Close-up: Art vs Porn

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Mizer

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Both Sides of the Camera

Today we’re looking at physique models who eventually stepped behind the camera themselves. It’s the same kind of shift you see in other art forms too — actors becoming directors or dancers becoming choreographers — where working closely with a master sometimes sparks the next generation to try shaping the picture in their own way.

1. Ritter Brothers by *George Platt Lynes (see post April 21-Lynes)

Like many other disciplines, physique photographers often started as apprentices—modeling for another photographer before stepping out on their own.

2. Ritter Brothers; Fred (L) and William (R)

The Ritter Brothers, Fred and William, posed for George Platt Lynes (1907–1955) before making images themselves in the 1930s—shooting male nudes from their gym, including each other, and selling them for a profit.

3. Fred Ritter

4. William Ritter

5. Bill Hillgardner by the Ritter Brothers

Bob Mizer (1922–1992) modeled for Frederick Kovert in his Hollywood studio before launching the Athletic Model Guild and Physique Pictorial, moving into both photography and film, while also building a respected commercial career beyond physique work.

6. *Bob Mizer (see post April 25-Mizer) by *Frederick Kovert (see post April 16-Kovert)

7. Jim Paris by Bob Mizer

Joe Tiffenbach (1923–1992) modeled for Ralph Kelly, Bob Mizer, Dave Martin, and Bruce of L.A. before turning to his own photography and later gay adult film work.

8. Joe Tiffenbach by Unknown Photographer (possibly Ralph Kelly)

9. Chad Johnson by Joe Tiffenbach

David Hurles (1944–2023), aka Old Reliable, modeled for Guild Press, was mentored for decades by Mizer, and later created his own raw, unmistakable body of work—often photographing and filming himself with rougher, unpredictable models who became part of his signature style.

10. David Hurles by Unknown Photographer

11. Champ by David Hurles aka Old Reliable

Like most underground movements, the record is incomplete—names lost, identities blurred, artifacts destroyed—but it’s hard not to imagine there were many more who made that same move from subject to creator.  These are just a few examples, but I hope to discover more apprentices who know both sides of the camera.

Feedback?

Does anyone have solid resources for tracking the history of the Ritter Brothers? And I know of a few more examples in vintage gay porn e.g. Al Parker and Jeff Stryker, but if you have other earlier examples, please send them my way.

Kovert

I generally focus on models—but I’m making another exception here. Frederick Kovert (1893–1949) worked on both sides of the camera. He didn’t pose nude, but he exposed himself in other ways—through drag, film, and photography—pushing at gender and sexual norms.

1. Unknown Models (locking arms)

2. Frederick Kovert (in makeup)

I see him as a key link between later homoerotic artists like Paul Cadmus and George Quaintance and the rise of physique photography.

3. Unknown Model (left hand in fist)

4. Larry Carr (flexed pecs)

5. Jimmy Lewis (thanks Boz!!)

Kovert moved through early Hollywood as a silent film actor, makeup artist, and costume designer (The Wizard of Oz, 1925—pre-Hays Code). Then he turns to photographing the male nude—not just as study, but as something meant to be desired. He worked under different names—Ko Vert, Kovert of Hollywood—a trend later picked up by photographers like Lon of New York and Bruce of L.A. 

6. Unknown Model (sitting on shiny draped bench)

7. Unkown Model (seated hirsute)

8. Unknown Model (backside on plinth)

Like many who came after him, his studio was raided and his work labeled obscene. Bob Mizer apprenticed under him before launching the Athletic Model Guild and Physique Pictorial. Kovert sits at an interesting moment in history—right where a number of fields with strong gay influence were starting to take shape. If you follow the threads—physique photography, film, dance, theatre, bodybuilding, drag, even early gay porn—you’ll keep bumping into him along the way.

9. Unknown Model (column, sword, and wood)

10. Unknown Model (dip on bench)

10. Buck Lewis (seated on draped box)

I’m personally drawn to him. He died at 56, by his own hand, and I can’t help but feel that loss. I would’ve loved to meet him.

11. Kovert in drag

Thoughts?

I don't know if he kept records of his model's names, maybe to protect them if they hadn't started using pseudonyms yet or if they were taken in police raids or destroyed after his passing, but if you have any ID's please share.  I'm also not positive all of these photos are actually by Kovert, but that is how the image files are attributed.  Feel free to correct any errors here.

Dancers

Dancers made exceptional physique models because they brought a lot into one body. They had the strength and discipline of athletes, the presence of actors, and a kind of visual instinct that lined up with the photographer’s eye. 

1. Ben Vereen by Jack Mitchell

2. Tim Wengerd by Jack Mitchell

You could throw them an abstract idea—“opposites,” “tension,” “reach”—and they’d translate it instantly into something clean and readable. They weren’t just posing, they were interpreting, adjusting, solving the image in real time.

3. Dan Lopez by Jack Mitchell

4. Unknown Model by Kenn Duncan

They also knew their bodies inside and out. Every muscle, every joint could be isolated, emphasized, or softened depending on what the shot needed. And they were workhorses—long hours, physical strain, tough conditions—so a photoshoot was usually the easy part. 

5. Barton Mumaw - member of Ted Shawn's Men Dancers (1933-1940)

6. Barton Mumaw by Earl Forbes

Like bodybuilders, there’s also a real sense of pride there. They’ve put in the work, and they know how to show it. That combination—control, endurance, and a little vanity—goes a long way in front of a camera.

7. Werner Kroneman (dirty feet;)

8. Louis Falco by Jack Mitchell (Falco choreographed the hit musical Fame)

And then there’s the cultural piece. Male dancers were already pushing against expectations just by doing what they did. Dance wasn’t exactly seen as masculine, and yet there they were—strong, expressive, fully committed. 

9. Rudolph Nureyev by Richard Avedon

10. Mikhail Baryshnikov by Richard Avedon

11. Mikhail Baryshnikov in the ocean

Pair that with the quiet subversion of physique photography, and it makes sense why the two worlds clicked. There’s a shared understanding there. The result isn’t just a good image—it’s something a little sharper, a little more defiant, even when it looks effortless.

12. *Ralph McWilliams (see post April 25-Ralph McWilliams and April 22-Cadmus-Part 2) - 

George Platt Lynes

Thoughts?

This set of photos doesn't include any cowboy, sailor, or leather fantasies.  Question, are male dancers a gay fantasy in and of themselves?

McWilliams

1. Ralph McWilliams - George Platt Lynes

Swinging back to the models for a moment, I wanted to highlight Ralph McWilliams (1926–1981), a dancer with American Ballet Theatre and one of the muses orbiting George Platt Lynes and the PaJaMa circle. Dancers show up again and again in this world alongside athletes, bodybuilders, and actors—and it’s not hard to see why. 

2. Ralph McWilliams - George Platt Lynes

3. Ralph McWilliams - George Platt Lynes

4. Ralph McWilliams - George Platt Lynes

Yes, the bodies are strong and disciplined, but more than that, dancers know how to collaborate. They can take direction, translate an idea into a physical image, and shape their bodies with intention. They understand line, light, and how to “perform” for the camera in a way that feels natural but is actually highly refined.

5. Ralph McWilliams Seated - Paul Cadmus

6. Ralph McWilliams - George Platt Lynes

There’s a long history here. Painters have always been drawn to dancers—think Edgar Degas, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse—but as photography steps forward, we start to see more male dancers come into focus, from Vaslav Nijinsky to Rudolf Nureyev. The partnership makes sense. 

7. Ralph McWilliams - George Platt Lynes

Dance is already a visual art built on collaboration—sets, costumes, staging—so bringing that same sensibility into a photographer’s studio feels like a natural extension. And in many cases, dancers helped keep these images leaning toward art rather than something more explicit—more sculpture and stage than locker room—giving photographers a kind of visual cover through form, composition, and restraint.

8. Ralph McWilliams - George Platt Lynes

McWilliams fits right into that lineage, but he also stands out. He wasn’t locked into one lane—his career moved between ballet, modern dance, Broadway, and television, and later into stage management and production for major companies like American Ballet Theatre and Alvin Ailey. 

9. Ralph McWilliams - George Platt Lynes

That versatility shows up in the images. He had the kind of presence that could define a photographer’s aesthetic, and in Lynes’s case, help shape some of those now-iconic compositions. One of those quiet figures who may not be widely known, but once you see him, you start to recognize how much he’s been there all along.

10. Ralph McWilliams - George Platt Lynes

Thoughts?

Anyone have any connections to McWilliams?  I'd love to see more recent photos of him and know more of his story.