Previews from LATE BLOOMER by Roger Nguyen

I am fortunate that I have the privilege of contributing to this long-running Blog as both a Curator and a Photographer to promote my work.

In an era where AI creations have deluged the internet with images so realistic, we are at a cross-roads as to what we value as fine art and male portraiture. This is what makes LATE BLOOMER so compelling as a project based on real life. Make-overs and body transformations are frequent occurrences in the modeling world. I promise you there's never been a real-life transformation like this. I attest on my reputation that the "before" images have not been retouched or altered and accurately documented the model at the time it was taken. I took some artistic liberties with the "after" images, but I did not alter his facial nor body features. If you look at the eyes and the nose, you will always find the original Derek inside.

I hope you will be amused, surprised, inspired, or remain skeptical of a journey that took 5 years to fully complete. There is a compelling story behind the images in a 72 page Magazine on Blurb.com. As an exclusive offer to GBB readers you can purchase the PDF directly for only $20. Please reference GBB in your notes.