Sunday, October 30, 2011

Favorite Pic of the Day for October 31st

Above: He's back....... 
 Model search winner Matt Eldracher is back on FH with a disturbing shoot by Chris Teel perfect for the day. Happy Halloween to all! Check out the best of FH's previous Halloween themed posts HERE:  

Happy Birthday today October 31st


Happy 45th to Thom Collins!

Check out more of Thom HERE: Check out more of todays Birthday boys including Dermot Mulroney HERE: Brent Corrigan, Justin Chatwin & Kim Rossi-Stuart HERE: & even more Halloween Birthdays HERE:

New From Dylan Rosser: Justin



UK Photographer Dylan Rosser is currently in LA spending his first Halloween in the US. Thankfully before the celebrations begin Dylan added the hauntingly beautiful Justin (sans costume of course) to The Male Form!

Check out more of the 21 year old Southend model (and house builder) at THE MALE FORM

HAPPY HALLOWEEN from FLYFOTO!



It is no shock to anyone who visits FH that Halloween is one of my favorite times of year. I have written in previous years why the day is special to me. People joke about Halloween being the 'gay' holiday but to me the reason is more serious. Many holidays lose their magic as we get older but Halloween is a day that for me, only gets better.




As a gay kid (or any kid really who struggles with who they are or family issues) holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving can be tortuous. When your apart of a happy and healthy family, these are days to celebrate and come together. When your apart of a dysfunctional family or are in pain, these are days when the hurt is intensely spotlighted. Unlike these 'special' days which can encourage massive repression, Halloween does the opposite. Expression, especially about who you are, is something sadly still not something universally welcomed, except...for many, on October 31st.



It has become a tradition at FH to celebrate the holidays with images from Flyfoto. Flyfoto's Joey has been marking all of the holidays with his blend of retro and modern themes and usually finds a way to hit upon both the pleasure and the pain of the day. I think this years Halloween themed shots are some of my favorites. I loved last years dark and ghoulish shots but love the that this years colorful images also incorporate the sense of fun also associated with the day. What other day blends morbid horror with hilarity?



Check out more of Flyfoto's Halloween themed images on his blog HERE:
& Check out more of Flyfoto on FH HERE:




Canadian Carnage: Matt Eldracher by Chris Teel


Last year about this time FH, along with photographer Chris Teel, began our Model Search 2011 contest. 21 year old actor, dancer and model Matt Eldracher took the crown and results of his shoot with Chris were presented this past April (HERE:& HERE:). 


Matt was a favorite with voters for many obvious reasons, great personality and charm, lean body and adorable boy next door face. The boy next door however, is also an actor and he and Chris shot a series of images putting a morbid twist on the stereotype. Based on the mentally unstable and blood thirsty Patrick Bateman from American Psycho


Chris blended themes of addiction, depression, bloodshed and psychopathology. When I first saw the images from the Toronto shoot I was worried they may be a bit graphic for FH. The shoot however has stayed with me and the more I viewed the images the more I wanted to share them.


Given my love for photos which tell a story, I just needed the right occasion (alibi...). Halloween...is perfect! Although Patrick Bateman was the inspiration for the shoot, Chris Teel tells me there was another public figure who provided some motivation. There was a certain Hollywood celebrity experiencing a very public meltdown this past spring. 


Although the celebrity appears to have  now rebounded, at the time, many were predicting a more fatal end to the story. Given some of the crazy, even violent statements made, not to mention the incredible narcissism weaved through the entire story, the similarities to Bateman are not that far off. Bateman's pathological grandiosity and self involvement had him thinking nothing or no one could touch him. Tiger Blood is obviously something acquired and not necessarily genetic... 


'Matt channelled 'the actor' channelling the protagonist from American Psycho. As you can see Matt was able to draw upon his acting skills to portray a psychotic, yet sexy character.' 


Given this was one of Matt's first professional shoots and his first time shooting nude, his willingness to go with the edgy themed shoot speaks to his level of creative impulse.  Given Matt and Chris are Canadian, they decided to go a more subtle weapon of choice.  Americans may need butcher knifes and chainsaws to slice and dice their prey, but Canadians can cause the same degree of damage with just a pair of scissors.  


'I had never done anything like it before but I enjoyed the theatrics of it. I am a fan of horror myself so when Chris told me about his idea, we were all over it.'