Saturday, May 4, 2013

Cue the Yoga: Austin by Joe Mazza


'Your body will be vigorously encouraged, your mind will be lovingly pushed and your heart just might expand. . . that part is up to you!'


When viewing this set of images of Austin, the first word that came to mind was flow. I always feel that flow in when spending time with the work of photographer Joe Mazza. There is a feeling of being quietly, but intently, drawn in and gently pulled along. Never jarring or confusing, which for some reason seems to be the goal of some photographers today. Joe's fascination to see, and and his ability to explore, the story behind the eyes of his subjects, leads to a deep connection between artist and subject that radiates through all of his work.


Besides connection, the flow seen in this set, equally stems from Austin's ability to use his body and movement to create unique and beautiful poses. Some of this comes from his passion for yoga, a discipline that also has a focus on flow and connection. Using yoga to both relax, and more importantly connect with emotion, Austin expresses a confidence within his work that is both appealing and incredibly sexy.


'Austin is amazing to work with! Very spiritual and spontaneous; he's a total professional, often looking at the photos we took to see how he could tweak his poses to make them better. I adore him as a person and love working with him.'


As visually stunning as Austin's body and poses are, Joe's images also draw you strongly to Austin's eyes. The connection between mind, body and spirit all come together within his hazel eyes to add a level of emotion, and almost an insistence, that the viewer look and experience something beyond, only the physical.




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