|
Barely Working | 
 enlarge
| Author: Adam Raphael
Publisher: powerHouse Books
Category: Book
List Price: $39.95
Buy New: $22.96
You Save: $16.99 (43%)
New (29) Used (6) from $22.96
Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 53501
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 112
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 10.3 x 10.1 x 0.8
ISBN: 1576874494
Dewey Decimal Number: 778
EAN: 9781576874493
ASIN: 1576874494
Publication Date: September 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: SHIPS TODAY!! BRAND NEW BOOK
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Adam Raphael, photographer of the widely praised Room Service, offers a delicious collection of young men in his newest book, Barely Working. Once again documenting a racially diverse group of the finest faces and bodies, Raphael has captured his models in various working situations including auto repair, car washing, landscaping, and other similar settings. Of course, work soon gives way to play, and the unique combination of laughter, competition, and youthful energy converge to create a sensual tension that can only be made by a photographer who has the skill and talent to work closely with his models without ever overshadowing or crowding them. "In Barely Working," says Reed Massengill, "pipe wrenches and earth-moving equipment are handled with grace and ease by Raphaels young men, who practically throb with visceral friendliness and aw shucks charm while possessing a humanity that makes them irresistibly appealing."
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
Barely Working - A Wonderful Male pictorial December 4, 2008
Barely Working, Adam Raphael's newest portfolio, gives us a wonderful visual of sexy young men engaged in different activities designed to show them to the best advantage through the lens of a camera. But this book is more than just photographs of great looking men - it is also a tribute to this photographer's skill at capturing and projecting his vision of youth, exuberance and energy at work and at play. The photos enhance the beauty and elegance of the male form, either solo or in group poses, by giving them a natural look which is even more pronounced in the group shots which are brilliant and draw you into the photographer's vision. One photo that captured my attention is the first one which is a picture of a young man driving a vehicle, and reflected on the hood of the car is the sun and a few pillow clouds that framed the photo and gave it an elegance which anyone can appreciate.
Mr. Raphael obviously has his favourites among the models as some of them are profiled in several shots, almost as if they had their own portfolios within the book, and this creates a story within a story and gives the book a different perspective. The brilliance of water sparkling on some of the bodies made me want to lick the page, and similarly, when some of the young men were shown with grease and dirt artfully placed on chests and other body parts, I wished I could get into the shots to clean the guys off.
The title of the book, Barely Working, is appropriate because the models are pictured in different work situations interacting with each other, but the most important aspect of these photos is that the guys appear very relaxed. I didn't see any sweat running down those exceptional pectorals due to hard work, but if there was any sweat I'm sure that volunteers were waiting in the wings to pat them dry. As the photographer stated in the book, he was looking for models "with a certain innocence, a playful and open nature, a willingness to be vulnerable and human, and to comfortably interact with others of their breed without any hint of sexuality ..." and he definitely achieved this objective.
Adam Raphael is well-known for his work in this field starting with his first published book of photos. The men in Barely Working are beautiful but the poses do not look 'staged' - in fact the photographer went to great lengths to ensure that didn't happen. Most of the photos are exquisite and the beauty of these pictures is that there is no frontal nudity. Raphael used clothing to enhance the male form and frame it in such a way as to make it even more stunning. By carefully selecting the clothing he projected a different dynamic in the group photos by creating symmetry. The solo pictures are subtle and nuanced and prove yet again that the photographer is a true artist in this medium in the same manner as an artist using traditional paint and oils on a canvas. Clearly this talented artist wanted to show his models in the best possible light and this book demonstrates his skill in this area. Wrenches, lawn mowers, shovels and earth moving equipment never looked so good.
Barely Working is an excellent "coffee table" book that will bring hours of pleasure and I highly recommend it, not only to the photography aficionado but also to anyone who appreciates male beauty.
 Well done and professional looking November 30, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is worth the price. It is something you would not be ashamed of showing anyone. It does showcase some good looking men.
As in a Dream November 24, 2008
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
Raphael, Adam. "Barely Working". Powerhouse Books, 2008.
As In a Dream
Amos Lassen
Adam Raphael is not only a man's photographer; he is a photographer of men. In "Barely Working", he gives us a racially diverse group of exceptional faces and bodies as he captures his models in various situations of work---landscaping, car washing, auto repair, and other occupations but all work and no play makes for dull men so we see the joy and laughter and energy of his youthful models. We get a feel of sexual tension in the photographs and this is probably attributed to Raphael's skill. There are stories behind these dreamy photographs but they are written by he who looks at the artwork that Raphael presents us. The sexuality is imagined as the men do not show us frontal nudity leaving us to fill in the gaps. It is out imagination fueled by the beauty that we see that makes this book so excellent.
The men (models) are physically stunning. The smiles we see brighten each page as the men talk to teach other or party together or do whatever you imagine them to. The coloring and lighting are beautiful and it is the meticulousness of Raphael that makes this book such a delight. There are not just photographs; they are visions of life presented beautifully.
Playng With Beauty October 12, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
For us legions of Adam Raphael fans, it is a very good thing that he is a prolific as well as masterly artist. On the heels of his majestic ROOM SERVICE comes yet another masterwork of male photography, BARELY WORKING. Once again Raphael causes myriad jaws to drop with his skill for capturing some of the handsomest young men alive doing what seemingly comes natural, in this case "laboring." It isn't just the beauty of the models, however, that gives great pleasure; it is also Raphael's meticulous presentation. He is one of the few artists in this field who can actually make his photographic canvas glow with the kind of light Cezanne would have envied. His pictures leap to life and provide a doorway through which the viewer can nearly step through (oh that that were possible!). In this collection Raphael gets a bit more risque than in his previous books with glimpses of male "cleavage,' but it is all in good taste and all in good fun.
This is another one for the ages and one admirers of beauty should snap up IMMEDIATELY.
The Painterly Photographer September 29, 2008
34 out of 37 found this review helpful
Adam Raphael becomes more painterly with every new portfolio of photographs he presents. Beginning with the almost shy 2001 FRIENDS, his photographic portraits of young men whose trust in the artist is obvious, makes the images gentle and casual and very honest. In his 2004 FRIENDS AND BROTHERS, the relationship between the single model and the model grouped, Raphael played with space and suggested poses that never appeared forced but began to offer some commentary between the fresh, young and naturally beautiful young men and the artist. In short, Raphael pushed his space to create not only celebratory images of young men at their zenith of physical development, but he also suggested interplay or dramatic statement. In his 2007 portfolio ROOM SERVICE that drama became more polished as his beautiful men in rooms that echoed histories and stories allowed the viewer to go beyond the initial thought of simply finding vital, naturally handsome youths, to create fantasies. And without pushing the edge of full nudity Raphael found the exotic and, yes, erotic communication between his subject and his audience.
In observing the model at rest, at play, and in repose in the elegant surroundings that suggested a proscenium stage, Adam Raphael developed those skills of telling stories with the camera, and in this newest and in many ways most successful portfolio, BARELY WORKING, his ability to find the visceral humor, the moments of stress and relaxation, and the interaction between the props of the working man and the model that result in paintings that just happen to be made of film, is polished and exemplary. Whether focusing on the grease smears of the boiler room men or the geometrics of the yards of contractors, Raphael finds echoes in his sets that serve as complementary designs with the bare-chested, muscle men of his choosing. These lads continue to follow Raphael's keen eye for the naturally beautiful men, at times observed at work and at times at play, and more often at times with direct eye communication with the artist. But now the composition of each photograph is more sophisticated, flesh tones are excitingly balanced as choices of settings, and color objects create a harmony that while not pulling focus as technique, successfully result in enhancing the chiseled beauty of the models.
Some may wonder why Adam Raphael avoids frontal nudity when the audience is apparently now prepared for that historically prejudiced stance. Perhaps one reason is that Raphael is able, by maintaining elements of garments that enhance the physiques of his very choice models, to communicate more sensual images by taking the viewer just far enough to make the imagination engage. And it is that step, that decision, that engagement, that keeps his art fresh, vital, eternally youthful, and now, painterly beautiful! Grady Harp, September 08
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
