Bites [Hardcover]

Giovanni (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2005

In a book some consider long overdue, man's "best part" finds photographic appreciation. A monument in 112 pages of pure carnal desire with close-up photos of HIM in color, black and white, unadorned, untamed and direct. Simply put, an homage to the penis in open, multi-faceted photography.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Giovanni is the alias of a well-known photographer who works in the fashion industry and has been photographing male nudes for many years with great success. Most of us will know his pictures without perhaps knowing the photographer. Giovanni has been able to capture many famous models for this book.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Bruno Gmunder Verlag Gmbh (May 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3861876965
• ISBN-13: 978-3861876960
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,611,972 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Manou, July 9, 2005

By 

Manou "Manou" (New York, New York USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bites (Hardcover)

This small format book is an excellent work. The photographer, who normally makes his living shooting fashion in Europe and the US, was frustrated with the focus on quick, relatively thoughtless production values in fashion photography. He decided to create a body of work that allowed him to explore his creativity, while taking the time to photograph his subjects in a manner that would be uneconomic in his usual work. He was also looking to focus on the homoerotic. He began to photograph models in the nude, focusing in various respects on their bodies and in particular their "bites" (French slang that roughly translates to "dick"), but without showing their faces. This book displays the best of the works of his project. The subjects are beautiful; most are muscular and the photography really shows off their assets. They are shown in a variety of settings -- on beds, in the shower, otherwise fully clothed but with their "bites" exposed, laying about -- but always artfully. That the photographer has chosen to show his subjects bodies without their faces creates an air of erotic mystery. Although I highly recommend this work, you should be cautioned that it is not necessarily a coffee table art book for every avant guarde home. Here, art borders on pornography. The final shot, in fact, shows a torso covered in semen. But if you enjoy that genre, you will love this book.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo to Courage!, August 23, 2005

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bites (Hardcover)

Giovanni deserves accolades for taking on a book subject that has been neglected since Grecian times - the male phallus! While multiple photographers have approached the male nude with complete success and have included full frontal nudity, Giovanni makes the focal point of each of his photographs the phallus itself. He is more successful in his black and white photographs where he can heighten the lighting effects and the mystery of his subject. When he includes a bit of clothing or drapery, the result is all the more effective. His color photographs appear a bit mundane and graphic as opposed to sensual.

For this reviewer the cover photograph for the book (two nude males facing each other, 'crossing swords' as it were) is detrimental to the content. For one, the image does not appear on this site. And for another, for people who fear guilt by association, picking up this frank photo on the cover will probably not support sales. And that is unfortunate, because what Giovanni has accomplished is a brave step in the right direction of replacing the maleness back into art! Grady Harp, August 05

34 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Two heads needed!, September 3, 2005

By 

Tristan (The Lion City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bites (Hardcover)

I feel I must stress this point to interested buyers - more than 90% of photos are faceless, trimmed at the chin or neck. Those with partial faces are deliberately angled or off-focused. Technical brilliance aside, for me it just did not work. Many of the photos, in my opinion, are 'rip-offs' of Mapplethorpe and Quiroz. It's like watching the frame by frame reshoot of 'Psycho'by Gus Van Sant. Paying homage is one thing, being inspired is another, but when an image is almost identical - it's rather lame.Nothing confrontational or visually feral here, the front and back covers might just be the two best attempts. Don't waste your money.