camerabug

Individual Portraits

2009-08-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

From the photos that we create, I can construct for you a portrait of yourself that uses abstracted parts of your body and face. The result is both personal and unique. This special service is available to you alone and the end result will NEVER appear anywhere without your express permission. Nor will copies ever be sold. As the process by which these individualized portraits is complex and time-consuming, there will be a charge for the resulting artwork. Pricing will be determined mainly by the size of the image.

I sincerely hope that you will take full advantage of this excellent offer.

2009-08-10T16:56:00.016-07:00

2009-08-10T16:56:00.015-07:00

2009-08-10T16:56:00.013-07:00

2009-08-10T16:56:00.011-07:00

2009-08-10T16:56:00.009-07:00

2009-08-10T16:56:00.007-07:00

2009-08-10T16:56:00.005-07:00

2009-08-10T16:56:00.003-07:00

2009-08-10T16:56:00.001-07:00

2009-07-25T14:16:00.000-07:00

Constructed Images

2009-07-25T13:57:00.000-07:00

Photoshop has freed photographers to create interesting images that would have taken days

to make using traditional darkroom techniques. With the tools and filters the software contains anyone can manipulate colour, texture, image size and background to make personal statements which are powerful, dramatic, moody, romantic (or whatever else might appeal).

One of the best things about the process is that it is relatively cost-free and involves little or no waste. Nor does it necessarily generate harmful chemicals as the images can readily be preserved on dvds and shown on computer and television screens.

I have chosen to work with images which involve tattoos because they are intrinsically attractive, highly personal and because the decoration or illustration of the human body is so intriguing. Each of the images is highly coloured and contains several overlapping images of the same person.

My goal was to produce abstractions which suggest the power of these tattoos, and to create an air of mystery as to why they are so vividly inked on this man's powerful arms and shoulders.

More Work for Pride

2009-05-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

I enjoy manipulating these images in Photoshop.

2009-05-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

Pride

2009-05-17T18:23:00.000-07:00

I have not worked with nudes for several months but would like to create something special for this year's pride celebrations. I would particularly like to photograph and paint men who have interesting tattoos. This type of art is fascinating for many of us: the work is becoming more and more delicate and colourful, the meanings of the symbols deeper and deeper. I also want to explore what can be done with photoshop and its various artistic tools.

Here is an example of work done very recently with a very handsome model.

Black and White

2008-11-26T11:51:00.000-08:00

Black and white photographs are very much in vogue at the moment.

The medium emphasizes the beauty, subtlety and masculinity of the male nude. The lack of definable colour seduces the viewer into an appreciation of the texture of skin, the sensuality of body hair and the interesting modeling of muscle and sinew brought out by the richness of shadow and contrast.

Deep shadow adds an air of mystery, stimulating a desire to probe the depths and awakening the need to touch and stroke in order to feel as well as see what remains veiled or vaguely suggested. The highlighted areas are rich in that they reveal delicate, silky smoothness of soft skin and contrastingly robust roughness evoked by hair. These contrasts are what make black and white nudes so satisfying.

Models Needed

2008-09-18T08:28:00.000-07:00

I am constantly looking for in-shape men of any age who are willing to pose for me. I use these photos as the bases from which to create watercolour paintings similar to those seen earlier on in my blog.

I share a studio in the Distillery District with my photographer/partner who may also help

with the photography. We guarantee privacy and discretion for whomever wishes to participate.

We request that the models sign releases which spell out exactly what we can and cannot do with these images. (Nothing goes to the net without express permission!)

Each shoot lasts a couple of hours. I fully expect the model to bring and change into whatever clothing he thinks appropriate, even if that is nothing. We work out poses that suit your needs as well as mine. If you would prefer not to show your face or your genitals, so be it. Should you wish to have poses shot with a significant other, that can be easily accommodated.

In rare circumstances we might consider shooting in another location, even out of doors.

What does the model get from this? We put the best shots on DVD as a reward for time and effort expended. It might contain as many as thirty images.

No money changes hands and there is no suggestion of sex being involved.

If you would be interested in a photo session, I can be reached at tomlei15@hotmail.com

Rendering the Figure

2008-08-25T11:35:00.000-07:00

A prominent Toronto illustrator and painter once remarked to me that one was not a real artist until he or she had mastered the complex job of rendering the human figure. Part of the difficulty in performing this feat lies in the fact that, because of constant exposure to and interest in this subject, we are adept at spotting the imperfections in any representation.

At present I am working in watercolour to experiment with the human form, trying to attain some degree of accuracy while maintaining a looser style that I hope will be expressive of whatever emotions I am portraying.

A major problem lies in finding appropriate models on whom to work. I would like to photograph more varied subjects than those available through art classes and so have been seeking victims through male websites- most people whom I contact are reluctant to pose for any number of reasons but those few who have volunteered have proven to be excellent subjects (though I would guess that they would have difficulty seeing themselves in the finished paintings).

Photographs do not necessarily involve total nudity. One question often arises: what do I charge? The answer is nothing. I have a studio in the Distillery that I share with a fellow photographer. We sometimes collaborate with a willing model. Nothing is used on the internet without the model's written consent. I prefer to do the shooting there. I often am able to provide a DVD of the best photos as a thank-you.

Experimentation

2008-08-19T10:07:00.001-07:00

The joy of digital photography comes partially from the endless diversity one can create with the various software editing systems now available. Check these out.

Fetish Fair

2008-08-18T07:57:00.000-07:00

Toronto the Good. Well now! Who would have predicted ten years ago that one would be able to buy beer and drink it on the street? Then wander with a camera along Church Street on a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon and watch men being flogged on the bare buttocks? And what about those guys in all that leather flaunting their posteriors to the hoots and laughter of the assembled multitudes? Boys wrestling in their skivvies? Men in jock straps and little else? Bondage gear for sale out in the open? The police with smiling faces watching the crowds saunter by?

Toronto the Good? Heavens no! Toronto the fantastic.

Sexy

2008-08-03T18:51:00.000-07:00

What does it for you: the glorious smile? the intense eyes? the curve of the hips? an impressive bulge? biceps? chest? thighs?

For me it's a combination deal and the greatest turn-on is the accidental sighting of something naughty: something I'm not supposed to see! Full frontal nudity viewed in the showers or steam room is definitely enticing but buttocks glimpsed as a guy tugs up his jockeys is the real turn-on.

Semi nude is much more sexy than blatant nakedness in my book.

Appearances

2008-07-27T07:40:00.000-07:00

We each have faces we expose to the world and others that we prefer to retain for few to see.

The contradiction makes the work of the photographer much more interesting. Which is the mask and which the face revealed when the mask slips?

Aspirations

2008-07-23T05:48:00.000-07:00

Beauty is supposedly skin deep, physical perfection, however defined, a rarity controlled

by a combination of good luck and genetics.

The perfect face, the arresting body, the ability to move with grace. Few of us are granted all three. But we have a fourth attribute which more than compensates for any perceived shortfalls. We are blessed with personalities and those wonderful sparks we strike with our eyes and our expressions.

My primary aim is to capture something of what enlivens us for others.

I want to create spicy, saucy, contemporary shots that both the subject and the artist agree

shows some aspect of the model's character.