Beautiful

Triggering the Creative Mind

MAURICIO A. RODRIGUEZ BELIEVES THAT AS HUMANS, WE ARE CONSTANTLY REDEFINING OURSELVES AND EXPLORING OUR IDENTITIES UNTIL WE ARE ABLE TO ACCEPT AND EMBRACE WHO WE REALLY ARE, AND THEREFORE SET OURSELVES FREE TO A BRAND NEW WORLD. PHOTOGRAPHING HIS SUBJECTS GOES BEYOND THEIR OBVIOUS BEAUTY. THEIR PERSONAL STORIES AND WHAT GOES BEHIND CLOSE DOORS ARE JUST ESSENTIALS IN HIS PHOTOGRAPHS, THEREFORE THOUGH THE TRUTH STILL REMAINS SECRET, THIS IS ONE OF ANDREWS'S STORY. 

After Mauricio A. Rodriguez decided to immerse his life in his new found passion of photography and keep himself behind the camera and at times in front of the lens, he rediscovered himself as an artist and realized that his life is full of visions that are translated into his work. He came to realize that talent is situational and is directly inspired and influenced by your upbringing, social environment, long life struggles and discoveries. IN other words, the triggers of the creative mind.

The presence of reality and the idea of the surreal is what drives Mauricio Rodriguez. His photography continues to create a body of work where self experience and self identification within society affects his art and persona, leading him to the obsession of being in the present with images that exhibit a deeply mysterious atmosphere, with unexplained elements that seem to refer to something else seen, read or imagined beyond the photograph. RAM IMAGERY is a photography brand that was created with the intention of capturing the beauty and nature of the true human being. Mauricio: “As we move away from the highly re-touched industry we begin to enter an era where the true-self of any celebrity and people are what the industry and us, aspire for.”

Mauricio A. Rodriguez finds himself in good company when it comes to finding inspiration. “Very much inspired by the cinematic/fashion aesthetic of Steven Klein, the obsession with the male figure of Bruce Weber, the sexual intentions of Juergen Teller, the explicit sexual objectification of Robert Mapplethorpe, the surrealism of Man Ray, Hans Bellmer, Marcel Duchamp, the voyeurism in Tierney Gearon, and the fashion aspects of Steven Meisel, Greg Gorman, David Sims, Mert and Marcus, Ryan McGinley, Mario Sorrenti, Herbs Ritts, among many others, my visual inspirations certainly take apart the specifics of each photographer to partly influence my own work. As my knowledge grows stronger even though, at times I refused to do any kind of research for the purpose of bettering my own work, it is unavoidable to feel inspired by our preceding masters in photography.”

Mauricio Rodriguez’ images are a composite of layers, mainly in film, both color and black and white. Based on few early explorative photography techniques used to document the invisible to the common eye and/or the paranormal, the study of movement and more commonly used within the surrealism movements. The idea behind multiple exposures is to create what is unknown about life, his life, and the layers we shed in order to grow, discover and become successful within our body and soul. –BM-

Model: Andrew Spina.

RAM IMAGERY | BEAUTIFULMAG

BeautifulMag Cover Story | Someday my Prince will come

I HAVE ALWAYS WONDERED WHY A FAIRY TALE ALWAYS HAPPENS IN A LAND FAR, FAR AWAY. I MEAN, DISTANCE IS RELEVANT, RIGHT? WHAT IS FAR FOR ONE MIGHT ACTUALLY BE QUITE CLOSE BY FOR ANOTHER. ANYWAY, I GUESS IT GIVES A MAGICAL AND MYSTERIOUS TONE TO THE STORY, SO BEAR WITH ME, EVEN IF YOU REALIZE YOU ARE LIVING IN THE SAME COUNTRY, OR WORSE, IN CLOSE VICINITY AS OUR MAIN CHARACTER.

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, a prince was born. Now the definition of time is relevant as well, so the once upon a time phrase really doesn’t mean that much. To help you get a better picture, lets make this a bit more accurate. We are talking about 26 years here. As like any child that is born, our prince was given a name, and his is Michael. But to distinguish him from other princes with the same name, he was not called Prince Michael, but Michael Prince. And the name of the land where he was born is Iowa.

The land of Iowa, as some might know, is a part of a bigger territory named the United States. Surrounded by other countries, Iowa lies in an area of the Unites States referred to as the Midwest and is known as the heart of the Corn Belt. Indeed, it is a farmer’s country and corn is one of the main products Iowa delivers. So it is no surprise that Michael Prince was brought up with corn and like most corn-bred boys, he grew up to be a healthy, well-built young man. While growing up Michael developed a great interest in the world around him. He soon discovered that there was a whole world waiting to be discovered beyond the borders of his country and so, after he finished High School, he choose the adventurous life, packed his bags, said farewell to family and friends and ventured into the unknown. Eager to experience different places and learn everything there was to learn, Michael went to a big city by the name of Boston.

Michael Prince decided to settle down in Boston, amazed by what this new and strange place had to offer him. He embarked on a new school and studied Economics and Dance and in his free time he joined the swim team. Thus making sure that his already well-developed body became even better. He swam with pleasure and passion until that other passion, ballet, started to take up so much more of his time, that he had to make the decision to focus on the latter. Both swimming and dancing paid off nicely for Michael. Though he never had been an ugly duckling, he did soon start to turn out a beautiful swan. These years in Boston Michael studied hard to make a success of himself. But he also fell in love for the first time.

Michael Prince fell in love with fitness and soon he started trying everything physical exercise had to offer him. Yoga, Zumba, biking, running… Michael tried it all. The time came that his studies in Boston came to an end. Michael was in no hurry and decided to stay in Boston a bit longer trying to figure out what to do. Now as you know most fairy tale can be divided in three parts. The beginning and the end that are, most of the times, good. And the middle part, where things always turn bad. For Michael it started quite innocent. Sensible even. After his studies Michael has two things he could choose from and, being the good boy he is, he made the responsible choice to find a job in banking. But soon Michael learned he hated it. Still he gave it a try and stayed for one year in his job before changing to an accounting firm. Which he hated even more. Michael Prince was not happy. But during his two years of work Michael Prince also met a personal trainer who filled him with inspiration to continue in the area of fitness. And then, one day, Michael woke up and said to himself “Go big or go home!” With that thought in his mind he once again said goodbye to his friends and moved away from the city.

Michael Prince traveled to another city he had heard of. A city that, according to the stories, could give him the opportunity to pursue a career in what he really wanted to do. Dancing, training and modeling. This was the city of New York. A magical place, lively, energetic and dynamic, dominated by an island covered with immense towers that rise up in the sky like a fairy tale castle. Michael Prince realized this was where he belonged and is now having the time of his life. He can be seen running around Hell's Kitchen throughout the week always trying to find the hottest next thing with his beautiful, sexy boyfriend. His favorite past-time is intermittent bouts of video games with gym time thrown in between. If you see him on the street he will always make time to talk to you, but he has no time for rude people. His motto is to live life to it's fullest and never go to bed unhappy. It feels like New York had eagerly awaited this Prince to come, and Michael lives his life happily ever after. –BM-

Photography by Kevin Hoover.

KEVIN HOOVER | BEAUTIFULMAG

Armando Santos for Mr Gay Europe & World 2013

THE WHOLE WORLD PROBABLY KNOWS THAT DESPITE HUGE ANTI-PROTESTS FRANCE JUST LEGALIZED MARRIAGE BETWEEN SAME SEX PARTNERS AND THE FIRST GAY WEDDING IS ALREADY A FACT. THE UK SEEMS TO HEAD IN THE SAME DIRECTION, AND FINLAND, THE ONLY NORDIC COUNTRY THAT DOES NOT ALLOW SAME SEX MARRIAGE IS FIGHTING STRONGLY. IF THERE EVER WAS A TIME TO RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF BRINGING VISIBILITY TO HOMOSEXUALITY IN OUR SOCIETY, THIS IS IT.

The international Gay Prides have had periods of strong political importance and moment where it was more perceived as fun than a necessary good. But over the past couple of years, it has become once again abundantly clear that gay prides and likewise events are very important if it comes to emancipation and changing the public and political opinion. And so we embrace the election of Mister Gay Europe and, a bit later, Mister Gay World.

Just like other pageants, the election of Mister Gay follows the same principle. First you choose a local Mister Gay before sending him to a more continental or global event. And if for some reason the number one can’t do it, we send the runner up. As it is the case with Armando Santos, who will be flying the French blue, blanc, rouge in Prague late July at the Mr Gay Europe contest and in Antwerp in August hoping to win the election of Mr Gay World. This information was confirmed by the Mr Gay Europe and World committee, and they couldn’t have made a better choice. Armando is the personification of a European citizen.

26-Years old Armando Santos holds Europe within him. With Portuguese-Lebanese origin, Armando has lived in Spain, Portugal, Belgium and currently resides in France. Perfectly at ease with his homosexuality and his physical appearance, and with every right to be so, Armando is a well sought after model and role model. Active in gay events he has also participated to the Mr Gay Têtu election, initiated by the well-known French gay lifestyle magazine Têtu, where he was chosen to be Mr Gay September. Armando reached an honourable second place in the final, only a breath away from the winner Romain Alegret, Mr Gay Têtu 2013. And since Romain is not available for the European and World elections, it is Armando’s place to represent France and its colourful gay community. A better choice could not have been made.

As said before, events such as Gay Pride’s and the election of a Mr Gay Europe and World are now more important than ever. With voices rising up everywhere calling for equal rights where it comes to marriage and adoption, every opportunity to speak out must be used. Armando Santos is not the kind of guy to shy away from that. “I’m proud to be gay and proud of my country France, which has finally adopted equal marriage right for everyone,” comments the dark haired hunk. “I would be honoured to be elected Mr Gay Europe and – yes – World 2013 and act as a role model and ambassador for gay rights. As Mr Gay Europe 2013 I would strongly support my European neighbours who have not embraced the equality rights yet. Also I am not afraid to take a stand against homophobia, which is still very much alive in sport and work environments. “

Mr Gay Europe is much more than a beauty contest. According to the organization it is one of the toughest job interview in Europe. Of course physical beauty is part of the game, but there is certainly strong interest in both personality and intelligence. Armando Santos has all three. In fact, if we look at the jury’s credential list, we can safely check off all questions when it comes to Armando. However, it is not only the professional jury that decides. You, the audience, also have a say in who should be our ambassador for 2013. For this you can vote online as early as July 01.

On July 26 Armando Santos will fly to the beautiful city of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, together with his personal coach Remy Frejaville, who represented France at last years Mr Gay Europe elections and landed a honourable top 5 placement. That Friday at 17.30 he will start his program that hopefully will lead to his victory during the Grand Finale on Tuesday July 30. Immediately after that Armando will then fly to Antwerp where he will start his programm for Mr Gay World from August 1 to 5, in partnership with the World Out Games that also take place in Antwerp, from July 31 to August 11 2013. Stay tuned gentlemen and cast your votes for Armando Santos. We wish Armando good luck for the Mr Gay Europe 2013 election in Prague and the Mr Gay World 2013 election in Antwerp and may the best win. –BM-

All photo’s by Exterface.

ARMANDO SANTOS | BEAUTIFULMAG
MR GAY EUROPE 2013 | BEAUTIFULMAG

BeautifulMag #140 Week 25-26 | Raise your Voice

EDITORS LETTER

It is June and that means that it is by definition the month of Gay Pride. This is not a coincident. June was officially chosen to be the month in which we commemorate the Stonewall riots that happened at the end of June 1969. It is hard to imagine that the spontaneous demonstrations that followed the police raid in the early morning of June 28 1969 at the Stonewall Inn became the single most important happening that eventually lead to the gay liberation movement and the fight for equal rights. It started in New York but it spread like wildfire over the rest of the world. It is even harder to imagine that now, 44 years later, we are still fighting. True, a lot has been accomplished and we should be proud of it and grateful for those who fought before us. But we are not finished yet.

There are 15 countries in the world that recognize and legally perform same-sex marriage. I’ll call them out because they are worth it, but it also to shows you what an eclectic selection of countries it really is. Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and Uruguay. And France is the latest and we are proud of that too. It is something we fought hard for over the past year and was granted to us last month, together with the right to adopt. But this doesn’t mean we can lay back and relax. Even though our governments have officially recognized us, there are still large groups of people who oppose gays and lesbians having the same rights as they do. Even worse, they condemn who we are or simply don’t recognize us as similar human beings. Earlier this week, the Russian parliament passed their controversial gay propaganda ban, the law that imposes jail term for people promoting homosexual propaganda. In fact it condemns the gay and lesbian part of Russian society to a life of hiding and lies. So I ask you, how is that for equality? For human rights?

Almost half a century ago, those first riots unleashed a revolution that is still alife. True in some parts of our world a Gay Pride is often seen as a festive parade of flamboyant characters. But lets not forget what a few people started all those years ago. What it has brought us today. And what it still has to bring us for the future. The Gay Pride is our pride, so let’s go out there and join the parade. Let your voice be heard. –BM-

BEAUTIFULMAG | Everything That Is

Pieces of a Dream

MOMENTS OF EXCITEMENT. THIS URGE FOR SATISFACTION. IT CAN HAPPEN ON THE MOST UNEXPECTED TIMES. WE HAVE ALL EXPERIENCED IT. IT IS OFTEN AN ACCUMULATION OF DIFFERENT THINGS. IMPRESSIONS YOU GET. THAT HOT GUY YOU SAW WALKING BY. AN EXCITING DREAM THAT STILL LINGERS IN THE BACK OF YOUR MIND. AND THEN, WHEN YOU FIND YOURSELF IN A MOMENT OF PRIVACY. TOTAL ISOLATION. THAT’S WHEN IT OVERCOMES YOU. AND YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO GIVE IN.

John Clum put together a series of images that perfectly visualize the feeling described above. Whether the urge overcomes you in your sleep or while you find yourself in a seclude place, it is that one precise moment that you just have to give in and satisfy yourself. The heat of the moment is often an extra trigger to the overall excitement. With his unequaled cunning skills, John created these photos in a dreamlike style that makes these most intimate moments little portraits of lust and satisfaction. A reality made almost unreal.

John Clum’s men are all different. It is the variety we find surrounding us. Not one of them is the same. Some are hairy, some smooth. Some inked, others have a skin that seems untouched. Some strong and muscled. Others slightly toned. But what brings them all together is their sexuality. That underlying stream of testosterone, giving them a sense of boiling sensuality. They all find themselves in moments of excitement. They show a vitality in their seclusion, a sense of pleasantness and sensitivity while being together. And just looking at them, in John’s dreamlike, painted retouch style, gives you the feeling you secretly entered their wet dream status.

3 hours west of New York City and about 2,5 hours north of Philadelphia. This is where John Clum lives and works. Here in the Table Rock Refuge private park is where he creates his art. Where he visualize his dreams. Maybe it is the solitude of his living space that triggered the creation of these images, that shows such solitude and intimacy. Or maybe it was just simple excitement. The urge to share moments like these with other men. Whatever it was, the result is something we can all recognize and relate to. Pieces of a dream. Pictures of the most intimate moments a man can have. With himself or with others. –BM-

JOHN CLUM | BEAUTIFULMAG