February 2024
By Chris Chi
Sharing stories about us
Hello beautiful people,
I spent 10 days in Berlin. My friend Joey kindly hosted me. He said, “come to visit, stay as long as you want”. I was desperately hoping to be with friends. Somehow I knew they would offer some much needed comfort. It’s my first trip after my husband passed away. I miss him terribly every day. Somehow I am trying to learn to accept the co-existence of good and the bad times in life. One morning, I broke down at Joey’s place. He held me. I was crying and told him, “I hate it. I fucking hate that he’s gone.” Joey said “I know.” That’s it. The exact words I needed to hear. I carried on, went out and did my photoshoots as planned. Perhaps I will be ok, perhaps not. We will see. But now it’s good to have people around.
GETTING NAKED
(Keiu in Berlin, 02/2024)
I met Keifu for the first time at a BBQ party at the Mauerpark in Berlin last summer. He is Korean, just like my good friend Oliver who invited me. Like all Asians, we are a bit shy in front of strangers. We didn’t talk that much. Oliver told me that they went to the WHOLE festival together and had a great time. This time, before I went to Berlin, I contacted Oliver for Keiu’s contact because I wanted to photograph him. He said “yes, if it’s not very sexual.”
When the day came, I went to this place. I said I was a bit hungry, so he made me some Korean dumplings before the photoshoot. I took time eating them and having small talks with Keiu. He said he still couldn’t understand why I chose him. “Why not?” I said. “Because I am so different from your normal models.” “So? You look great and you will look great on photos.” He’s obviously a bit shy and nervous.
It’s his first time to get naked in front of the camera. He told me that he even doesn’t feel comfortable being naked in front of other people. We are both Asian, so I can relate to that statement. Nudity is very private and personal. There is this internalized shame about being naked. We hide our bodies from others and even from ourselves.
I took some photos first of him in sweatpants, later when I asked him to get undressed fully. He was shocked! He said “let me smoke some cigarettes and that might calm my nerve down.” “Go ahead, take your time.” Keiu looked great. He has a very fit body. His thin figure gives him elegance, and his muscles reveal strength. The light was soft. We didn’t have a lot of light as a matter of fact, but that’s enough. The light fell on his body, creating contrast between highlight and dark. I simply had a very good feeling about this photoshoot.
There’s a mirror in his room. I found it very symbolic. Sometimes, we don’t want to face the truth and the reality. We don’t bring ourselves to look at the images of us in the mirror. I wanted to tell Keiu, “Turn that mirror around and look at you! Be proud!”
Eventually, we took more photos in his bed. At the end, he felt great. So did I.
New Tale of Men Zines – 1 week to go
We have reached the stretch goal! It means the Sex Zine will be published together with the latest Tale of Men zine issue 14 & 15. I am very excited! This zine is a collective work, with sex stories contributed by the followers and photo series of invited photographers. I think you will be amazed! The kickstarter campaign ends on 29/02. Still get a few days to grab yours!
Now all issues & the sex zine are available for pre-order on kickstarter. If you have already chosen a reward, you can adjust on kickstarter to include the sex zine!
Click here: kickstarter campaign
Berlin Trip
I had a blast in Berlin thanks to the models I met and my friends. Joey, aka, the famous creamteam, offered me his place to stay. It’s the 3rd time that I stayed there. This time, it felt more like home than ever. I didn’t know I needed this escape from Brussels so bad until I was there.
Berlin, in February, was grey. I was not bothered too much by it though, as I kept myself as busy as possible. In the end, I did 16 photoshoots and used 80 film rolls. I managed to meet a few friends and get to hang out with them. On Friday evening, some models and friends came over to Joey’s place and we spent a great evening catching up.
I felt blessed, being able to do what I do, not alone at this difficult time. On Valentine’s I met Christophe. We had dinner at an Asian tapas restaurant. Me, being an Asian, laughed about the combination of “Asian” + “Tapas”. How ridiculous is that! But we did have a good time, without chocolate and flowers. Instead, we went to see the saddest movie ever, “All of us, strangers”. Oh boy! Did I cry! It felt so relatable, especially to people who have experiences lost of beloved ones. Christophe held me in his arms after the movie ended. It was raining outside. I knew I had to live with all these emotions from now on, but as long as I am not alone, it’s going to be ok.
Here are some cute photos of some of the boys I have photographed. I would love to post all of them here, but I am still scanning their photos. You will get to know them soon. Thanks to them, I was able to capture a bit of everything, from passionate mélange à trois to sensual atmospheres, exploring light, body and emotions. These photos do not only reflect a part of the boys, but also a part of me, this vulnerable and sensitive man behind the lens. Thanks to them, I felt something precious.
QUESTIONS ON TALEOFMEN
I asked people to ask any question about taleofmen on instagram. In the end, I got some really good questions. They provide a kind of insight about the project and me as a photographer. Here is a selection of questions:
FEATURED ARTIST: Guy Nechmad stern
Dreamy photos by Guynechmadstern
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