MIKE ARLEN
WETHERBY STUDIOS

Dates of Operation:    1980s to present
Location:    London, UK


There is something about Mike Arlen's photogaphy that confirms our love of British Men.
We thought the excerpt from ads run in Scots Gay Magazine an appropriate way to start this secion.

Having been a journalist, covering the London Men's Fashion Scene of Carnaby Street in the 1970's. He would also take photographs for his Fashion Articles. He supplied a German Publication with photos of Bodybuilders in swimsuits and was asked if he had more "revealing" images. Thus the start of his "Fabulous" career as a Beefcake / Male Nude photographer.

Photosets and Contact sheets are generally available on most models. The publications are used more as a catalog of what is additionally available.

Of note are the earlier photographs of the men with "raging" erections tucked under the leg and sometimes even tied down (see inset - of Tom Rook straining to be released). This is due to earlier British censorship laws, which would not allow an erect erection. This also resulted in the publication of MANPOWER, produced in Holland where the laws allowed full on erect photographs to be shown.

  "Set Me Free ! "

 

         
MIKE ARLEN'S GUYS #14    
48 pages + Cover. 32 pages color, rest in B&W.
A4 Final Size (8.325" X 10.75") Printed in United Kingdom.
Featured Men:  Dreece Kendal, Justin White, Drew Campbell, Dan Joy & Graeme Hawley, Ben Culley, Graham Duncan, Richard Collett, Jurgen Fleddermann, Rob Bowen, Jay Alexander, Aaron Slavin, Kelvin Ward, Scott Bond, Jake Elliott, Simon McBryde, Michael Young, Mark Clinton, Steve Howard & John Holt, Jan Weiss, Jake Durocher, Karl


      
MIKE ARLEN'S GUYS #13     
50 pages + Cover. 12 pages color, rest in B&W. Gatefold Centerfold (Sven Masterson)
A4 Final Size (8.325" X 10.75") Printed in United Kingdom.
Featured Men:  Cal Delaney, Steve West, Stefan de Klerk & Stuart Redman, Paul Griffin, Lloyd Summers, Paul Banbury, Kirk Gibson, Rhett Davis, Mick Gillen, David Welch, Sven Masterson, Anton Barker, Bob Jones, Spike Moloy, Blue Jennings, Zak Phillips, Greg Hamilton, Nathan Roberts, Ryan McCollin, Garry Barnes, Aaron Booth, Jason Bennison, Alf Kolenburg & Andy Sweet, Andy, Alf Kolenburg


      
MIKE ARLEN'S GUYS #12    
50 pages + Cover. 12 pages color, rest in B&W. Gatefold Centerfold (Greg Washington)
A4 Final Size (8.325" X 10.75") Printed in United Kingdom.
Featured Men:  Gerard Lelouch, Dean Cox, Rob Adams, Chris Donovan, Wayne Casey, Scott Blanchard, Kelvin Ward, Antonio de Silva, Greg Warrington, Mario McCormick, Anthony Hamilton, Keir Neilson, Luke Morgan, Benno Wurz, Alan Hamer, Dave Young, Reno, Jai, Carl Lipinski, Michael Dolman


  

      
MANPOWER     
50 Men in more explicit images than the Mike Arlen's Guys series.
50 pages + Cover, Gatefold Centerfold. 26 pages color, rest in B&W.
A4 Final Size (8.325" X 10.75") Printed in Holland.
Featured Men:  Anton Barker, Lee Conders, Barry Renshaw, Ryan McCollin, Glenn Milbank, Chicco Perez, Geoff Hibbert, Mario McCormick, Kelvin Ward, Rob Adams, Nathan Roberts, Colin Moyes, Andy Sweet, Kelvin Turner, Fred Lloyd, Scott Pennington, Don Halsey, Richard Blackbird, Chris Donovan, Luke Morgan, Dave Stamford, Zak Phillips, Christophe Francois, Brad Fuller, Alf Kolenberg (centerfold), David Welch, Stud Mitchener, Mick Gillen, Reno, Bob Jones, Guy Harrison, John George, Dave Young, Mark Dawson, Ossie Osbourne, Blue Jennings, Stefan de Klerk, Garry Barnes, Paul Griffin, Gary Savage, Aaron Booth, James Swan, Ian Ley, Rick Dale, Wayne Casey, Dean Cox, Greg Hamilton, Tom Rook, Steve West, Kirk Gibson

    
 
       

  



PHOTOSETS:  are available on most of the more recent models.
Test Shoot Prints are also offered to regular clientele.

Listings of MIKE ARLEN"S GUYS, MANPOWER and Photosets Available
go to our MIKE ARLEN LISTINGS for a fairly complete list (missing issues #1-4)

other publications to find Mike Arlen's Work:

Fully Exposed   Emanuel Cooper   Routledge- London and New York


HEATWAVE   John Patrick


Occasionally, Mike Arlen's Photography turns up in some of the Monthly Publications

INCHES
Oct 2002: Bailey Lincoln   Jan 2003: Nick McGurk (Simon McBryde)   Feb 2003: Archie Shott   May 2003: Duo (Steve Howard & John Holt)

Yahoo British Gay Photographers Group:  BritishGayPhotographers
great source for information and images from the past

ordering of photosets and publications,
contact Mike Arlen in London directly: mikearlen@btopenworld.com

from a model (2003): 
" Mike's a little strange, but he's good to work with if you know what to expect. He's a fascinating bloke to talk to. Some of us (models) think he's living in the 1930's, possibly Germany! Mike's been making male erotica for longer than anyone else I can think of and certainly puts a lot of effort into getting the atmosphere right in his shots. He still uses medium format film, which is of excellent quality but, of course, is dying out with the advent of 35 mm, and now digital, photography. I can't quite remember how I met Mike, we've done two or three sessions over the years.
    ... nowadays it seems anyone with a digital camera can call themselves a professional photographer without having a good eye for photography… or even what we used to call a portfolio of previous published work. At best, they are amateurs compared to the likes of Mike Arlen. But then Mike used to do photo shoots for the high-end glossy fashion magazines as his day job! "