The primo model is lying stomach down in shallow water; only his choice rear end breaks the placid surface. His magnificent buns rise like ever so immaculate, snow white, twin coral islands from a calm, crystal clear sea.
It is almost criminal to mar this exquisite cover with the title of the book. But I grant the publisher that intrusive necessity.
Yet there are pictures inside Aqua that surpass the incredible cover. My favorite features a young man in a low rise pair of white cotton briefs taking a shower from a crude, old, battered pipe alongside a worn out, pitted, white wall. The fine, scattered mist blasts him so hard that it, combined with what might well be diffused sunlight, creates an almost surreal aura, or halo around him. You really can’t see his face, his head is bowed down and his long wet hair dangles over his forehead, and way down into his face. You unconsciously pray that in the next plate he tosses his head back, his dark hair flying off his face revealing his identity.
There are at least a dozen memorable poster-quality photos in Aqua.
I like one of a swimmer wearing a white swim cap, the kind of cap that covers the ears as well as the head and has broad laces that you tie up under the chin. I don’t know why I find it so appealing, except perhaps, because the cap looks like a baby bonnet, and it looks so incongruous on such a macho stud. He’s anything but infantile, yet I can imagine him sucking his thumb there by the edge of the pool. Yes, I know I’m beaucoup sick! But surely many other men share my secret fantasies, if only in their most private thoughts.
We see four guys sunning themselves at the beach, their backs covered in white sand grains as if they were seals lounging on some long deserted key off the Florida coast.
The most effective coupling of models has a pair of frisky guys horsing around in the water. I can’t tell if it is a swimming pool, the ocean or some other body of water, but the water is slightly choppy so it could well be outdoors. One guy is riding on the other guy’s shoulders, the guy on the bottom facing away from us, his partner on top facing towards us showing the world the exuberance and delight on his face at doing what he’s doing, and being where he is.
It is a feeling many of us have experienced for ourselves, but for some of us, like me, it is a distant boyhood memory. This photo will re-awaken and revive it, and hopefully rejuvenate the most tired soul.
Aqua’s strongest virtue is its unparalleled spontaneity. Virtually a textbook example of spontaneity and vibrancy, Aqua comes as close as any collection of still pictures ever has to capturing motion. You can almost feel the men zoom by as if you were in the same room with them.
The best example of action shots are two, of three, headshots of a long-haired young man at the beach. He has a few days' growth of very fine, fair, sparse beard on his lovely face. Not much more than peach fuzz. Perhaps his virgin beard, although he doesn’t look as young as a teenager. In the second shot we see him only from the back of the head, just a few stray whiskers protruding their way into our line of vision. In the next shot he’s facing us with a beautifully peaceful countenance, his eyes gently closed, as if his sweet face was etched on a flowing cloud.
Not only does the photographer catch bodies in motion, he somehow manages to coerce even fluid water itself to stand still. Several photos show individual beads, or strands of H2O in motion, but the picture that captures the effect best is one of a guy splashing water onto his face. The snap shot freezes an airborne sheet of water, like a slab of gelatin, between his hands.There’s a plethora of very fine asses in Aqua. More choice tails, surprisingly, than in a book dedicated to the subject, such as Rear View2. Furthermore, Aqua is thoroughly soft core, and vanilla. You may find a glimpse of one or two dicks, but nary a one even mildly approaching an erection. Yet, you really don’t miss the hard stuff. Aqua is thoroughly fulfilling as it is.
Fred Goudon: AQUA. 120 8 1/4” by 11 1/4” duotones pages in a hard binding with a matching dust jacket.$39.95 retail. About $26 from online merchants such as Book Wormer. Published by Bruno Gmunder in Germany in 2005.
Post card book 77: Fred Goudon: Aqua contains a dozen 5” by 7” two tone post cards in a blue binding. $6.50 retail. www.fredgoudon.comThank you for reading my column. If you’re wondering if I have an obsession with books, the answer is no!
I like books, and they have their place in the ever changing world of erotica. Many, if not most of the major gay adult DVDs are now being released with a photo book to accompany it. These books have become larger, and more luxurious over the last couple of years. A trend that is sure to accelerate in the years ahead.
And they're pushing many of the so-called "one handed readers," adult paperback books popular since the dawn of the postwar era, off the shelf in the process. This is going on, paradoxically, while written and still-photo erotica has moved away from newspapers, magazines and books in favor of online sources.
I might be mistaken, but I believe no single person reviews more adult books than I do.
But I plan to bring you a wide range of erotica in my column not restricted to books, or any one format or trend.
Look for interviews with your favorite porno stars in the months to cum as well as reports from video release parties, adult erotica expos, product reviews, reports from on the set of the newest adult videos with all the juicy details, and whatever else I can dig up.
Check my next column for a picture I snapped of Cuban-born superstar Eduardo! Plus a special surprise pic of a star from many x-rated blockbusters.
Your comments and questions are always welcome: ErnieAlderete@charter.net