Joseph OLeary – Of Beards and Men

There are few things more satisfying than a brand new, glossy, heavy page-stroker of a photography book. Whatever the content, these tomes have the power to educate and titillate – sucking us into the passion of its author.

Being Beardrevered, we find ourselves particularly excited by photography books involving facial hair, and with artist and photographer, Joseph Daniel Robert OLeary, we hit the jackpot. His photography project, Of Beards and Men, is creating a bit of a stir. This series of photographs examining society’s obsession with defining masculinity has resulted in 125+ portraits where each sitter (many of whom had never been in front of a professional camera before) go all out to reveal their true persona and sense of manhood through the watchful eye of OLeary’s lens. The results are stunning (as are the beards).

The Of Beards and Men book will be published this Autumn and a kick-starter project is underway to support OLeary’s latest work. All proceeds will contribute to printing this self-published beauty of a book. You have until the 15th August 2013 to be part of this exciting project.

Beardrevered was thrilled to catch up with the great man himself…

Congratulations on the runaway success of Of Beards and Men. Can you give us a little background as to where the original inspiration for this project came from?

It was several years ago that I wanted to embark on this project. I love looking at old portraits — both paintings and photographs. It’s amazing that so many men sported beards throughout history, yet in recent history—the last couple decades—it has been much less prevalent. However, beards are definitely [coming] back in a big way. My intention was to start with the beard or moustache as a point of departure photographically. What evolved was an interesting study of masculinity and how men express their individuality in contemporary society.

Where did you find your subjects and was the selection process easy?

The men in this project are just like you, me or anyone else. I didn’t choose them, but rather they chose themselves. I started the project by putting the word online and on the street and waited to see who would contact me. It was a little slow at first, but once some of the images got out into the world, people could see what the project was about and the geographic boundaries expanded beyond Minnesota. Soon, I had guys contacting me from throughout the United States.
I asked each guy to bring a couple changes of clothes and a prop or two that defined them professionally, personally or spiritually. In most cases I didn’t know who the person was or what they were going to bring until they showed up at the studio. What each guy chose to bring and wear (or not wear, in some cases) was completely up to them. In a way it put some of the creative onus on them.

How long have you been cultivating your own facial hair?

I started growing my beard about a year ago. I keep it trimmed. Ever since college I’ve sported facial hair of some sort from a goatee to a 5-o’clock shadow to a weeks worth of whiskers.

Can you run us through the procedure of setting up a shot? You mentioned most of the subjects had never been in front of a professional camera before.

When I started this project, I really had no idea where I was going with it except that I knew I wanted to photograph men with beards. The first subjects were tightly cropped, but felt too much like a style guide to facial hair grooming. I really wanted more—I wanted the portraits to reveal more about the person. As I pulled back from simple head/torso portraits to photographing—in many cases—their entire body, it became much more interesting to me. The portraits began to tell a story.
The general styling of the images—where most everyone is center stage—is a combination of ignoring the rule of thirds and my great appreciation for German photographers Bernd and Hilla Becher, who are best known for their extensive series of photographic images, or typologies, of industrial structures. The posing really depends on what the guy brings with him for his prop—it ranges from sitting on the floor, a chair, a bench, a table to standing, or perhaps on a bike, skateboard, etc. What’s interesting to me is keeping the variables of lighting, floor and background consistent, which allows the viewer to really see the variation of characters of the men photographed.
What I’ve learned during this project is that conversation is key. It really helps during the shoot to just put down the camera and talk. In some cases the conversation is so dynamic that I almost forget that my goal is to make their portrait. The conversation allows both of us to relax and make some great images.
For the guys who were perhaps more nervous than others, I’d simply tell them: “Don’t worry I won’t show a portrait of you that doesn’t make you look like a ‘rock star’.” In most cases that’s all they need to hear.

What were the most challenging aspects of this project?

Hmmm, the most challenging was at the beginning. At the time I started I was suffering a debilitating case of Lyme disease that put me on crutches for about 5 months. It was hard to get around the studio and change positions easily because my knee was swollen to the size of a large melon. In addition, I was mourning the loss of my brother who died in a car crash about 2 months before I began. These two life-altering events made me realize I needed to embrace the day and do something that was exciting to me and hopefully touched the people I came in contact with.
I think photo shoots are very special for two reasons: I get to meet new people and hear their story; and the person in front of the camera gets a moment in the spotlight to “memorialize” who they are for the purposes of a limited-edition book—a time capsule—that will last for generations.

You must have some interesting stories that came from the subjects themselves – can you tell us about one that stands out in your mind?

Actually I have many stories. I never knew what to expect when someone arrived.
On an extremely cold December 26, Joel arrived on with his brand new Victory motorcycle strapped to a trailer. We did a lot of fancy maneuvering to get it through the very narrow studio door. My studio is only 16 x 20 so it took up most of the studio and lots of adjustments needed to be made to get the lighting to work. It was a great shoot. But the best part was when he fired up that beast outside the studio to take it for a quick first-time ride in front of the house. The roar of those pipes was deafening as the sound rolled across the barren snow covered fields. Over the top of the roar, I could hear Joel’s exhilarating scream of excitement mixed with minor frostbite.

On another occasion, I had a trapper bring a dead frozen coyote to the studio and rested it on his lap for a portrait. In another portrait he pulled out four bloody animal skulls—one of which was rotting—the stench was incredible.

Oh, and the beekeeper who fired up his bee smoker…. It took about three weeks to get the smell out of the studio, but well worth for the images I got.
I love the diversity of men that came to my studio. This project brought everything — a guy who works in a prison to a guy who was an inmate in prison, to a business man, trapper, contract military, farmer, fisherman, climber, biker, musician, free thinkers, artists, model, dancer, runner, performers, etc. And then the variety of nationalities, religions, and politics. As a photographer it’s truly a blessing to be able to meet so many people—you learn a lot about yourself when meeting people with such diverse backgrounds, interests and ideas.

Who have been your greatest influences in both your professional and private life? Have any of them been bearded?

Personally, John Steinbeck, hence the title “Of Beards and Men.” In all the pictures I’ve seen of him, he sported a nice moustache. “Of Mice and Men” has always been one of my favorite books. There’s something “romantic” about the time period and lives that he portrayed in the book. I sometimes think I might have been born in the wrong time period. I love how life is portrayed from 1890 to about 1940. Perhaps similarly, these pictures will present what life was like circa 2013 —perhaps people will look upon these images with a similar romanticized notion.

Beards are such a hot topic of conversation—what are your views on fashion beards ‘being on their way out’?

Beards are definitely a hot topic today. I think there are guys who wear them because it’s trendy and others who wouldn’t consider shaving for anyone or anything. I respect that. I’ve actually met clean-shaven men who said they would never consider wearing a beard—they don’t know what they are missing.

Finally what are your plans for the future? Will they involve facial hair?

My plan for the immediate future is to finish the book with great attention to every detail. In some circles I’m considered a perfectionist. Of course I want to make sure I live up to those expectations.
For the foreseeable future I would like to continue photographing men with beards and perhaps there will be a second book.
And, I’ve also thought about taking “Of Beards and Men” on the road. There has been some interest from guys in several cities. I might do limited engagement photoshoots in major cities. It would be great fun.

Website: www.ofbeardsandmen.com

Kickstarter campaign: http://kck.st/12Z7bui