisio, a man of striking appearance but my, what a difference that red vest makes! Wet, clinging and with an amazing texture. You hardly notice the racy trunks.

Sorry, don't know the photographer.

The Boy Within

Andre Coelho 

This moment of playful introspection is beautifully captured. It's like a memory of innocent boyhood exploration when the world was full of new wonders. The black and white toning amplifies this retrospective feel. It also helps to delineate beautifully the droplets of water cascading from the model's hands. They almost look like precious jewels scooped from a newly-opened pirate's treasure chest, boyish fantasies......

.....and yet the model with his muscular arms, artfully trimmed facial hair and partly unzipped jeans is very grown up indeed. You can almost see his dismay as the elusive treasures of youth slip though his fingers once again.

The image is beautifully constructed too. The broken streams of water open out in a pyramid shape as they fall, echoing the outer curves of the model's legs and his forearms. These curves lead the eye up towards the cupped hands like the shapely stem of a modernistic goblet, capturing the upwards scooping motion. Above the hands there's another family of curves, this time cup-like and including the models hairline, his chin, outer pecs and the hands themselves, all fitting inside each other like Russian dolls and conveying his intense focus on the contents of his scooping hands.

Accident, design or instinct?  Hay Torres is the photographer and deserves credit for a fascinating image.

See more here

Shallow End

Chris Farrell

by Tom Cullis

The excitement of the Summer Olympics still smoulders on in the memory, here's more magical sporting imagery. The yellow trunks connect with my previous post but there no boyish theme here. The elaborate and artfully arranged bow in the drawstring is intriguing. Trunks like these are sadly disappearing from the competitive scene in favour of technology suits, only divers and water polo players keep the faith. However, the next installment of my Olympic Sketches series at the Yahoo! group (link in sidebar) does feature a swimmer in trunks.

Photo courtesy of Tom Cullis Photography

Military Style

Chase Bauer

Over at my regular (adult) blog I've been running a lengthy article about the military style photographic sets produced by Royale Studio in the 50's/60's and making a plea for a modern photographer to revive the genre. This photo gives a glimpse of what might result. Chase Bauer could just be a soldier with those khaki trousers, a bare chested warrior crossing a watery obstacle in pursuit of the enemy or freshening up after the march.