Outback: Dusk; Outback (both Paul Freeman Publishing)
The Outback series from photographer Paul Freeman takes a refreshing look at naked men from Down Under posed in realistic, natural, and man-made settings.
One of my favorite pictures in the series shows a blondish guy cleaning up at a decrepit old laundry sink in a rural sheep station. He's apparently come in from a long day's work and pulled off his clothes, which are sloppily strewn on the edge of the sink, on the adjoining old-style wringer-washing machine, and down on the floor. He's facing a window behind the sink, so his face is bathed in natural light as he turns on the faucet. His body from about the knees up is fully exposed for us to enjoy. Full thighs, choice buns, narrow waist, broad shoulders, muscular arms, the whole package.
Another plate shows the same blonde, this time in a frontal view, sitting naked on his flimsy, heavily stained, single-twin mattress. It's a miserable bed but typical migrant-worker accommodations and a superb setting for this picture. His firm, solid flesh gives sharp contrast to his sagging old mattress.
The Outback books are remarkably consistent. But there are minor ups and downs. Their least believable picture, which I call "Silly Guys," features two guys with obviously purposely shredded clothing. Most of the men feature naturally distressed under- and/or outerwear, but this couple appear to be wrestling while wearing nothing but cowboy hats and shirts, with the bottoms of their shirts cut into dangling shreds. No pants! Just exposed buns, legs and feet. Who wrestles atop a rock outcrop wearing just that? This picture carries suspension of disbelief just a bit too far. Fortunately, these two silly guys are the exception to the rule, out of place in a collection of superlatives, and always good for comic relief!
I call my favorite picture in the first Outback book "Man with Lamb," a gorgeous blonde guy with his snug Levis pulled down so low that it's amazing his cock and balls aren't swinging in the breeze. Maybe he taped his family jewels between his legs. I like the many layers to this composition. Of course, the stunningly beautiful model with tousled hair is the foundation, but the lamb wrapped around his neck makes the black-and-white picture infinitely more interesting. A broken-down farmhouse, wood siding falling away from battered exterior walls, and a yard overgrown with weeds form the perfect backdrop. There isn't the slightest hint that this guy isn't the real thing, a sheep rancher. Of course, we know this is a gay male photo book, so he's obviously a model who has never been this close to a lamb before, except for his fine virgin wool cardigan at home in winter storage. If Aussie tourism ran this photo in every gay magazine in America, they could double LGBT tourism to Australia. Might even boost exports of grass-fed organic lamb chops.
Another choice picture, this time in living color, presents another blonde guy, this time depicted entirely from behind. He's wearing a cowboy hat, tank-top undershirt, and criminally sagging brown workpants exposing much more than just his crack. I would describe it more like the Grand Canyon! Your eyes are inexorably drawn to his posterior, the main focus of this picture. I dare you to look at the picture and not stare at his deep continental divide.
Outback is the introduction to the series of that name that was so good it spawned its sequels. Since this limited edition is out of print, prices vary widely.