47 Photos of Dads Who Play Rough by Mike Rubio

Alpha masculinity isn't necessarily toxic. Especially if you are into it. Mike Rubio @monkeyshots finds the punchy part of a guy's personality that may be lurking beneath the surface and teases it into the light for his camera to catch and deliver to us. It could be the flush that accompanies a sudden emotion, a shadow over a pronounced frown, the flash of white teeth in a grimace. Even the more passive men in Mike's images have an edge of furious abandon.

Mike tells us:

"I've always been something of an introvert and a loner, so photography was a natural fit for my creative side.

After starting out roaming Manhattan and shooting lots of inanimate objects, street scenes, and urban decay, I took some classes at SVA and used myself as a model to practice lighting techniques.

Eventually, the work of artists like Peter Hujar, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Isauro Cairo inspired me to muster the nerve to approach people with whom I could collaborate.

I like to explore themes of eroticism, power and the darker side of the human psyche, and where they intersect. I also enjoy photographing in nature and documenting activism.

Recently, I began a portrait series of more senior members of the LGBTQIA community. I feel there's a richness of beauty, wisdom, and history there which is often overlooked."

See more: Mike Rubio @monkeyshots.