Beautiful

Down by The Riverside [BM Cover Story]

TODAY MEN IS THE GREATEST LANDSCAPER ON OUR WORLD. WITH OUR TECHNOLOGIES AND MACHINERIES WE SHAPE AND RESHAPE THE FACE OF THE EARTH. BUT OUR PLANET IS A LIVING GLOBE AS WELL. MEANING THAT IT IS IN CONSTANT MOVEMENT. WE ALREADY KNOW THAT MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO, THE FACE OF THE EARTH WAS VERY DIFFERENT FROM TODAY, AND MILLIONS OF YEARS AFTER US IT PROBABLY WILL BE DIFFERENT AS WELL. THOUGH WE DON’T SEE IT AS IT HAPPENS EVER SO SLOWLY, THE MOUNTAINS RISE AND FALL, THE CONTINENTS MOVE AND THE RIVERS CHANGE THEIR PATHS.

When it comes to natural changes we can often see that actions cause reactions. The Toba super eruption that occurred about 74,000 year ago, caused a volcanic winter that lasted 6 to 10 years and introduced the last ice age that would cover large parts of the world with ice for thousands of years. Some believe that, once the ice started to melt again, it eventually led to the Great Flood, which caused a major change in the continents. Whole parts of lands disappeared for ever under water, often with towns and villages on them.

The River Thames is the longest river in England and flows through Southern England. 2,000 years ago humans first settled at the Thames in a place now known to be London, the powerful capital of the United Kingdom. During those 2,000 years lots has changed. Many tribes lived here and enlarged the settlement. The Romans arrived in 43 BC to make place 500 years later for the Anglo Saxons. Half a millennium later the Normans conquered the town and stayed till the Medieval times. Over the last 5 centuries many great houses ruled over Britain, all having their seat in London and adding to the city, causing the River Thames to change its course. Still today we find archaeological proof of how climate and human involvement influenced the great rivers natural flow. We know the river banks have changed place many times and even found evidence of islands that once were but have disappeared since long.

In history the River Thames has caused many floods taking parts of the city with her when the waters withdrew. The Thames is still subject to tides, causing the river to rise and fall. And as the water leaves the walls that now form a barrier for the river to follow, and it drops to a low tide, it reveals another world. A world of deep greens and hard rocks. A world in which we can find pillars and rooms, once occupied by our ancestors but since then a part of this mystical underwater world. Places that spend half their lifetime invisible under deep and dangerous waters and that trigger our imagination. Roman villas, Viking fortresses, architectural wonders that should have been monuments to mighty kings and powerful families and foundations of simple settlements once occupied by fishermen that came here first.

Here, down by the riverside, Graham Martin brought some of his favourite models. Their masculine beauty a contrast to the rocky and mossy river banks that every now and then reveal themselves to the human eye. And by doing so, by being here and shooting his man here, Graham Martin adds to the history of the mighty Thames. His portraits are now a modern day witness of times gone by, vision where he combines hidden history with contemporary male beauty. A sharp contrast that finds its place on the long time line that follows the flow of the River Thames. In the past, in the present and in a future long after we are gone. –BM-

Featured models: Danny | Mandels | Sheone | Stefan | Valdii.

GRAHAM MARTIN | BEAUTIFULMAG

Dominicanos

THE MOMENT YOU LAND IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC YOU ARE IMMEDIATELY MET WITH BEAUTY. NOT THE TYPICAL ATHLETICS OF WHAT MOST AMERICANS AND EUROPEANS CONTEND AS BEAUTY: AIRBRUSHED, WHITEWASHED, WATERDOWNED VERSIONS OF BEAUTY. BUT AN AWESTRUCK BEAUTY THAT IS UNTAINTED, PURE, AND NATURAL: FRESH WITH NO PRESERVATIVES. IT’S THAT GOOD-FOR-YOU TYPE OF NATURAL ESSENCE DIRECT FROM MOTHER EARTH THAT SUSTAINS YOU. AND IF IT’S DOMINICAN PEOPLE, THE BLACK, BRON AND YELLOW-HUED PEOPLE WHO INHABIT THE ISLAND. ESPECIALLY THE MEN. – TERRANCE DEAN, AUTHOR, DOMINICANOS –

With over 15 years of experience, LeeStudiosNYC’ key photographer Ernest Montgomery, has been yielded as a distinct visionary leader in the business. LeeStudiosNYC has been consistent in capturing the beautiful tantalizing shades of brown, black, and yellow ethnic men. With bodies and faces sculpted, moulded, and magnificently framed for the camera, LeeStudiosNYC is able to uniquely tell each man’s personal story through powerful imagery.

Ernest Montgomery has an uncanny ability to photograph men in their natural state and environment. Undisturbed and delightfully pure. Among other places he has been doing this in the Dominican Republic for many years. Looking at his portraits of Dominican men it becomes abundantly clear Ernest was able to immerse himself into the culture and lives of these men. Ernest Montgomery has the ability to shed his own lens of American-ness beauty aesthetics and reimagine a new lens filled with exotic images that electrify your soul.

Ernest Montgomery’s photographs do more than exhibiting and showcasing Dominican male bodies. They give them a voice. Visibility. And an opportunity for the world to be invited into their lives, allowing us to imagine, wonder, and consider how beauty is designed. Ernest has captured something powerful and unique in his pictures. His keen eye and sharp wit have allowed him to harness these Dominican men in their natural environment and unsuspecting glory of beauty, using their natural environment of landscapes of green palm trees, white sanded beaches and rustic buildings to tell their stories.

The Dominican Republic is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Many travellers from Europe, Australia and the United States find themselves traversing to the island’s hot spot of Santo Domingo, Santiago, Puerto Plata and Punta Canta. However on the outskirts and nestled in the crevices far in the countryside and off-the-beaten track, there are places foreign to tourists. This is where the most beautiful Dominicans live. Untouched. Innocent. Ernest Montgomery invites us on a magical journey. A trip through the lens of his camera in which we can discover those secluded places and those beautiful men. Those years of work, in which Ernest shot many beautiful photographs, are now combined in one stunning volume, entitled Dominicanos. Dominicanos is a 128 page full color photobook, with hardcover and dust jacket. The book is a testimony of LeeStudiosNYC’s work in the Dominican Republic, a collection of Ernest Montgomery’s most erotic works. –BM-

Dominicanos, with photographs by Ernest Montgomery, LeeStudioNYC, and a preface by bestselling author Terrence Dean, can be purchased for € 49,95 / US $ 75.99 / £ 49.99 on the LeeStudiosNYC website and at Bruno Gmünder.

Parts of the text are extracts from Dominicanos and written by Terrance Dean.

DOMINICANOS | BEAUTIFULMAG
LEESTUDIOSNYC | BEAUTIFULMAG

BeautifulMag #170 Week 31-32 | How the World Turns

EDITOR’S LETTER

I don’t know how it has been in your corner of the world lately, but mine has been colored pretty dark by the terrible disaster of Malaysia airline MH 17. Flight 17, carrying 283 passengers and 15 crew members, crashed Thursday July 17 after being hit by what U.S. officials suspect was a surface-to-air missile launched from an area controlled by Russian-backed separatists in the Ukraine. I am Dutch of origin and maybe it is because of that, because of the fact almost 200 of the 283 passengers were Dutch, that it has hit me so hard. The Netherlands is small, and those passengers came from every corner of the country. The loss of these innocent people has hurt the entire nation in its core. But the fact that this plane, which was a commercial airliner, was shot down by a missile shocked the entire world.

The conflict in Eastern Ukraine is the aftermath of the Euromaidan and the 2014 Ukraine Revolution that made an end to a corrupt system but caused a clash with neighbouring giant Russia. Knowing the conflict is relatively local one might wonder what weapons such as surface-to-air missiles are doing there to begin with. But it goes much further than that… as always. Russia accuses the United States and Europe to fund the revolution. Russia itself refused to recognize the new government and seized control of the Crimean Peninsula. Petty? Yes, indeed. But of course this has nothing to do with what is good for the country, but everything with the international economical and financial interests… as always. And now another 298 people, who had nothing to do with Russia or the Ukraine, or any other political conflict what so ever, have become innocent victims in what can only be described as a horrible, unhuman act of violence... as always. Because even though it is being denied, there can’t be any doubt that this was a deliberate attack and no accident. We are talking about a Boeing 777-200ER here. Not a small attack aircraft. You don’t need to be to intelligent to see the difference.

Last Wednesday, after much political shouting, finally the first 40 victims arrived back in The Netherlands. They were received by mourning family members and friends, the King and Queen, members of the government, royalty from Belgium, the ambassador of Malaysia and thousands and thousands of fellow Dutchmen. The country marked that day as a National Day of Mourning, the first since the death of old-Queen Wilhelmina in 1962. After many phone calls between many countries, after seeing horrifying scenes on TV of people searching through the remnants of the unfortunate plane, there was finally a moment of respect. The Dutch could not have done it better. It was a ceremony that characterizes itself by sobriety, respect, modesty and love.

So now what? Where do we go from here? Though the first reactions from Europe towards their eastern neighbour were the ones of anger and demands for justice, it already seems that things are mellowing down. Yes there was a rocket involved, and yes, the rocket was sold to the Ukraine rebels by the Russians, but is that enough to hold Russia responsible. Or at least co-responsible? The wreckage is being tampered with, independent investigators are being obstructed. Bodies are missing… Will we ever find out the truth of what happened? And do we want to know? Because knowing means taking action and taking action cannot go without reaction. It seems like 9/11 all over again, and though we will probably keep talking about it, and in the years to follow keep remembering what happened, we will also move on. For the better of all, meaning countries, politicians and multinationals involved. Not the remaining families and friends who so suddenly lost their loved ones. Because that is how the world turns... as always. –BM-

Cover photography by Graham Martin.

BEAUTIFULMAG | Everything That Is

Dress to Impress

CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN. IT’S A CLICHE BUT ALSO VERY TRUE. PEOPLE DO JUDGE YOU BY THE WAY YOU DRESS. AND SO IT DOESN’T HURT TO PAY A LITTLE EXTRA ATTENTION TO THE WAY YOU LOOK. DRESSING GOOD MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD. SELF ASSURED. CONFIDENT. SMART. AND, HONESTLY, IT IS FUN TO DO AS WELL.

Rod Hodge II is young. In fact he only graduated high school last June. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know what to do in his life. No, Rod has plans. And he isn’t the kind of guy to sit back and wait for it to happen. Rod takes action when action needs to be taken. And so he moved to New York, no later than that very same day he graduated.

Though mostly associated with cities such as Paris and Milan, fashion is a very flourishing industry in new York as well. In fact, many mention New York as fashion capital of the world. And so it is probably also the place to be if you want to work as a fashion photographer. Seth London knows this as no other. Luckily for him Seth was born and raised in Long Island, not too far from the beating heart of the Big Apple, and so the transfer to new York City wasn’t a huge step for him. In fact, it was probably a logic move. Since his move to new York in 2011Seth’s rise to fame has been remarkable and attributable to his unique style and execution. Seth is a master when it comes to photography which isn’t so strange knowing that he has an unfailable energy. New York never sleeps and neither does Seth London.

Mariano Divalo is a young actor and fashion model and a role model for many who aspire similar career options. Such as Rod Hodge II. In fact many say that he looks like Mariano, which is the reason Rod has adopted him to be his personal role model. When Rod was in high school, which, as mentioned before, isn’t so long ago, he was approached by photographer Tailiah Joyner who saw some photos of Rod on Instagram (where would we be without social networking). He jumped to the occasion when Tailiah expressed interest in doing a shoot with him. One lead to five and during that last shoot Rod met runway coach Alva Paige and model scout Tim Johnson, which eventually brought Rod from his hometown Raleigh in North Carolina to New York City. Here 18 years old Rod now works hard to break through as a fashion model and already had the chance to work with renowned photographers such as Joseph Blue and Seth London.

Rod Hodge II is a very outstanding and well mannered individual. Active in sports – he has two black belts in jujitsu and tae-kwon-do and played high school football – he is also very operative when it comes to public functions. Rod went to Boys state in North Carolina where he won Attorney General, Senator, and Chief clerk of the House of Representatives, and was president of kappa league at school. His striking looks he got from his Italian father and Black German mother and his experience of being in public has given Rod the awareness that the way one looks is important if you want to impress. Good thing that he loves fashion and loves to dress up. Rod has a passion for shoes and uses them as a vase to build up his individual looks. Rod dresses to impress, not only for the job but consistently every time he leaves the house. He loves everything about fashion except that it is expensive and therefor not available for the lesser fortunate ones. Knowing how important it is for him, Rod therefor donates regularly to places that  allow those others to enjoy the same perks. And that makes Rod not only a beautiful model, but also a beautiful human being. –BM-

SETH LONDON  | BEAUTIFULMAG
ROD HODGE II | BEAUTIFULMAG

2 Years Later

THE LAST TIME WE HEARD FROM J. CASSONI WAS IN 2011. AT THAT TIME HE EMERGED FROM A DARK PATCH IN HIS LIFE, HAD FOUND HIMSELF A NEW LIFE PARTNER AND SHOWED US NEW EXCITING WORK. AFTER THAT, IT BECAME QUIET. NOT WITHOUT REASON THOUGH, AND CERTAINLY NOT BECAUSE JOHNNY DIDN’T WANT TO SHARE HIS WORK ANYMORE. IN FACT JOHNNY HAS BEEN PRETTY BUSY OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. EXCEPT NOT WITH PHOTOGRAPHY. THAT IS, UNTIL NOW.

After having gone through a difficult period in his life, Atlanta based photographer J. Cassoni decided to make some drastic changes. One of the major changes he made was starting a bar. The Joystick Game Bar in Atlanta was an instant success and currently sits comfortably in the top 10 bars in Atlanta, according to The Guardian. But even though owning a bar is fun, it also is a lot of work and has kept J from shooting as much as he would have liked to.

The Joystick Game Bar is so successful for J. Cassoni and his partner, the two have decided to expand their success with a second establishment, across the street form their first bar. They have already closed in on a beautiful 1901 building and will start construction soon. But Johnny is first of all a photographer, and seeing such a historical building empty made his blood pump faster. One does not get the opportunity to shoot at such a location every day. And so, before the builders will arrive, J. Cassoni has claimed the place for himself, and the models he believes will fit well against the particular backdrop.

Having put a general manager in place to run his bar, J. Cassoni now finally has found some time again to dedicate to his first love. Which we are grateful for because honestly, we have missed that sober, melancholic photographic style from J. Not to say he will come back after 2 years doing exactly the same thing. 2 years is a long period of time, in which Johnny changed as well. But he was happy to go back to work, so to speak, and indulge himself with new shoots and new models.

J. Cassoni has not worked with a lot of gingers in the past. When he met Ryan he immediately noticed there was something vaguely mischievous about the look on his face. Ryan also has a very lean build, which J currently prefers over more bulky physiques. And so the decision to make his come back with Ryan was made rapidly. “I wanted to get back in the habit of shooting so I kept it relaxed,” J. Cassoni explaines. “I want to stretch my legs so to speak. Went back to the style of shots I knew I could take (and enjoyed taking) just to see if I could still do it. It's almost like a pre flight check list. Blow out the back windows with light? Check. Black and white body shots? Check.”

Being very much aware he is not the same person he was 2 years ago, J. Cassoni is excited to see what shots will come out of him in the weeks to follow. Will he build on on his existing style, staying more or less in his comfort zone? Or will he venture out, trying different things, and create a new signature style. No matter what he decides, or where his creative vision takes him in his photographic expressions, we are happy that J. Cassoni is back behind the camera. His come back with Ryan is stronger than ever and it seems clear that from here on Johnny will only get better and better. Let’s just hope we do not have to wait another 2 years. –BM-

J.CASSONI | BEAUTIFULMAG