Marlen's Room: Behind the Curtain of Boro's Boudoir

I feel more than blessed to have found the work of photographer Marlen Boro at the beginning of the year. Each week since then, myself and the readers of FH have been granted access to Marlen's work with some of the most incredible shots of some of the hottest models. The Gentlemen of Marlen Boro has not just become a regular and popular part of FH, Marlen has become someone I have grown to truly admire and respect. There is no pretense about Marlen's work. It is, in his own words, sexy, playful, witty, sometimes intense and most of all fun.

This week Marlen shares with FH thoughts on his work, losing models to the big cities, the industry in general and his new project, Male Boudoir. In an industry often based on repetition (much in the form of flattery), finding a new way to present the male form is not an easy task. Having worked closely with Marlen on many features the past six months I am keenly aware of how much work and the immense patience that went into deciding on just the right direction to take his talents. Check out the new site for yourself and I am sure you will agree that he has found that new way!



FH: When I contact a photographer about a feature it is usually because one particular photo grabbed me. With You it was Dominic and his amazing butt standing at the bathroom sink. Curious as if you were surprised at what shot in your port stood out to me?

Of course - but I’ve come to realize and appreciate that we each respond to different images.

FH: Were you familiar with blogs/sites like FH before my email. Had you reached out to any?

Absolutely familiar - but no, I hadn’t contacted anybody yet. I remember excitedly telling Cory (my husband) about your initial email and his response: “Umm... I’ve been bugging you for how long to submit your work??”




FH: Once we began a weekly feature the first person showcased was Moretti. Moretti has such sexuality literally bursting out of the images. Is this ‘energy’ something that is present during the shooting or is it something you bring out?

Cory assures me that it’s something I help my models and clients tap into.


FH: Now when I think of the world of male models and photographers I don’t instantly think of North Dakota. In fact I think you were the first from that area whom I featured on FH. What is the scene like there, is there much competition, model selection, opportunities.

I was raised in North Dakota, but Minnesota is home - and the men here are gorgeous. I’d say there’s a friendly rivalry among the photographers who focus on men - we each have really different styles.


FH: Marlen, I know you invest in those you work with. What is the best and the worst part of being invested in those you work with?

Best #1 - becoming friends with so many interesting (and hot!) guys. Best #2 - the images - it’s not just camera settings and stock poses - my models and clients know that I care about them as people - and I think it shows in the authenticity of the images.



FH: Given you’re in North Dakota I am aware at some point the models you work with obtaining some sort of success eventually move to New York or LA. What is this like for a photographer, especially one involved in some of the crucial beginning stages?

Regardless of whether they find commercial success or not, I love seeing new models grow into their own skin and learn to work their magic with the camera.


FH: It is interesting to me that big agencies often try to erase a models local past and give them a new name and ‘act’ like they discovered them off the bus in NY or Miami. Truth be told it is the work done locally that usually gets their attention. Have you ever had an issue with an agency trying to ‘bury’ a models earlier local work with you?

Of course - but I really don’t care anymore. Modeling agencies have a job to do - and here in Minnesota that’s landing paying gigs for Target and Best Buy. So scrubbing portfolios is part of what they do.


Above: Stefan

FH: So, I know you have another job, one of those jobs which requires a suit, briefcase and tie. How, why and when does the fact you spend much of your time shooting hot guys come up in casual conversation around the photocopier?

My legal clients quickly become friends and my male boudoir work usually comes up when we talk about photography (most of my clients are other photographers). Most folks are pretty shocked - especially considering how unapologetically sexual many of the images are.


FH: Speaking of shooting hot guys, is it hard for your husband when he knows the next 4 or 5 hours of your day is going to be spent with one or even two great looking naked men?

Cory’s my biggest fan and source of encouragement. And as much as I care about photography or any of my clients/models, none of that matters compared to him - and he knows it. Do I get sympathy from him if it’s been a long day of photographing hot guys? Never. ;)



FH: On the subject of naked men (and it is a great subject) curious as to whether there is an unplanned or embarrassing moment that stands out most to you while in the middle of a shoot?

So... when everything just magically comes together - the light, the pose, the expression - sometimes I laugh with glee. The first time I caught myself laughing, the model was buck naked - understandably, he didn’t realize that my laughter was a compliment. (so now I mention it before each shoot)



FH: Some photographers use digital magic to make pecs look harder, penis’ look longer and thighs look leaner. How do you feel about using this technology to change the appearance of a shot or a model?

I use it - but hopefully you can’t tell when/where - it’s not integral to my style, but it can be tremendously helpful to an image - especially with my boudoir clients -not everybody has a perfectly flat stomach.


FH: Speaking of other photographers, who are your inspirations and why?

Apart from the obvious (Maplethorpe, Tom Bianchi, Rick Day, [insert 30+ other amazing photographers that you frequently feature and I follow them all], it’s Anna Kuperberg - she’s an amazing wedding photographer (and adorable lesbian!) from the Bay Area - she has this rare ability to capture both architectural beauty and genuine emotion. And John Waters - he’s not really a photographer, but I love his unapologetic uniqueness and his naughty sense of humor.

FH: When I profile a shoot from Marlen Boro I usually end up with a wee crush on the model by the time the profile is ready to post. Even if the photos don’t instantly jump out at me, communicating with the model, getting to know them beyond the photos often has me looking at the shots differently. Has this happened with you?

Of course - most of the guys I work with are amazing, interesting individuals - and I always appreciate how your blog postings help introduce these guys more fully!


Above: Trench

FH: Has there ever been a model you really loved, who was very hot who was just not able to transfer that ‘in person’ heat onto film?

Thankfully no - although there are models who have a difficult time believing they are hot. Jesse, for example, still can’t accept/believe that he’s stunning.
That said, I think this goes back to your Moretti question - and it’s a function of my philosophy background. I don’t believe there’s some metaphysical, ultimate beauty that we as artists should strive to replicate. I work to find each man’s unique sexiness - the poses and facial expressions that work best for him - and help him learn how to show that to the camera (and hopefully also in life).


FH: Do you have a favorite shoot? A favorite idea that turned out better than you had envisioned?

My favorite shoot is the Swan Song - the goodbye to my old condo - an amazing day spent with two of my favorite collaborators - creating and capturing these moments of raw sexuality. Happiest surprise? It’s a tie between the pink panties that Moretti wore and the red rhinestones which crowned Max Dennis’s penis.


Above: Andy and Trench from Swan Song

FH: Most of the famous photographers of the male form make their living with books, calendars, the odd selling of a print. In NY and LA they can make money shooting headshots for agencies. How does one in ND make sure they are not going to go broke following their passion? Gentlemen of Marlen Boro was really meant to be an 18 month calendar BTW!

By practicing law part-time. In all seriousness, I love being a lawyer and I have amazing clients - so now I have the best of both worlds with my hybrid career.


Above and Below: Jack & Jesse





FH: Tell me about your new focus and your new site. Where did the idea come from?

My new site is MaleBoudoir.com and my focus is on custom “boudoir” photoshoots for men. Women have been doing these boudoir shoots for years - frequently as a wedding present for a fiance or a “I’m still sexy at 40” shoot of self-celebration. I provide these shoots for men - so whether it’s a gift for a partner/spouse, a reward to celebrate a fitness milestone, or a “I won’t be in my early-40s forever” - that’s where I come in.

My mentor, Verna, and Cory have each been bugging me for years to explore this idea more fully - but things gelled this spring when I attended a workshop by Critsey Rowe of CoutureBoudoir.com - she’s amazing - she flies around the US (and Europe!) doing these stunning boudoir photoshoots with lovely ladies.

Critsey looked through my work and told me I was thinking too narrowly by focusing on Minnesota - that I needed to think bigger - go national.

And in reworking my site, it also led to a realization - I don’t want to be a fashion photographer - I no longer want to be “the Rick Day of the Midwest” (even though I do adore his work) - I don’t care if I ever get published in DNA magazine. My strength lies in relishing the diversity of men and tailoring each shoot to my client’s physique and his personality - and then capture images of remarkable candor and sexiness - and that’s what I intend to be known for.
I explain it more on MaleBoudoir.com - you’ve worked out for years and spent how much money and time to create this body - and then what? Hire a local photographer who usually shoots women, uses soft lighting and teasing/forced poses? Look back in 20 years at all these keen iPhone photos of you posing in front of the bathroom mirror? You deserve better.


FH: Where are you hoping the site might take you?

Frankly, everywhere across the country (and Europe!), working with men who realize that it’s time to celebrate themselves.



FH: So the phone rings and it’s an agency requesting you do some nudes of three of their hottest models. Which 3 models you have never shot would you hope they might be?

Mark Wahlberg, Francois Sagat and either Mark Salling (Puckerman) or Darren Criss (Blaine) from Glee (better yet, both of them together...)

John by Marlen Boro

In White:
John by Marlen Boro



This week's Gentlemen of Marlen Boro is heavy on hot shots and light on text. These incredible shots are from a couple of years ago (back in the magical setting that first drew me to Marlen's work). I love this set of shots, especially Marlen's use of light along with the hardwood. Lately I find myself drawn more to darker shots. Unfortunately John wasn't interested in seriously pursuing modeling, but thanks to Marlen Boro, these moments with John have been beautifully captured in time.



Check out more Marlen Boro:
Marlen Boro Official site:
Gentlemen of Marlen Boro on Facebook:

Watched!: Alexar by Marlen Boro

'Marlen’s photography reflects his lifelong quirky sense of humor and impossible-to-squelch delight in the world. He is masterful at bringing out not only sultry shadows and the astonishing beauty of the male body, but also genuine smiles, infectious smirks, spontaneous grins, and other moments of unguarded authenticity.'
MarlonBoro.com



'Be prepared to feel sexy'
Marlen Boro

This is the vow Marlen Boro makes to those who step in front of his camera. I have yet to see a shoot from Marlen where he does not deliver on this promise in spades. One might argue that with the ultra hot Alexar the task would be easy, but being comfortable in front of the camera does not always come as naturally to everyone as it does with Alexar.



Whenever I see a Marlen Boro shoot I usually see a fair amount of 'genuine smiles, infectious smirks, spontaneous grins, and other moments of unguarded authenticity', and can see no greater example than Marlen's work with Alexar.

Alexar says that his experience with Marlen was great, 'Super friendly guy, he made me laugh a lot'. Alexar reports it was very relaxed and full of conversation. Alexar also adds that he extremely comfortable being naked anyway, loves attention and loves being watched. Alexar's love of being watched will be taken full advantage of by Marlen who has some big plans. Marlen says can't wait to work with Alexar again and promises to show much more! Alexar's love of being watched, his comfortability in front of the camera, his contagious grin (and come on, phenomenal butt) make that a promise I am going to hold Marlen to!



In working on numerous profiles featuring Marlen's work, his skill and ability at putting models at ease, at feeling relaxed and confident is consistently mentioned. All the models I have communicated with speak highly of their experience, both with the resulting photos and with the overall experience of shooting with Marlen itself.

This is a big reason I so love showcasing Marlen's work. Besides of course producing great shots, Marlen makes the feelings of his models not just a part of the process but a core and essential part of his photography. Marlen tries not just to capture, but to bring out something, possibly something hidden, buried, maybe even something about the model they themselves had not yet discovered.



Be sure to check out:
Marlen Boro Official site:
Gentlemen of Marlen Boro on Facebook:

Modest Exposure: Jesse Griffith by Marlen Boro

Behind The Mask:
Jesse Griffith by Marlen Boro:


'The desire to be a part of something creative or interesting always out ways the fear of being exposed.'
Jesse Griffith



In last week's Gentlemen of Marlen Boro readers were introduced to goatboy, model Jesse Griffith and his powerful and erotic goat mask. The mask, along with all those pictured in this feature, were created and hand made by Jesse.



Masks have traditionally served many purposes. From tribal ceremonies through performance art, Masks have had magical transforming powers. In North America masks are most commonly used for disguise. For children and adults, Halloween masks are an opportunity to become someone else, for criminals, they can be a way to keep their identities hidden from their victims. Masks are also used as protection, in sports and in battle the mask is used to protect the face from harm.



I know that you cannot judge a book by it's cover..yet...I still sometimes need a reminder. I have spent a lot of time over the past few months engrossed in the work of Marlen Boro. Marlen has been phenomenally kind to share with me. Some of his most creative shoots, some of his most fantastic, bizarre, erotic and explicit shots have included Jesse. With Jesse's facial structure both strong and expressive, his incredibly fit (not to mention hot) body, I wrongly made the assumption Jesse must be comfortable in front of the camera, in being naked, with being exposed. When I asked Jesse about the mask and it's purpose I was surprised by his response.

'I'm super shy but I fake it pretty well... It was a little easier posing with the mask. Props of any kind make it feel more like performance or acting to me and that makes me less self conscious. I can think of several runway shows I've been in where I was out there in front of everybody for an eternity wearing something outlandish, or very little at all, and really could have used a mask to hide behind!

Mom and dad took us to a lot of dinner parties functions when I was little; I was definitely the one hiding behind their legs when the children were introduced. I got into acting partly because i wanted to tell stories but mostly because I was afraid of public speaking.'



'I grew up in Hudson Valley New York. My accent is a mix I'm very glad you can't hear it! Dad is a philosopher. Mom is a librarian, and a badass. They're wonderful, brilliant people; I've been trying to live up to them my whole life. In 1995 I moved to St. Paul to study Art and Geology. I spent a semester abroad in Scotland, interned at Columbia University, and graduated with an Art BA from Macalester College in 1999. I served as apprentice in the Macalester Art Department the following year, then moved back to New York and started freelancing.'



Besides acting and modeling, as you can tell from the masks, Jesse is an artist. Besides the masks, Jesse works and expresses himself with a variety of other artist mediums, my favorite being his paintings. On his website Clever Monkey City, Jesse shares a large sampling of his work.

'Clever Monkey is me, and a reference to human origin (intelligence according to many is the trait that separates us from the monkeys). The website, which has undergone several incarnations and is due for a new one that will include film clips and modeling links, was envisioned as a hub linking different aspects of my art - personal, professional, various styles and media, around the homepage. It has a kind of architecture. Like a city. Hence: Clever Monkey City'




'I think my art is more about the things I'm reacting to (many) than it is about me. It is not all about me, I think that's a kind of vanity. There are things I would like people to see though. I would like them to say I'm good at what I do, that I've tested myself and pushed my own boundaries. That I've looked into some tough questions and come out with meaningful work.'



Jesse said that modeling was something else he was afraid of but...after the third of forth time of being asked by people on sets or on shows to shoot he knew the fear had to be faced.

'Marlen is someone I trust, both as a friend and an artist. Shooting with him does get me into situations I would definitely walk away from with anybody else behind the camera. At the shoot itself, the desire to be a part of something creative or interesting always out ways the fear of being exposed. It's only when the work is done and up on screen or in front of your viewers that I start getting nervous.

It is the creativity that leads me to do more than standard type shoots. The second you do something that has been done it's just stock photography and not art. I think we both hate photographic cliches; he knows them all and we either try to avoid them entirely or spin things in some way to make them his. We both like odd props, silly or provocative ideas, and are happier 'out there.' I know at the end of the day he's going to make me look better than I do and more often than not the shots I was nervous about look amazing.

In my shots with Marlen, I really hope people see something funny, or sexy, or beautiful, or all of those at once (Marlen can do that!) and that I have enough of those elements in me to be a worthy subject for his lens.'



Although the goat mask was off for the second part of Marlen's most recent work with Jesse, it did not go unnoticed by me that another form of disguise and deflection was present. The tattoo becomes the focus, possibly again as a prop for comfortability. For Marlen though, the tattoo's purpose was not to cover but to remind.

'Back in the late 90s when we used to go clubbing and have fun with ecstasy and such -I used to use color-stay eyeliner to draw Asian-inspired tattoos on myself. So I've always meant to play around with that again. Those were such amazing days - seeing Fatboy Slim in intimate venues - Paul Oakenfold - Fantastic Plastic Machine. Fantastic Plastic performed at First Avenue here in Minneapolis and played this amazing techno remix of Michael Jackson - I still remember how amazingly gleeful we all were when it came on - and I've never heard that song again. Sometimes that how it should be.'
Marlen Boro

Marlen put together an all new slide show featuring more of his work with Jesse! Do yourself a favor and check it out HERE: Be sure to crank your speakers!



Be sure to check out:
Marlen Boro Official site:
Gentlemen of Marlen Boro on Facebook:
Jesse Griffith on ModelMayhem:

Goat Boy: by Marlen Boro

There are many animals which have taken on sexy or erotic persona's, one of the most famous examples being The Playboy Bunny. Horses, and riding them have played a role in many sexual fantasies. Words that describe animal behavior are often connected to sex, words like wild, ferocious and beast to name just a few.

Then of course there are goats. Goats, like most animals from the farm are usually more associated with Disney Land than fantasy land. That is of course before they get in front of Marlen Boro's lens.



'Checking out Marlen's site Gentlemen Photography, is like being in the middle of an erotic theme park with light and colors and an intensity which make it difficult to know where to look first. Like being at Disney your surrounded by excitement where deciding where to start is hard choice. Marlen's work is erotic, sensual with a sense of fun made up of conceptual shoots where guys are not just posing, but playing strip twister, wearing hello kitty underwear and covered in glitter.'

I wrote the statement above in one of my first profiles of Marlen's work. This erotic theme park Marlen has created is full of many themes and many symbols usually only associated with attractions traditionally more family friendly.



Doing a little research on the 'the goat' I was a bit surprised to find out there are indeed some erotic theme's associated with the long horned mammal. In addition to being extremely curious and intelligent they are intensely inquisitive and with their upper lip and tongue will explore anything new or unfamiliar. Intact males are also known as as bucks or billies. Bucks are willing and capable of breeding at all times of the year. Bucks also are likely to charge or butt at humans out of fear or sometimes for no particular reason at all.



There is another goatboy besides the one grazing in front of Marlen Boro's window. In Greek mythology there is Pan. Pan is the God of shepherds and flocks, of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music. Pan is famous for his sexual powers, and is often depicted with a phallus. Diogenes of Sinope, speaking in jest, related a myth of Pan learning masturbation from his father, Hermes, and teaching the habit to shepherds.

Pan has also been featured twice before on FH portrayed on stage by two of my favorite actors, Nick Adams & Jonathan D. Lovitiz.



Marlen said he was inspired to work with a mask by Sylvain Norget's Naked Rabbit Project. Marlen chatted with Jesse, one of his favorite collaborators, and it all began to come together. Jesse went to work and made the mask by hand himself.

'Its plaster gauze over a cardboard base. I'm not sure its what Marlen envisioned but I think we both agree it turned out well. Its always fun to imagine projects with Marlen and even more satisfying when they take shape. You have to be careful what you say though; any idea is fair game and Marlen has a habit of grabbing the silliest sounding ideas and holding you to them... Twister, 2 dollar pink bunny ears...'



I wondered how the mask turned into that of a goat. Jesse says he and Marlen thought of several animals for the shoot before deciding on a goat.

'Eagle was a strong candidate (I saw a Halloween costume in San Francisco that was hilarious and thought would mesh with Marlen's great sense of humor). Ultimately, we settled on a goat because of that animal's licentious reputation and the erotic overtones of Marlen's work. And...because horns look cool lol!'

Be sure to check out:
Marlen Boro Official site:
Gentlemen of Marlen Boro on Facebook:

& check back next week to find out more about Jesse, the man behind the mask!