Here are the men of the City of Lights.
Elska Magazine, the publication dedicated to discovering gay communities around the world, has put the spotlight on Paris for its latest issue. Inside readers are invited to get to know an assortment of ordinary men who love men in this iconic French city.
This issue was made in Paris, the City of Love, the City of Light, the setting for the fortieth Elska. This is a city full of fantasy and full of expectation — we took it as our task to reveal the true Paris as seen through a random selection of everyday local men, presented through honest photography and personal stories.
The result, in short, lives up to the legend. Regarding the 'City of Love’ moniker, the sense of romance that one expects from the French is very much on display here, especially through the stories the men wrote for us. It's not necessarily that these are love stories, but they way they communicate simply drips with warmth, colour and allure. And photographically, the ‘City of Light’ nickname is nearly omnipresent, and often literal, including some of the most seductive and sometimes silly lamp play we've ever done. (If this sounds odd, then you don't know Elska well enough — lamps, mirrors, and tops-on-bottoms-off are some of our favourite go-to visual themes!)
Inside Elska Paris you’ll meet ten local boys, shot in their neighborhoods and in their own homes, dressed in their own style and sometimes not dressed at all. Each chapter is dedicated to the following local participants: Romain D, John B, Kyle Y, Xavier A, Sylvain P, Toby H, Guillaume G, Max D, Axel E, Arnaud S.
The e-version of ‘Elska Paris’ is 186 pages. It has been adapted from the print version and so there are some differences, such as the moving of double-page spreads onto a single page and a few alternate images.
The list of stockists and details of the subscription service can also be found on the Elska website: www.elskamagazine.com.
All pictures by Liam Campbell/Elska Magazine
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