Henning Von Berg

Some people have an eye for beautiful architecture. Not the glass and steel towers we've grown so accustomed of in the United States, I'm talking about the beautiful and ornate, old-world architecture of Europe. Others have an eye for the beauty of the human body — the male body to be precise. But combine the skills of an architect, an appreciation for the male form, and a natural talent for photography and you've got Henning von Berg. His new photo coffee table book, Alpha Males, is a collection of some of Henning's finest works from his beginning in 1997 to 2007.

While doing some scouting in South Florida, Henning von Berg found a copy of Hotspots Magazine and asked to meet with us in the Hotspots offices.

“I worked as an architect, engineer for 13 years,” Henning recently told me, “It was nice — big money. But it was not really my thing so I switched to photography — to the arts — and now I'm independent. [It's] not that much money, but I'm more happy. I wanted my own direction.” After engineering, Henning tried his hand at journalism, political activism while fighting for gay rights in Germany, and then tried photography.

Henning had no training as a photographer and never studied the subject. “In 1997 I picked up an old snapshot camera and took some photos — took some crazy pictures — and decided okay, I'm a photographer. I took a picture of my neighbor, naked — then another friend, naked.”

“Then a month or two later I had an idea. I invited friends of friends of friends; there were 28 guys and we had a picnic near an abandoned factory near Cologne [Germany], blankets, sunshine, red wine, cheese and more wine. So, after an hour I said you had the wine now strip naked.” He then positioned his amateur models in the warehouse and took the pictures. The final result was a stunning picture on a staircase with the models lined on the stairs and one standing below.

After seeing the final pictures, some of the models encouraged Henning to exhibit them in a gallery. The galleries, who had never heard of Henning, declined an exhibit saying they were already booked. “So we had a little show in a little gay café. The gay press wrote about it, then the straight press, then national press and international press wrote about it. Then a book publisher contacted me and said he heard about the strange pictures. I sent him two of these pictures and he put it in a book. Six months later I got a package with the book and it was called, Naked Men, Ninety of the World's Greatest Photographers. Suddenly, his “Stairway” photograph was hanging in exhibitions next to photographs of Robert Mapplethorpe, Andy Warhol and Bob Mizer.

Whether it be the beauty of man-made architecture or the beauty of mother nature's work, Henning has the knack of combining the scenery and the models in such a way that it leaves you asking if you're supposed to focus on the painted ceiling or the man standing beneath the ceiling. Henning has combined the two so tastefully — so completely — that what you have is one composition of two separate elements that would be totally incomplete if one of those two elements were missing. True, the men may be naked, but there is no gratuitous nudity in the book. You have to seek it out — everything blends together so well.

“[My work] is very diverse, very different styles: black and white and color and solo and blue and crazy and common things — very strange locations, weird ideas and playing with genders.” Henning ignored his publisher's advice to put more mainstream photos in the book. “I like more the unusual things,” he said, ignoring his publisher.

Henning prefers to work with amateur models as opposed to professional ones. He found that professional models have learned to look or pose a certain way, though sometimes that can be a plus, it often leads to monotony. He claims that when working with amateur models, though it may take more time, the poses seem more natural, more authentic. Henning gets about 1,500 model applications each year through his website, www.Henning-von-Berg.com. He says that gives him more than enough choices for both his art projects and his commissioned work.
Henning does not rely on using computer software to enhance his photos. Instead of using more expensive cameras he leaves the technology behind. Some of his most famous photos were taken with that original snapshot camera without any computer enhancement or high-tech solutions. He claims he prefers old-fashioned photography methodology. He prefers low-tech tricks like mirroring, deliberately over or under exposing the photograph, gritty perspectives and dramatic lighting. He likes to rip apart the conventional, break taboos and he plays with humor and emotions.

The term “alpha male” is a biological term meaning leader of the pack, whether it is with lions, dogs or humans. However, in the gay world, “alpha male” also refers to a man with an especially large endowment. That being the case, Henning von Berg's book of photography, Alpha Males, is suitably named. Henning is currently in South Florida looking for models and scouting locations for future projects.

Henning von Berg's unique photographic book, Alpha Males, is available at Pride Factory or can be purchased online at www.bookalphamales.com.