You’ve never seen Bel Ami like this! Renowned photographer Benno Thoma took shots of the lads of the world-famous porn company showing Lukas, Sebastian and the rest in perfectly gorgeous photos. They’re emotional like never before, set against lavish backdrops and in masterfully composed erotic images. Benno Thoma is undoubtedly an artist – he bathes his models in luxuriously sensual colours. His sense of style makes this 180-page book of photos in opulent large format into a sensually stunning synthesis of art. It is the momentary highpoint of Bel-Ami photo books. A milestone of gay photography!
Review
Stunning! When I tried to think of one word to describe this volume, that was what came to mind. Let’s start with the oversized format – it’s huge! Size is important especially with these images. We want to see every detail of the men on these pages, and see them we do! As we already know, the boys of Bel Ami are gorgeous and their bodies flawless. Exposing every inch in glorious photographs of the highest quality, Benno Thoma has given us what may be the best photo book in years. With their golden skin, toned bodies and lots of hard-ons the boys make the exotic locales almost irrelevant and paired together they are the epitome of aesthetic appeal.
I have decided I would gladly trade places with Benno Thoma, he has the best job in the world; he travels to the most exotic places and photographs the most adorable guys from Bel Ami. Who wouldn't love that!
This is a magnificent coffee table book perfectly suited for the man with distinguished tastes and a craving for edible boys.
George Duroy, a Slovak native filmmaker, formed the company Bel Ami in 1993, capitalizing on the handsome youths from Bratislava, Prague, and Budapest to establish his reputation as a connoisseur of the young, robust, healthy, and sensuous male form. For this book AROUND THE GLOBE Duroy 'consigned' his famous models to art photographer Benno Thoma who traveled with these perfect specimens of anatomy to locations in Brasil, South Africa, Spain, and Greece - all places where the sun and the Mediterranean architecture and quality of light allowed Thoma to create some of the most beautiful images of color photography around!
Given that his models are at the pinnacle of health and youthful ardor, Thoma carefully selected settings that would emphasize their perfection of form. At times his backgrounds are the sun-drenched white walls and walkways that make the flesh tones jump off the page, while in other images he incorporates native colors in the manner of drapes, towels, gardens, indoor windows/furniture/blowing fans, rocky cliffs and beaches where he follows the antics of several models at sport and play or simply soaking in the brilliance of the sun. One aspect of Thoma's approach to the model is to create a sequence of images of the same model in the same location - a technique that allows the viewer to enjoy not only the subject matter but also the variations Thoma can create given the same elements to repeat.
These lads are clothed, partially clothed, and clothe-less and they are photographed with a sense of communication with the photographer that makes them seem totally at ease with the session and with their own bodies. There are moments of languid relaxation and moments of arousal, much as in the reality of response of men in the bloom of physical perfection suggests. This is as fine a collection of the Bel Ami lads in choice surroundings as is available, and once again the book is designed, printed and produced with the high quality we have come to expect from Bruno Gmünder Verlag. As Shakespeare wrote 'Sweet beauty hath no name, no holy bower.' But that bower may just be here in Benno Thoma's AROUND THE GLOBE.
