Customer Reviews

Private Moments, Bel Ami

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

PRIVATE MOMENTS is an oversized, beautifully designed portfolio of the art of Howard Roffman. Celebrated in the world of photography for his sensitive and sensuous images of the male figure, Roffman has to this point capitalized on black and white as his palette, but here in this generous book the emphasis is on the magic he can create with color. Far from being the more frequent posed pictures of other artists, more focused on the qualities of capturing form in the variations of light and shadow and dark, Roffman in PRIVATE MOMENTS takes those learned gifts and in transferring his chosen tool to the digital camera is able to present the viewer with some of the most lushly evocative moments of youths living in the moment in dazzling color.

Whether in the lush foliage of gardens, playing fields, and bodies of water or in the wisely selected interiors of homes and other dwellings, Roffman has the good fortune to have at his bidding a number of young healthy lads from Bratislava and Budapest who seem at once oblivious to the camera and at other moments embracing the lens with a combination of youthful innocence and wild physical curiosity. One of the aspects of this collection is, as Roffman proudly states in his brief introduction, that the models 'are straight boys and gay boys, school pals and total strangers, streetwise kids and innocent country lads, shy ones and show-offs, seasoned pros...all young...and gorgeous and oh so giving.' These are the boys of Bel Ami - a phrase that can either be translated as 'beautiful friends' or as the company that focuses so successfully on films of these lads. The manner in which Rothman makes them so appealing is the freshness of his approach. The gestures are full of the joy of being free in nature or in private, of expressing desire, of investigation, and of exploring the youthful libido. PRIVATE MOMENTS, so treasured by these images, become beautifully public in this very fine new book. These are some of the finest spontaneous expressions of the mixed world of passion and exploration - and simply, joy. Grady Harp, September 09

Once again, Bruno Gmunder has produced another gorgeous coffee table book full of beautiful men. Impressive in size, quality, models and of course, photography, Private Moments is a definite winner, and near certain future classic.

With the incredible landscapes and vintage buildings of Eastern Europe as his backdrop, Howard Roffman was surely inspired; Private Moments marks a major departure for the photographer- it's the first time his shots have been seen in color. This change is a good thing too- the colors Roffman captures are incredibly rich, expressing the passion and warmth of the models- not to mention their backgrounds and surroundings. Whether in the lush green outdoors or beautifully dilapidated interiors of buildings (that you can tell were fabulous at one time), Roffman exposes the playfulness of the Bel Ami boys, elevating them in a glow of simple beauty and good times. His pictures have a richness and warmth unusual to this kind of book.

For fans of Roffman, Bel Ami, or beautiful naked men in general, this is a must-own. Printed in an ultra large format (even by Bruno Gmunder standards), the exquisitely produced volume will dominate your coffee table or bookshelf, and most definitely be one you return to again and again...

"The theme of Private Moments is the joy of boyishness, of unrestrained, guilt-free, male-on-male camaraderie, of private same-sex bonding at its most erotic.... All models in Private Moments are immaculately clean-cut, the very essence of wholesomeness, yet wildly erotic, seething with pent-up sexuality....On a scale of one to 10, with one being a wet noodle and 10 being a raging hard-on, I would rate Private Moments a full-blown, stone-cold boner, an 11!" From a review by Ernie Alderete, San Francisco Bay Area Reporter

This is onw of the most tasteful and beautiful male nude art books ever published. The photographs are exquisite and the images are themselves very refined. This book as been excerpted for an 2012 calendar and would also make a wonderful purchase as the pix are in black & white on the calendar. Very worth while.

I am embarrassed I purchased this book.

I am a fan of Bruce Weber's male photography from the 1990s and thought this would be a similar treat.

However, these are photos of young men, most are probably 18-22 years old, shaved off to look -- not very convincingly -- like pubescent boys, in ersatz sexual poses. Sexploitation at its worst. Roffman is nothing but a dirty old man violating the dignity of impoverished young men from Eastern Europe.

Pretty disgusting. Don't waste a considerable amount of money on this disappointing product. Mine went into the garbage.