Beautiful

Eric Schwabel, Shooting Male – First Shot

“ROCHESTER, NEW YORK (CUE DARK, SINISTER MUSIC AND PERHAPS A THUNDER CLAP OR TWO): MY HOME, OFF AND GO, FOR FOUR AND A HALF OF MY PHOTOGRAPHICALLY-FORMATIVE YEARS. ONE OF THE MOST MISERABLES PLACES ON EARTH, BUT ALSO HOME TO ONE OF THE MOST BRILLIANT MINDS IN PHOTOGRAPHY THANKS TO MY ALMA MATER, THE ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – A PLACE I LOVED TO HATE” – Eric Schwabel, photographer.

The Rochester Institute of Technology is the largest photography school in the world, but unfortunately it teaches you only the technical part on how to shoot a good image. For Eric Schwabel this wasn’t enough. Searching for a way to express the desire that was burning his soul, he fled to Paris in 2001. Seeing himself as a fashion photographer he quickly discovered he actually had no interest in that aspect of the art at that point in his life, and he ended up spending more time chatting on the internet than behind his camera. And that is how he met Matt York and decided he would shoot him on his return to Rochester a few month later.

“While I wasn’t entirely sure what sort of school assignment he’d work for, I knew right away I had found a solution, though him, for my creative woes,” Eric remembers. “I’ll admit now that being 20 (and therefore constantly horny) at the time was probably the basis for getting him [Matt] into the studio first, but working with him was really where I marked the beginning of it all “making sense” to me. It helped of course, that he never said no to my ideas.” Matt York was a true muse for Eric Schwabel. With him he explored the darkest corners of his mind, shooting nude in public areas, fully body painted, in an un-insulated attic in February in New York… they did it all, and it would eventually bring Eric to where he is right now. This first expression of pure creativity without the constrains of props and make up allowed Eric Schwabel to concentrate on the true art of photography as he saw it: light and movement and a focus on his subject.

Eric Schwabel’s creative adventure with Mat York ended with a guerrilla-style exhibition at the RIT: giant nude photos of Matt that covered the hallways of the school. Legendary magazine Blue noticed first the talent of this remarkable young photographer and published exactly those photos in one of their editions, and by doing so they launched a successful international carer for Eric Schwabel. This year, Eric celebrates his first book release – Shooting Male – a classy photobook showcasing actors, models, ex-boyfriends, porn stars and regular people that Eric photographed and that allowed him to dig deep in his seemingly bottomless source of inspiration and creativity.

Eric Schwabel is a natural in all he does. When you see him, he looks like any other guy in his early twenties,  when you talk to him, he entertains you with an openness and honesty rarely seen and when he photographs, he rarely retouches his work, uses almost no makeup and keeps wardrobe and props to the minimal. When Eric Schwabel shoots, he shoots right. –B-

Eric Schwabel’s Shooting Male is a Bruno Gmünder publication. The book can be ordered on the specially created website Shooting Male.

Join us for a second selection in Eric Schwabel, Shooting Male - Second Shot, next month.

ERIC SCHWABEL | BEAUTIFUL
SHOOTING MALE | BEAUTIFUL

BeautifulMag Week 27-28 | Fixing Things

When maintaining a website like BeautifulMag, it is important to have access to the world wide web at all times. There is no free moment, not one day that passes without doing some work. So when we travel, we always make sure we can connect ourselves to the Internet. Recently we took off to spend quality time on a desolate Greece island. According to the brochure, the room came with everything you could possibly dream of. Including of course the so necessary wireless access. So you can imagine our shock when, after installing ourselves, we could access but instead of entering the digital highway, we found ourselves on a donkey trail which very soon ended in a complete roadblock.

You can imagine the frustration that came over us, and thus, tortured with horrific visions of spending all our time on the beach or pool side, we immediately set out to find a solution that would proof to be a bit more efficient than sending a pigeon or making smoke signals to get our stories out. The fact you are actually reading this now, proofs we did. Yes we are still soaking up some sun in Greece, but the fact we managed to get this online has resulted in, indeed, spending time on the beach and pool side, but with a satisfied smile on our face. With a healthy dose of inventiveness and intelligence, we have beaten a situation that almost threatened to send us back all the way into the stone age. Which made us think about fixing things and the importance of having people around who are able to do so. Like computer or Internet specialists. And doctors. Photographer Dean Stockings knows al about this and we will share that with you in our up coming cover story. Of course you find specialist in many different areas. Not only life threatening situations. Eric Schwabel for example is an expert when it comes to shoot men. With a camera that is. Logan McCree is a gifted DJ but – as many already know  already has a very different specialism. Read it all about that – and a bit on our very own specialism – on BeautifulMag in the next two weeks. -B-

BEAUTIFUL | EVERYTHING THAT IS

Kevin Wiltz' Pas de Deux

FOR MOST PEOPLE, BEING SHY IS A HUGE HANDICAP. AND IT IS TRUE THAT IT IS DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH. HOWEVER, BEING SHY CAN ALSO LEAD TO GREATNESS. IT FORCES YOU TO COMMUNICATE IN DIFFERENT WAYS. YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED TO KNOW HOW MANY CELEBRITIES ARE ACTUALLY SHY, ABLE TO COOP WITH IT BY PRETENDING TO BE SOMEONE OR SOMETHING ELSE.  

Kevin Wiltz is shy by nature. He is also creative and has been able to find a way of communication trough his body. Kevin is an artist in motion, a dancer who uses his body as his medium. And with dance it becomes clear Kevin has a lot to say. Born in Indiana, he graduated at the Butler University in Indianapolis, a private liberal arts university, in dance performance. His great talent offered him the opportunity to work with people like Thaddeus Davis, Susan McGuire and Derek Reid, and with groups such as the Ballet Austin, Salt Creek Ballet and The Dance Refinery. It also brought him the chance to tour with the American Dance Company though Spain and China. Currently Kevin Wiltz dances with the Louisville Ballet in Kentucky, but for Kevin this is most certainly not his final destination. Kevin dreams of New York. That is where he wants to live and perform. And thus he visits the Big Apple as often as possible.

One other passion of Kevin Wiltz is contemporary photography. Visually driven as he is, photography is another medium through which he likes to communicate. And being such a talented dancer, posing for photographs seems to be a logic follow up. Over the past years, photographer Thomas Synnamon has made name for himself being an artist capable of capturing the most emotional and sensational portraits of men, so it probably won’t come as a surprise when we tell you that on one of his visits to New York, Kevin met Thomas and the two decided to work on a project together.

On an everlasting quest for perfection, Kevin Wiltz posed for Thomas Synnamon is a way that shows his great sensibility and sensuality. The reflective shoot illustrates Kevin in an almost narcissistic way, like a pas de deux with himself. We are his audience and the daring looks he gives us while looking in Thomas’ camera almost seems an invitation to join him. Kevin is a true performer and a great artist, with modesty and a presentation that is nothing to be shy for. –B-

KEVIN WILTZ | BEAUTIFUL
THOMAS SYNNAMON | BEAUTIFUL

BeautifulMag Talks with Logan McCree

Karl Smet in Black, Grey, White and Vibrant Red

OVER THE YEARS WE HAVE FEATURED MANY PHOTOGRAPHERS AND EVEN MORE MODELS ON BEAUTIFULMAG. IT SEEMS INEVITABLE THAT AT ONE POINT YOU ONE WONDERS WHAT REALLY MAKES THE DIFFERENCE. AFTER ALL, A MAN IS A MAN AND IN GENERAL WE ALL LOOK THE SAME, DON’T WE? AD TO THAT THE MATHEMATICAL FACT THERE ARE ONLY SO MANY WAYS YOU CAN PHOTOGRAPH A MAN AND YOU MIGHT THINK YOU HAVE SEEN IT ALL. BUT NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH.

When meeting Karl Smet, the first thing you will notice is his Mediterranean looks. But don’t be mistaken. Karl is 100% Belgian. He has lived for 30 year around Antwerp, in the northern part of Belgian, before he decided to pack up and move more south to the capital city Brussels. Brussels was a revelation for Karl in many aspects.

Although not working in photography for a living, the art is Karl’s biggest passion. After arriving in Brussels he spent 4 years discovering the city and its many monuments through the lens of his camera until he finally got bored. Not with the act but with the subject. In his search for another source of inspiration, he met a neighbouring who happened to be a great peoples photographer, who specialized in women. Since he also did receive many male submissions, they both agreed Karl would take over that part of the work. And alas, Karl Smet found his new passion.

To preserve his own personal style, Karl Smet rarely looks at the work of other photographers. “I don't want to copy or having a strong influence from other photographers,” he explains. “But I need to say that sometimes I see a same style when looking at other pictures. I guess it's more about the same look of the male body than following a certain style of photography.” This might have been one of the reasons why Karl Smet has become very selective in the choice of his models. “Not always the most handsome, the most perfect body's, etc, but models who are special in my eyes (just a personal feeling).” Karl always tries to create a direct connection between his photos and his viewers. Therefor, strong looks and eye contact are important ingredients in his work.

All together, for a complete self taught photographer, Karl Smet has been able to build an impressive portfolio, which can be admired on his website. His site is built in color blocks, which is an original way to separate his many portraits, ot always linked to the color itself, but also to what it represents in sensation and emotion. Today we bring you examples of Karl Smet’s work in black, gray and white, and some vibrant red. We let you be the judge of what that last category represents. –B-

KARL SMET | BEAUTIFUL

Fighting

WELCOME TO NEW YORKS UNDERGROUND, WHERE THE COMPETITION IS BRUTAL AND EVERYONE IS FIGHTING TO BE THE BEST. FOR SEAN MACARTHUR EVERYDAY IS STRUGGLE TO GET BY. UNTIL HE IS GIVEN A CHANCE TO BE SOMETHING MORE. NOW EVERY FIGHT BRINGS HIM CLOSER TO THE LIFE HE’S ALWAYS WANTED. BUT EVERYTHING HAS IT’S PRICE. BUT WHEN SOME RISKS ARE WORTH TAKING, SOME DREAMS ARE WORTH FIGHTING FOR.

Small-town boy Shawn MacArthur has come to town New York City with nothing more than family tragedy in his past and a bad relationship with his father. Barely earning a living selling counterfeit goods on the streets, his luck changes when scam artist Harvey Boarden sees that he has a natural talent for street fighting. When Harvey offers Shawn help at making the real cash, the two form an uneasy partnership.

As Shawn's manager, Harvey introduces him to the corrupt bare-knuckle circuit, where rich men bet on disposable pawns. Almost overnight, he becomes a star brawler, taking down professional boxers, mixed martial-arts champs and ultimate fighters in a series of staggering intense bouts. But if Shawn ever hopes to escape the dark world in which he’s found himself, he must now face the toughest fight of his life.

Dito Montiel was 11 years old when he was selling fresh squeezed orange juice and peanuts on the corner of RD and 7th Avenue in NYC. You might say that he has first had experience on making a living on the street. Now, 27 years later, he changed corners and moved op to 54th and 7th where he filmed his second major motion picture Fighting. Of course the first thing that comes to mind when seeing Fighting is the 1999 brawl film Fight Club, but Fighting pushes the story a bit further, without Brad Pitt and with more realism.

Fighting, directed by Dito Montiel and starring Channing Tatum and Terence Howard, will was released in April 2009 in the USA and will open in theaters worldwide this summer. -B-

FIGHTING | BEAUTIFUL

BeautifulMag Cover Story: L'Italiano Sensuale

ALL KINDS OF IMAGES COME TO MIND WHEN TALKING ABOUT ITALY. GOOD FOOD. BEAUTIFUL ARCHITECTURE. ANCIENT HISTORY AND GREAT MONUMENTS. FASHION AND ART. ITALY IS ALSO SYNONYMOUS FOR IMPULSIVE PASSION AND STRONG SENSUALITY. AND HANDSOME MEN WITH IRRESISTIBLE SEXUAL ATTRACTION. SUCH AS ALEX MARTE.

Since a few months we have been following the wonderful work of Roberto Chiovitti. This creative talent from Rome, now 36 years old, received his first camera when he was 18, only to find out that it would become the extension of his soul. Photography has become for Roberto a way to transform his fantasies, his emotions and his concept into pictures. An outlet for his point of views and a translation of his dreams into real time. Always striving to improve himself, Roberto follows his heart and passion, as every true Italian does. Which often leads him into the situation of starting to talk to complete strangers, just because they catch his eye, provoke an idea or fill up a missing link in a concept he is working on: photography.

Roberto Chiovitti has had the chance to shoot Alex Marte on several occasions, and for a variety of publications. The two men obviously have a good connection, which shows through in their work together. About his first meeting with Alex, Roberto remembers: “First time I met him I said "this guy is fuckin' hot" but I didn't think he could be even sexier in front of the camera because sometimes good-looking guys are not always so photogenic or simply they are not able to pose ... especially those guys who have big bodies like Alex, they can't move naturally!” Alex has both: the body and the moves.

Italian model Alex Marte was born in Milan 23 years ago. He started modeling when he was 17. Alex started working on his well-proportioned body in order to become a serious body builder. Which landed him some interesting underwear modeling jobs, and turned Alex’ face and physiques in a figurehead image for many European gay events. Strong, masculine and dark. Alex is the school example an Italiano sensuale and we can safely leave it up to Roberto Chiovitti to bring the best out of him. –B-

BeautifulMag Archive for Roberto Chiovitti: A Beautiful Horizon | AX National: La Dolce Vita and Postcards From Malta | Beautiful Stranger | Roberto Chiovitti's Diavolo Dentro.

ROBERTO CHIOVITTI | BEAUTIFUL