Gay LA: 10 revealing images of ordinary guys in the City of Angels
"Elska's reputation for not featuring celebs had to be broken here - meeting people in 'The Industry' was unavoidable," says Elska's editor
Elska, which explores the world through storytelling, photography and a queer lens, has landed on LA – the land of celebrity – for its new issue.
Inside, readers can get acquainted with an array of ‘ordinary’ men from an extraordinary city – and through artfully intimate images, some of which aren’t entirely safe for work.
Elska Los Angeles is available to buy in a collectible print book or in a downloadable e-book now.
“Since I started my Elska project, we’ve gained a reputation for showcasing diverse and regular guys from around the world, specifically not models and celebrities,” says Elska editor, writer and chief photographer Liam Campbell, teasing some famous faces in the issue.
“Despite LA’s rep for perfect people with fake plastic personas, I felt that my work would be perfectly suited” – Liam Campbell
“Despite LA’s reputation for perfect people with fake plastic personas, I felt that my work would be perfectly suited to the city, a place full of pre-conceived ideas that I could try to prove or disprove,” he furthermore added.
Elska launched in 2015, and has since spotlighted local guys in cities as varied as San Francisco in California and Istanbul in Turkey.
“The cultural impact of Hollywood is never far away” – Liam Campbell
“I found the idea of exploring what real life for regular Angelenos was like quite fascinating,” he went on. “Overall, I found my time in LA surprising.”
“On one hand, the men I met showed me that LA does it exist beyond its stereotypes,” Campbell added. “But at the same time, the cultural impact of Hollywood is never far away.
“I also found that Elska’s reputation for not featuring celebrities had to be broken here simply because meeting people in The Industry was unavoidable. I realised that this wasn’t a problem, though — celebrities are actually real people too!”
In addition, the companion e-zine Elska Ekstra Los Angeles is available, containing eight more men and their stories. Elska Ekstra also features behind the scenes tales and hundreds of outtake images of all twenty-one of Elska’s Angeleno subjects.
The publications are available for order online as well as from a select group of shops around the world.
