Boy Friend What struck me the most was that throughout this process, I found that my subjects, including myself, had a difficult time adjusting to this level of vulnerability and closeness. Often, the participants would revert to certain surface-level tropes or more barrier-enforcing displays of toxic masculinity. It took a concerted effort to bring the focus back to the space we were attempting to create, and it was fascinating to witness how deeply ingrained certain behaviors are in us. The response to the previous photo set was surprising, and many individuals reached out to me — both straight men and otherwise — to say that the difficult questions raised by this project resonated with them. It seems that I’m not alone in my struggles with male intimacy and masculinity, and yet there aren’t really spaces to share their feelings about the topic.  As the initial response has been encouraging, I hope to continue developing this project and creating spaces and dialogues around masculinity and male intimacy. With love and support from my favorite sister @cyrenaly :)

Boy Friend, a personal photo project, is an ongoing visual exploration of male intimacy and belonging. Straight men are often encouraged to internalize their emotions and prioritize their masculinity over softness. But by leaning into our emotions, we’re often judged as too feminine, or as not living up to the standard of what it means to be a “straight man.” Throughout the process of this shoot, I was simultaneously documenting and creating a space where my subjects could freely explore the intimacy of male friendship and camaraderie. What does it look like when men aren’t “one-upping” or dominating each other? What if men were allowed to explore our softer sides without any preconceived judgment? How would that affect others around us? What does contemporary masculinity look like? These are the questions I’ve been exploring with this project, as well as my relationship with my own masculinity.

Got to shoot Julia Louis-Dreyfus for another Day Drinking with Seth Meyers! @latenightseth @officialjld Segment Director: @mikekarnell Field Producer: @acowper Field Coordinator: @mcelroy EP: Mike Shoemaker Producer: Hillary Hunn, Jen Sochko Writers: Seth Reiss, Mike Scollins, Jenny Hagel DOP: @kennypjwu Prod Designer: Ellen Waggett Art Director: Jared Rutherford Lighting Designer: @studioseth Camera Operators: @marinaking1 @betswilkins @shcha ACs: Marley Chapman, James McKenzie, George Alvarez, @erileypatterson Photographer: @lloydbishop Sound: Chris Schneider Key Hair: Kristin Falcone Key Makeup: Sarah Egan Costume Designer: Eric Justin Wardrobe Supervisor: Donna Richards Talent Producer: Haleigh Raff Talent Booker: Emily Hymes Talent Coordinator: Matt Reskin Seth’s Assistant: Chelsea Alonzi Cue Cards: Wally Feresten Prod Coordinator: Laurel Hyneman, Anna Doherty @canonusa C500mkii + @angenieuxlenses Zooms