One of the best things about being a photographer, is learning about other artists who do (and have been doing) great work—work like yours, unlike yours, whatever sparks the imagination and one's visual interest.
It isn't that I wasn't exposed to other men's photography before. I mean, I've had a Tumblr account for basically 6 years going. But actually photographing (as an artistic practice) has certain benefits for expanding one's knowledge of the medium: models share their portfolios, people like/follow your work, you go to galleries, even friends or family can fill you in when they see some shared resonance.
I've thought about doing some special posts here to highlight the artists and models I love. Perhaps that would be something interesting...
Today, I just wanted to share the print above—by British photographer and artist, Ian David Baker. Baker's accolades don't really need my voice added to them: he's been shooting with distinction since before I was born; but his work is thoughtful, impressionistic, even nostalgic in a way that I greatly admire. In 2015, he started a collaboration with Jonathan Anderson which you should check out. The collaboration resulted in, among other things, a limited-edition book. My first exposure to Ian's work actually came through the collaboration, thanks to an article by Dazed. (You put "cult hero of gay photography" in the title, and I'm gonna read it...) I found out Ian had an Instagram quite a bit later, through a mutual follower.
You should know Ian's work, if it's new to you. So I recommend you take a looksie.
The print above? Of the beautiful Alexis? Yeah, I just bought it. Sorry. ;)