Beautiful: Nige Rorbach's Interlude to Pin Ups & Icons

EVEN THOUGH IT SEEMS TO HAPPEN OVER AND OVER AGAIN, IT ALWAYS SURPRISES ME AGAIN HOW COOL IT CAN BE TO MEET PEOPLE THROUGH THE INTERNET AND CREATE A BOND OF FRIENDSHIP IN NO TIME. NO MATTER HOW YOU THINK ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA, THAT IS FOR SURE ONE OF THE THING THAT IS JUST AMAZING. AND THOSE CONTACTS AND FRIENDSHIPS CAN LEAD TO SOME PRETTY GREAT THINGS. AS IT IS THE CASE WITH NIGE RORBACH AND ALFIE STONE.

We have only come to know Nige Rorbach since a little over a year, but I am comfortable saying we have established quite a nice relationship with this talented artist from Crew, United Kingdom. But even though we had talked off and on over the past months, it wasn’t before the unknowing intervention of someone else that Nige and us became closer. And that someone else is Alfie Stone.

I am kind of hoping Alfie Stone doesn’t need much introduction after his very successful cover story back in September, but just in case, let me dedicate a few words to him. Alfie just turned 26 years old, lives in Liverpool but also spends quite some time in London. We never met the guy in person, so all we know about him is what we were told. About how enthusiastic is, and keen to play with new ideas and concepts. How professional he is and how much he cares about his reputation and his work. How much energy he puts in his assignments and how he never stops before he gets things right. All we know from Alfie is what we saw the first time we laid eyes upon him. A young man with an innocent boyish look in his eyes, and very less innocent and boyish assets otherwise. A young men with a great sensual radiance, who is always surprising and obviously has great potential. Knowing all that it is not so strange that when Nige Rorbach first met Alfie, he knew he had found a muse.

For as long as he has been interested in photography, Nige Rorbach has made it a personal mission to find guys that truly inspire him and who share his passion for creating images that are artistic, sexy and show genuine emotion. When he first saw Alfie Stone on Model Mayhem he loved his look. Little did he know at that time that they would be such a great match. The work the two of them did for Nige’s well received BeautifulDirtySexy series only proofs the magnetic chemistry between photographer and model. And that was enough for us to ask for more. More Nige Rorbach and more Alfie Stone. But since that particular shoot was one of the most recent, Nige couldn’t do better than showing us work that dates back further. And may we just focus on the part where we said that he indeed couldn't have done better.

So these photos that were done in different setting and concepts are the result of that very first cooperation between Nige and Alfie and turned out to be more or less try outs for Nige Rorbach’s up and coming photo book Pin Ups & Icons. Nige explains: “I knew that it would be easy to get images that were really sexy, Alfie's look and physique lends itself to that very easily, but both of us were keen to try and create something that wasn't quite so obvious. That's why we went for low key lighting with some of the shots, to create a moodier, more seductive image. At the same time, we also wanted to try and go against the grain, and use elements that might not be considered particularly sexy or masculine, hence the sexy geek chic with the glasses, and the fishnet top and spiked collar.” So how does that fir in with the book concept? To answer that all you have to ask yourself, what is a pin up. Everyone has a different view of that definition and we all have certain images that give us a specific emotional reaction. Nige continues: “I've certainly had various comments about these shots, from girls loving the sexy geek in glasses, seductively looking out from the bed, to other guys loving the muscled physique and more erotic poses.” And Alfie, well he is a pin up. There is no doubt about that. –BM-