Paragon Men

In honor of Valentine's Day we are pleased to present the romantic, lyrical images of an exciting young photographer in the Paragon Spotlight. We discovered the work of Ronald Nyein Zaw Tan online and were awed by the beauty and eroticism of his imaes of male nudes. This is a photographer to watch, but first, some background....

My name is Ronald Nyein Zaw Tan. I am a Burmese, self-taught, and published photographer primarily photographing men in the style of fashion, beauty, and portraiture. I prefer shooting on-location, but I enjoy the convenience of studio setting. Thank you for the opportunity to share my "Chasing Dream" story with your Paragon Men audience. I am honored and humbled before you all.

What sorts of images do you create? Do you have a favorite category?

I like creating images where "man" is the central figure or prominent subject. I think "Portraiture" is my strength so my images are said to be "portrait-centric."

What are your thoughts on shooting in studio vs. shooting outside a studio setting?

I prefer shooting outside, but enjoy the convenience of the studio, where environmental conditions and certain variables are constant, particularly white balance (color temperature).

How did your career start and develop? How/where were you trained? How long have you been a photographer?

I have been a photographer since May 2007, without any prior training in the arts. I was educated in Applied Physics and Pre-pharmacy at the University of California, Davis. I think an elective in Optics scintillated the artist lying dormant. My decision was a sudden 180-degree turn from academia. I thank my coming to terms with my homosexuality-it gave me the strength and courage to challenge my destiny.

Do you have any advice for aspiring photographers?

Instead of going to photography school and getting into debt, why don't you take business and marketing classes? With the access to the internet and self-training materials, you can learn the techniques and learn from trial and error as I did. Instead of wanting to know, "How to retouch like so-and-so," learn to formulate and create the image. And then you can worry about the retouching the image to finalize the visual appeal.

Where has your work been published? Where can our readers find more of your work?

My images have been published in the following magazines (Bold indicates cover and asterisks indicate quantity of cover(s) with featured editorials): DNA**, M-Mensuel*, Horizon Barcelona, Vertu, AXN**, Bello, Beautiful*, reFRESH, and blu*. I am proud of these tearsheets achieved within my first two years (2007-2009).

What drew you to photographing artistic nude images of men?

I am currently involved in a personal project called DEFIANCE, where I am expressing my defiance towards my conservative upbringing and the sexually-repressive Burmese culture. What better way to exercise protest and shock everyone by photographing nude men, leaving nothing to the imagination?

What are your thoughts on color vs. black & white physique photography?

When it comes to physique photography, I prefer monochromatic images for the depth and tonalities. This is like asking do I like vanilla or chocolate flavored ice-cream. I like both, depending on my mood. Most of my DEFIANCE images are given a stylistic, monochromatic treatment.

How do you use lighting in your work?

I belong to a new breed of photographers, where we light our images so we could easily manipulate (retouch) to our visual styles. I use what's called a 30-degree honey-comb grid on my 22-inches beauty dish to limit light spill. I combine with another strobe head (reflect and grid) to control and modify the shape and quality of light.

Do you use any image enhancement or retouching software?

I use CaptureONE PRO 6 (C1PRO6) as my primary raw software converter. I am stringent on image quality and C1PRO6 yield vastly intelligent and superior images out of the box. I later export as 16-Bit TIFFS to be finalized in Adobe Photoshop CS5.

Which photographers or artists have most inspired you? Whose work has most impressed you recently? Which new photographers are you watching?

As of late, I am inspired by Dutch photographer, Erwin Olaf (http://www.erwinolaf.com), American photographer Tony Duran (http://www.tonyduran.net), and the Polish photographer Andrzej Dragan (http://andrzejdragan.com). My inspirations change. These maestros are on my list now.

What sort of work and/or services do you do and/or provide?

I provide portfolio development through paid model tests, privately commissioned portraitures, editorial assignments, fine-art commissions. The best way to find out if I am the right photographer for you and your brand is to approach me and tell me in specifics. I want to do my best to serve you through my photography and professional experience.

What do you look for in a model? Have any particular models been muses for your work?

Beauty and beauty retouching is one of my specialties and so when I cast a model, he should have impeccable skin and the blessed with classical beauty. Beauty is subjective; when it comes to the mainstream, fashion standard, I adhere and follow what you see on cologne advertisements, those are the faces associated with male beauty. When it comes to my personal definition of beauty, I find East-Indian, Middle-Eastern, and mixed male models delectably handsome.

I have several muses and I often call them by their number, just like the Star Trek Captain Picard calling his first officer, "Number One." I am embarrassed that I could not recall what number Nathan J. Owens is. He is a model represented by Wilhelmina Models in Los Angeles and Major Model Management in NYC. I have dedicated a gallery, entirely of Nathan on my website.

Which male body type do you prefer: bodybuilder, fitness model, slender beauty, all of the above, or other? Please discuss creating artistic images with different types of physiques.

I am not a fan of bodybuilders and fitness models. This is purely professional and aesthetic reasons as I am a photographer of fashion, beauty, and portraiture. However, I have a magnanimous respect for their dedication, commitment, and discipline towards their bodies and goals.

Shaved or hairy? What's your ideal?

Can I have the option of "in-between" or "manscaped" bodies? Men are supposed to have some body hair, which means hair under their arms is expected and welcomed. I do encourage every men to manscape, trim, and tidy all aspect of their body hair.

Do you consider any of your models your muses?

Yes, indeed. I have several.

What is the best way for models or fans to reach you?

I could be easily reached via the section of my website: ronaldnztan.com. I am also on Facebook.

Please also follow me on my blog site: blog.ronaldnztan.com.