Category: gay photography

Tintinnabulum

Photographer Unknown, A Tintinnabulum

In ancient Rome, a tintinnabulum was a wind chime or assemblage of bells. It often took the form of a bronze phallic figure with wings, known as a fascinum, which warded off evil and brought good fortune and prosperity. Hung outdoors in locations such as gardens, porticos, houses and shops, the wind would cause the bells to ring. This was believed to be a deterrent against evil spirits. 

The Gray Barrier by the Sea

Photographer Unknown, (The Gray Barrier by the Sea)

“He loved the sea for deep-seated reasons: the hardworking artist’s need for repose, the desire to take shelter from the demanding diversity of phenomena in the bosom of boundless simplicity, a propensity—proscribed and diametrically opposed to his mission in life and for that very reason seductive—a propensity for the unarticulated, the immoderate, the eternal, for nothingness. To repose in perfection is the desire of all those who strive for excellence, and is not nothingness a form of perfection?”
― Thomas Mann, Death in Venice

A Note from Michael Stokes

A Not from Michael Stokes

I appreciate all the love and support through this challenging time. I am not an activist, I am a photographer. It was not my choice to fight a battle of freedom of speech and expression on my Facebook photography page, but certain hate groups have singled me out. Their harassment continues, and I have still not heard from Facebook.

When I was banned last week, Alex Minsky immediately put up his photo in a show of support. Alex and I have been through this before when Facebook “accidentally” removed his photo several times in 2013 – on the far left. Christopher van Etten texted me asking if I needed anything, and BT Urruela tweeted the photo – on the far right. I will never know what it is like to be a soldier who sacrificed for his country, but you three have given me a glimpse of the tenacity, camaraderie and loyalty soldiers must feel for each other while serving.

—Michael Stokes

Walt Whitman: “I Resign Myself to You Also”

Photographer Unknown, “Joseph Sayers”, Date Unknown, Photo Shoot

You sea! I resign myself to you also-
I guess what you mean,
I behold from the beach your crooked fingers,
I believe you refuse to go back without feeling of me.
We must have a turn together,
I undress, hurry me out of sight of the land,
Cushion me soft, rock me billowy drowse,
Dash me with amorous wet, I can repay you.

—Walt Whitman, “Song of Myself”