High Line Nudes

The images in High Line Nudes bring back the High Line of old -- before the crowds and the landscaped park -- glimpses of nature amid the ruins and beautiful male nudes echoing the not-so-hidden sexual sub-culture of the old Meatpacking District and the piers just beyond. The photographs vary from sublime to cocky - as the cover photo so forwardly attests. If you appreciate the High Line today -- and remember or wish you might have experienced -- the High Line of yesterday -- you will certainly appreciate this collection.

Even if you don’t already own a copy of one of Photographer Kevin McDermott’s previous two beautiful books of Male Nudes — i.e. “Motel | Hotel” and “Virgin Island” — you are going to love this one. I was lucky enough to get my copy of “High Line Nudes” yesterday, and I’ve been admiring this stunner of a book ever since laying my eyes on its very first page. My copy (one of the signed Limited Edition Slipcase, with Print) is meticulously bound and consists of rich, beautifully toned black and white, and colour, images. Photo books rarely exist with this sort of quality, and I am happy to say that my money has been well spent. The book was printed in Italy. Perhaps they really know what they are doing, there! This time, Kevin isn’t working with Todd Sanfield, the sculpted beauty who graced the pages of both “Motel | Hotel” and “Virgin Island.” Those books were equally as high-class as this new book, with page after page of perfectly lit shots of Todd and his curves, being sexy to the point of no return (**wink wink**)… and somehow, not one photograph in either book ever comes across as “dirty.” Kevin’s photos are scorchingly hot, but they are so technically beautiful (and lovingly composed) that they reach a level of Art in the same way that the iconic Bruce Weber presented his nudes over the past few decades. “High Line Nudes” seems more personal, somehow… and there is a sense of nostalgia when you consider this collection as a whole. There are only three models — Kevin’s buddies — who posed for him back in 2006, before the High Line became the tourist attraction that it is, today. The guys have handsome, athletic bodies that stand out against the overgrown grass and wildflowers that had bloomed up in the High Line back in the days when the entire area was thought of more as a gay cruising zone than anything else. And when you add the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline with its towering Architecture, the photos really come alive, in a dreamy (almost surreal) way. At first, there might seem to be something “odd” about full-frontal male nudes in this location, but by the time you’ve leafed through the whole book, there is a sense of sweetness that you feel (at least, I did) and you feel like you have had a peek into a place that no longer exists as it once was. Perhaps I’m overstating my love of “High Line Nudes”… but I cannot stress enough that, if you are a collector of Fine Art Photography books of Male Nudes, then you’d better grab a copy of this one before it sells out. It is limited edition, and it’s going to remain in high demand, after sellout, the same way that “Motel | Hotel” was a few years back! (I have friends who’d kill for a copy of that book but it is now a sold out Collector’s item.) Summing up: Sexy, lush, beautifully presented book. (Did I mention sexy?) My opinion: Kevin McDermott remains perhaps the classiest act working in Male Nude Photography. Enjoy! -Bruce- -Ottawa CANADA-

A total of three men featured. Two with and one without genitals displayed. Nice but uninteresting photography. I would never have guessed that a book with the title, High Line Nudes, would have only a total of three men featured.

This book has the best ingredient but is not well cooked. The models are the ideal Adonis that can really make this something to remember. The first model photos seems to be done in a rush. The location looks the same just as the natural light. Feels like the shoot is all in one setting. The facial expression is platonic. The post lack creativity. The use of location is uninspiring. The second model is the worst. The absence of any full frontal makes this sequence feels out of place. The locations somehow dissolve in the background. The model though is the most interesting looking. The last model photos are the saving grace. Good use of location. The model post and expression seem to connect well with the environment. The biggest drawback I feel is the lack of any hard on the full frontal to compliment the jacked up and vascular physiques which negates the glory of male nude.Look platonic.Not sensual in an artistic way.

“High Line Nudes” is a beautiful work of art, New York City history and incredibly handsome (yes nude!) men. In his new book, photographer Kevin McDermott captures a feral period of the High Line before the art galleries, condos, office towers and the Whitney formed its boundaries, the landscape architects cultivated its meadows, and tourists walked along its rails. Photographed not long before the High Line was redeveloped into the popular people watching promenade that it has become, the images in “High Line Nudes” open a window into a more carnal world that for many years occupied that space. The men of “High Line Nudes” embody the souls of the men who might have been be found cruising the once derelict and abandoned elevated rail line. Some of those men were bold and brazen. Some looked to lose their innocence. Still others sought a more spiritual connection in the grass and among the wild flowers. The wonderfully natural and expressive men in McDermott’s photographs give life to a part of New York City history lost to the fast changing face of its Chelsea neighborhood. Although the men of “High Line Nudes” are the book’s focus, McDermott demonstrates his no less amazing eye for nature and landscapes. The unkempt, raw and rough beauty of the undeveloped High Line shines in McDermott’s hands. The draw of that beauty and its mystery surely must have been irresistible. You’ll want to buy two copies of “High Line Nudes” -- one of which to be the most popular book on your coffee table and the other of which to be keep in pristine condition in your photography collection.

Kevin McDermott's latest book "High Line Nudes" is a rich sexy trip down memory lane, showing the High Line area before its recent gentrification. The decaying architecture, strewn rubble & over grown foliage make for an unique and lush backdrop to the virile ruggedly handsome men McDermott photographs. The full frontal images are unashamed in their boldness, much like the High Line itself. Even if you have never been to the High Line McDermott evokes a real sense of nostalgia in his images leaving this viewer wistful for times past and just a little horny.