Artist Spotlight: Didio

São Paulo photographer Didio says he enjoys observing the daily life of normal men. If these photographs tell us anything, it's that Brazil has raised the bar on what defines normal.

By Albert Smith

DIDIO 06 XSLIDE | ADVOCATE.COM

Why are you a photographer?
The arts have always been part of my life — drawing, paint. I studied arts, film, and fashion photography. I always liked to observe and go on record in some way with my passion for the male. Photography fascinated me — the speed at which you can leave these moments recorded. I am fascinated by the light, and I feel like a voyeur, watching.

What catches your eye?
The male beauty and simplicity, the volumes of the muscles, the smiles; the bodies are exhibited, sometimes naive, sometimes malicious ... sensuality, brutality.

How do you choose your subjects?
Observing the daily life of a normal man. I like to know the model before, talk, try to watch their voices, manners. I try to bring them to the maximum — after that I decide how I will photograph. I have a notebook, and I like writing ideas, The styling is not important; I prioritize the model.

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Reader Comments

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Name: Leonardo
Date posted: 7/18/2010 10:23:20 PM
Hometown: Brazil

Comment:
Greg, I am from Brazil and I would say that you're wrong. Brazil has a large amount of black men in absolute numbers, not in proportional numbers. South Brazil has virtually only white people. I mean European-like. Pay us a visit and check that out! :)
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Name: Keppler
Date posted: 2/10/2010 3:12:03 AM
Hometown: San Jose

Comment:
Methinks we may be taking ourselves just a tad too seriously. Are these guys examples of the boy nextdoor? Not by a long shot. But, I enjoy looking at them nevertheless. And (gasp!) I'm not so deluded as to believe that I will ever achieve their beauty, or that I should try to. I'm 50 and chubby. I'm also a very talented in ways that have nothing to do with my physique. I don't look at these pics because I want to become these guys, and I don't feel inferior because I'm not as physically attractive. I have my strengths, and they have theirs. And...I like to look at theirs.
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Name: Jim
Date posted: 2/8/2010 7:16:22 PM
Hometown: Chicago

Comment:
@James, excellent point about this being the photographer's perspective, his views on the world, his interest in men of a certain type. @Matt, would you be interested in a portfolio of normal looking men, gay or straight, old or young? Seems to me that you don't need a photo essay for that. You could go to the supermarket for that.
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Name: Carlos
Date posted: 2/7/2010 7:16:18 PM
Hometown: Montreal/Canada

Comment:
Just to let you know that the photos are not from ordinary real men of Brazil. Brazil is such a mixture people.. white, native, europeans, blacks, biracial, diffrent nacionalities etc. The photos are beautiful.. no doubts or questions about it. The photographer is realy talented, but he needs to travel inside of Brazil and he will discover men with such beauty that you can not find anywhere in the world.
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Name: Brent Braniff
Date posted: 2/7/2010 3:37:11 PM
Hometown: Minot, North Dakota

Comment:
There is no new ground being broken here. Its down the same old path in photos of gay men. (Are these guys gay?) These are not average or normal guys. These are typical model types. The photos are fine photos of models...nothing more. But, if you want to be an artist of note...take REAL average guys and make great sexy pictures out of them. It can be done. Average guys get laid all the time, so there must be something sexy about them. Explore THAT and you'll have photos to really look at. Personally, Id look at these once and never pic up a book of them again. Same old, same old....Try again.
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Name: Greg
Date posted: 2/7/2010 2:32:18 PM
Hometown: Stevens Point, WI

Comment:
This is ridiculous, in 31 photographs of supposedly everyday men from Brazil, not a single black man appeared. Brazil is the country with the 2nd highest amount of individuals with African ancestry-2nd only to Nigeria. This means that it even beats out all African nations, except for one, for highest black population! So why are these men all white?
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Name: Sun
Date posted: 2/7/2010 12:30:20 PM
Hometown: New York

Comment:
It amazes me that Brazil is so much like Europe, I thought there were men of other colors in Brazil. Quite interesting.
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Name: yoshihide takahama
Date posted: 2/7/2010 4:25:31 AM
Hometown: Brasil

Comment:
I think that there is some ignorance here, lack interpret what the photographer says ... saying normal man, but this is referring to straight men for inspiration to photograph their models ... You're getting crazy and neurotic and think everything is related to sex, be straight or gay ... normal is certainly in these terms ...
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Name: David Beards
Date posted: 2/7/2010 4:07:25 AM
Hometown: Sydney Australia

Comment:
James: Good point. I agree the Advocate is (or has been) a well respected gay publication. However in an age of dwindling sales, gay publications now need to align themselves with the culturally dominant representation of 'gay' (which currently seems to consist of a muscularised 'heternormative' ideal). Unfotunately, this means the rest of us are slowly losing our voice. If gay = the type of men depicted in those images, are the rest of us still gay? Or are we something else???
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Name: Caleb
Date posted: 2/7/2010 12:38:15 AM
Hometown: Atlanta

Comment:
Matt, I completely agree. We are another cohort of the ever-popularized anorexic teenage girl trying to live up to an imaginary, unrealistic standard, only we exist under the guise of social, smily-faced, often well-dressed gay men. If this guy wants a real picture of a gay man's life, he should venture elsewhere besides the West Hollywood of South America. Hell, come check me out in my sweats one day. THAT's real!

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