Barely Working Hardcover – August 7, 2008

I'm Shocked! but pleasantly surprised to see that a professional male photographer has listened to our requests and photographed young men the way they should appear, Relaxed! There are no statues, or stale unsmiling, motionless young men looking bored to death in Adam Raphael's new book, of young, hunky, and handsome men, aptly titled "Barely Working". It's a great title for a book of images featuring some of the best looking guys in America who are photographed working on various outdoor building projects, and having a great time on the job. The group shots of the guys are unusual as most male photography books of this nature do not bring a group of guys together in one place interacting, but usually show just images of men alone normally. These young hunks are barely working, for all work and no play is certainly NOT the case in these beautifully photographed shots. It so nice to see smiling faces for a change as the models are working, playing and talking. These guys are relaxed in front of the camera, seemingly not even aware of it, and the credit for that belongs to Adam Raphael. I thought Adam Raphael's last book "Room Service" would be hard to top but he has shown again what an innovative and dedicated photographer can do. The coloring, lighting and shadows in these images is pleasure to the eye.There's no full nudity in these images, but in no way does that deter from the sexy, and artistic beauty of these young men captured at the peak of their physical perfection. In fact, it adds to their mystique and allure. Adam Raphael has captured the beauty of these men and to our benefit he allows us to share in his work and world of beauty. This will be one of the books on my top shelf of male photography books, which will be enjoyed and treasured for years to come.

good quality photos, but these well built, hairless, young guys all look alike. even their own mothers would have trouble telling them apart.

My second photography book from this photographer/artist. Again it was so so - I think when photographing the human form it should be surreal or edgey. This book was like his other book, "Room Service," Just boring photos of shirtless Frat boys...

Very well written commentary and the photos are great

Very Nice Copy. Looks, in fact, is brand NEW. !! Eary delivery ! Thanks

Dissapointed in this book. Great photos - but the content does not go anywhere.

I like Adam Raphael's photography and this book justifies his place as one of the leading artists of capturing the beauty and athleticism of young men. There is nothing controversial in this collection, no nudes, nothing really homo-erotic; just a wonderful array of handsome guys in mainly outdoor "working" environments. The fact that they are all stripped to the waist, wearing low slung cargo shorts, some cheekily showing the top of their Calvin Klein or Abercrombie & Fitch underwear, all displaying plenty of nicely shaped pecs and abs just adds to the pleasure of this book. These collegiate type guys are beautifully photographed whether they are doing some outdoor chores, throwing the football or lounging around the bunkhouse. Nice clean wholesome camaraderie on show; sort of like a bunch of Corbin Fisher models but with their pants still intact! In a liberal family the perfect shared gift for a gay brother and straight sister.

Barely Working, Adam Raphael's newest portfolio, gives us a wonderful visual of sexy young men engaged in different activities designed to show them to the best advantage through the lens of a camera. But this book is more than just photographs of great looking men - it is also a tribute to this photographer's skill at capturing and projecting his vision of youth, exuberance and energy at work and at play. The photos enhance the beauty and elegance of the male form, either solo or in group poses, by giving them a natural look which is even more pronounced in the group shots which are brilliant and draw you into the photographer's vision. One photo that captured my attention is the first one which is a picture of a young man driving a vehicle, and reflected on the hood of the car is the sun and a few pillow clouds that framed the photo and gave it an elegance which anyone can appreciate.Mr. Raphael obviously has his favourites among the models as some of them are profiled in several shots, almost as if they had their own portfolios within the book, and this creates a story within a story and gives the book a different perspective. The brilliance of water sparkling on some of the bodies made me want to lick the page, and similarly, when some of the young men were shown with grease and dirt artfully placed on chests and other body parts, I wished I could get into the shots to clean the guys off.The title of the book, Barely Working, is appropriate because the models are pictured in different work situations interacting with each other, but the most important aspect of these photos is that the guys appear very relaxed. I didn't see any sweat running down those exceptional pectorals due to hard work, but if there was any sweat I'm sure that volunteers were waiting in the wings to pat them dry. As the photographer stated in the book, he was looking for models "with a certain innocence, a playful and open nature, a willingness to be vulnerable and human, and to comfortably interact with others of their breed without any hint of sexuality ..." and he definitely achieved this objective.Adam Raphael is well-known for his work in this field starting with his first published book of photos. The men in Barely Working are beautiful but the poses do not look 'staged' - in fact the photographer went to great lengths to ensure that didn't happen. Most of the photos are exquisite and the beauty of these pictures is that there is no frontal nudity. Raphael used clothing to enhance the male form and frame it in such a way as to make it even more stunning. By carefully selecting the clothing he projected a different dynamic in the group photos by creating symmetry. The solo pictures are subtle and nuanced and prove yet again that the photographer is a true artist in this medium in the same manner as an artist using traditional paint and oils on a canvas. Clearly this talented artist wanted to show his models in the best possible light and this book demonstrates his skill in this area. Wrenches, lawn mowers, shovels and earth moving equipment never looked so good.Barely Working is an excellent "coffee table" book that will bring hours of pleasure and I highly recommend it, not only to the photography aficionado but also to anyone who appreciates male beauty.

Que atire a primeira pedra quem nunca teve aquela fantasia com pedreiros, mecânicos, ou mesmo aquele seu vizinho que lava o carro no final de semana. É nessa aura que segue a perspectiva do livro, mas ela não explora tudo que esse universo poderia. Para quem pensa que irá encontrar fotos dos modelos nus, pode acabar se decepcionando, ainda que a proposta do livro não seja essa. Ele perpassa por essa fantasia do trabalhador braçal, do corpo esculpido pelo trabalho e em diversos aspectos: nas obras, no campo, numa oficina mecânica e onde mais a imaginação mandar, porém tem coisas que ao meu ver são imperdoáveis.O que eu penso ser um pecado nesse ensaio, são as fotos que demostram pouca naturalidade, na maioria delas, parecem que os modelos estavam posando para algum tipo de calendário, ou material promocional da indústria de filmes adultos. [SPOILER] A parte do ensaio, no parque, é capaz de te levar uma espécie de déjà vu se você já assistiu a alguma das produções da Corbin Fisher no passado. [SPOILER]Quanto ao material do livro, possuem certa qualidade, as fotos tem brilho, mas o papel é um pouco poroso em algumas páginas e outras até mesmo um pouco áspero e fosco. Não há também o que falar muito, já que o livro não possui textos e vai direto para os ensaios. Na minha opinião, é um livro que fica no meio do caminho.