From Blakemag Archives.
Photographer: Paul Reitz – @paulreitzphoto / Model: Simon Dexter
Hair: Dave Lasalle / Styling Matt Shea
Simon Dexter
Rick Day Inhabits a rather rarefied world of photography when you consider it an art form. It might be safe to say that any male model who has come along within the last couple of decades considers it a badge of honor as well as a rite of passage to be lensed by this man. He has surely achieved an undeniably palpable international status for those within the sphere of models. An image lensed by him might even be considered the gold standard or possibly a silent signal of having “arrived” at a particularly elevated position within the hierarchy of the modeling profession, both male and female.
For those who wish to take it a step further one might even say that there is some sort of fetishistic quality to the finished image and by that I mean a sort of hyper glorification or possibly objectification of the subject that stands before him.
In these times of what is considered to be politically correct or acceptable for publication on social media platforms it is indeed perplexing and frustrating a best; think “free the nipple” or male sex organs as being verboten but not someone’s bare ass or a or 2 totally nude bodies lying on top of each other. We live in times of double standards for just about anything and everything from world politics to simple images on Facebook or Instagram. In my opinion we have culturally lost or stifled some of your greatest visual artists with these blatantly selective/erratic and hyper vigilant rules of so called decorum.
It is no wonder than someone who glorifies the human form must turn to self-publishing in order to “expose and express” their work in its unaltered state; which is brings up to the topic at hand and that is Castings, a photographic chronicle or essay of Rick Day’s oeuvre.
Jeffrey Felner: Can you tell us the how and the why this book came about?
Rick Day: Castings is a project that I had in the back of my mind for many years. I published my first book Players Bruno Gmünder 8 years ago. I was always fascinated by an athlete’s physique and wanted to capture them in their most intimate moments. The result was a series of highly intimate erotic images of athletes. As hard as it was to find models to pose for my first book, the next books, thanks largely to the success of Players and the explosion of social media, finding models became much easier. I ended up doing 4 more books with my publisher. The last book, BelAmi, was shot over three years in three continents and captured the beauty of the BelAmi models, giving the viewer a behind the scene look at the BelAmi world. Not the on camera sex but the youthfulness, playfulness and charm of these models. This behind the scene is really the idea for this new book Castings. It’s like a journal of my daily life; everything from models coming by for a go/see, outtakes from various jobs, or models just fooling around on set. It’s a fun, cheeky, very sexy collection of images featuring top agency models and Instagram “celebrities” in ways that might be considered uninhibited, daring, fun and definitely not always Instagram friendly.
JF: Can you explain the criteria you used to determine who would or would not appear in the book?
RD: As with any book I am putting together … There are always too many images and not enough pages. All of my past books have been erotic nudes … It doesn’t really encompass all of the things I shoot. This book is a departure from my past books as I want it to feel like a behind the scenes and out take diary of many varying and assorted shoots … often times my favorite images never make it to publication. Deciding on who makes the cut for the book and who doesn’t is always a hard decision. This time it’s not really about the « model” but about the feel/message of the book. I always hate this question because I would love to put everyone in every book.
JF: This is your first self-published book; can you tell us why you chose this avenue of publication as well as the pros and cons of doing this?
RD: The reason I decided to self-publish was the creative aspect of this book so that it was not limited to just nudes … or bodies. It was a chance to really have fun putting a book together without the pressure from a publishing house about exactly what images I need to include. The publishing house I was with in the past was amazing and I really appreciated their input however this type of book would not have really fit into their catalogue and I have never had a limited edition book published prior to this one. I am an avid collector of books and I really love having many many books that are hard to find after they have sold out.
It’s exciting and nerve wracking this self-publishing; so I hope that if you like what I shoot… you will not miss out on the chance to own and contribute to this book in some way.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/1447188594/castings-by-rick-day
Après neuf années de collaboration avec la marque de bijoux fantaisie haut de gamme Les Perles de Noa, Isabelle Finel directrice artistique et associée, se consacre désormais pleinement à sa propre marque Only Noa .
Elle est composée d’une ligne de maroquinerie haut de gamme, de bijoux homme et femme fantaisie et de petite Joaillerie.
Elle ouvre aujourd’hui sa première boutique en nom propre, au 27 rue des Archives 75004 Paris. Située en plein cœur du Marais, la boutique dévoile ses collections de maroquinerie et de bijoux haut de gamme dans un espace lumineux et chaleureux de 50m2.
Photographe: Jerome Haffner – http://www.jeromehaffner.com/
Modèle: Hugo K.@TheBlakeMen – https://www.facebook.com/TheBlakeMenRentABlake
En plus d’être un athlète de haut de niveau, le rugbyman Britannique Stuart Reardon est aussi un mannequin international. Il a travaillé avec de grands noms comme Thomas Synnamon, Rick Day, Michael Strokes, David Vance…et bien sur Paul Reitz pour Blake!
Retrouvez toutes les photos de Stuart en suivant ce lien:
https://www.facebook.com/TheBlakeMenRentABlake
He’s one of the most famous model on the net.
Sexy and natural, with a « bad boy » side very charming, he embodies the attractive American boy in front of the objective of photographers as TomCullis, David Vance, Thomas Synnamon or Rick Day. Here is a selection of photos not to let see by everybody!
Warning: frontal nude!
Habituellement, Blake ne met en avant que des garçons que vous n’avez jamais vu, mis à part la famille comme Anthony Royer ou Simon Dexter… Ryan Reynolds a été la seule célébrité qui a fait la cover de Blake. Retrouvez ici une séléction de photos extraites de films ou de shootings réalisées pour de nombreux magazines.
Usually, Blake advances only boys that you have never seen, set apart the family as Anthony Royer or Simon Dexter…
Ryan Reynolds was the only celebrity which made Blake’s cover. Find here a selection of photos extracted from movies or from shootings realized for numerous magazines.
1/ Model, blogger, actor, business man…who are you Simon Dexter?
I am a force of nature! hahaha…i am a guy who loves life, sex, people, opportunity and following my dreams. I feel like I learned early in life that if you want something you have to either take it or do it because no one is simply going to give it to you. I have a personal philosophy based on a quote, « whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right »
2/ What’s your background?
I am polish and from humble upbringings. I grew up in a small town and am a small town boy but with a big city mind. My grandfather was a tailor, one of my uncles was a watch smith, both my parents are artists and skilled craftsmen, some of my uncles owned horses, some had cows and chickens, some had crop farms, my grandparents had chickens….we are a traditional European family so to speak. I grew up playing a lot of sports, soccer, wrestling, martial arts…i loved getting dirty and into trouble, climbing trees and finding hidden places in my environment. I had a scholarship to play soccer in college as well so sports had a huge influence in my life and its what still drives me to stay fit.
3/ Of course, a lots of people knows you did some adult movies in the past…Do you think it can be an obstacle for your present career?
Maybe a small obstacle, but not one that I will let affect me. I think as I venture away from adult work and become successful in mainstream media, some people may look down upon my past. However, I feel like these are very simple minded people. I am not ashamed of what i have done. I did what I did and I liked it at the time. In Europe sex is seem as more casual and is very accepted. People who have done adult film or photos do not get as much resistance in their professional lives because of it. In America, the culture is still very opposed to « adult actors ». There exists a stigma that these people are less human and more dirty then others who have not done adult work. Yet these same people who call pornography dirty are the same people who consume it late at night from the comfort of their own homes. America is a place of two faces, public and private….and they are very very different and contradictory. But understanding this I feel I have an advantage over others because I will never allow their opinions of me to hold me back from achieving anything I want.
4/ Aren’t you sick of being recognize for what you did in the past and not for what you are doing now?
Yes, but i understand it. I wish people would get to know me better instead of just seeing me as one thing, an adult actor. I have much more to offer the world.
5/ You have an impressive body. What is your secret for looking so good?
Hard work!!! I think that’s true in any aspect of life. The harder you work and the more effort you give the better the results. I have been exercising since 13. But I do not use supplements, I am all natural. This actually has resulted in me growing at a slower rate then other fitness models who may use supplements to enhance the speed of their growth. But I believe in a slow and steady progression that’s sustainable and which allows me the flexibility to eat what I want and pace my routines.>
6/ Do you made a special diet?
No!!! haha, i like to eat fruits and vegetables but i also eat a lot of everything…sweets, meat, pasta, and I drink a lot of coffee!!
7/ Are you a total exhibitionist?
haha, i think that some days i am and some days I am not. When i feel good and everything is going well then i feel more comfortable with myself and am ok with showing off more. When things aren’t as good then i tend to be more reserved. But i think many people are this way. I just have a lot of confidence in myself.
8/ Do you put a lot of care in the way you look?
I’m kind of a guys guy. Some days I just throw some jeans on, a white V neck t-shirt and I’m out the door. But if i know i have something important to go to, like a date, photo shoot, meeting or an event, then i try much harder and get my hair done, get new clothes, and groom better.
9/ Are you obsessed by the research of the perfect body?
Yes, i think about training a lot. But more subconsciously as a byproduct of my athletics past. I think about it in my sleep and then test out my theories at the gym. After so many years working out I know what works for me and what doesn’t. But I still am open to learn from others what works for them and experiment with my routines.
10/Do you think to be a model increase your personal seduction?
Oh yes, great photos and the label of « model » intrigue people and inspire imagery of glamour and high class lifestlye. This allure lends itself to my charm and powers of seduction 😉
11/Are you single?
Yes! Anyone interested???
12/You work with a lot of great photographers.You never did any big advertiser campaign yet. Is there any brands you would want to work with above all?
Yes, I would love to work with Burbery London, Luis Vuiton, and Tom Ford. They have great mens fashion.
13/How do you react to overzealous fans?
Its difficult as anyone who has experienced this may tell you. The energy always seems false and ingenuine and I try to ignore it or redirect it. I just want to be shown the same respect anyone would want for them selves, nothing more, nothing less.
14/Is Fame an « advantage or an « inconvenient »?
Its a double edged sword. It has its advantages in terms of accessing closed doors in industry and eprsonal life, but also can intrude into personal life and create akward situations.
15/Is being Famous important?
Not as much as being successful. Some people are very famous and are not doing very well at all. I would rather be annonamous and be wealthy and happy and live in parts of the world that have beauty and wonderfull people!
16/What do you like to do in your spare time?
I love to read and learn about history and the world, I love to meditate and try to understand the universe and its vastness, I like to dwell about human nature and temperment, and I love to seduce people 🙂
17/What are your plans for the futur?
A calendar, a personal website, an underwear fashion label, a magazine, a movie…..the possibilities are limiteless!
