Take Notice
original images from The Colombo Spirit
Conrad Francis is a swimmer.
He has a swimmer's body, which means...
Well, what is it exactly that makes the body of a swimmer something to take notice of?
In Conrad's case it is a sensational physique, along with eyes, lips and an expression which totally captivates.
Conrad Francis is a young man of exceptional appeal.
 | Let's start with his physique, his lean, softly sculpted torso. Sensational... Eyes, lips, expression and perfect pose. Conrad Francis is more than just a professional in the pool. He is just as much an ace before a camera lens. |
What does a photographer see when he peers at the model through his lens? Is it all technical--lighting, shadows, exposure? Or is it more emotional... even sensual?
What happens to the photographer when he observes the piercing eyes and fine physique of a subject like Conrad Francis? I can only imagine.
| Sometimes the magic just happens. Of that I am sure. The perfect pose, the perfect light and shadow can't always be planned. One must just be ready for when it happens. |  |
 | The skill of the swimmer is also something which doesn't come easily. The skill he or she possesses is as much form as it is function. He, or she, knows how to combine movement with position to achieve the required buoyancy and velocity. To say the body is supple is no figure of speech. Perhaps more than in any other sport, the swimmer's body needs to be well-conditioned in terms of both form and function. |
How many laps and hours, and how much determination does it take to master the stroke in order to win the race? I am in awe of the competitive swimmer. Conrad Francis is a sportsman in the classic sense--a hard worker with the determination it takes to win.
I believe what sets a true athlete apart from the rest of us is more his mind than his body. The accomplished athlete is able to focus to an extent that exceeds what is required for normal living.
He sees, I believe, not only with his eyes but with his mind.
He sees not only what is before him in the present, but also what he must accomplish in order to reach his future goals.
It's your turn. You are given the chance to interview Mr. Francis. What do you ask?
I'd start off with something like that. He's a professional and an artisan in his craft. His goals are what have driven him. He knows better than anyone else what his greatest successes are.
As the interview progresses I'd like to get to know the man behind the sport.
"Can you tell us, Mr.Francis... uhm, Conrad, what do you like to do in your free time--when you're not in the pool?"With his dark shades, the athlete is still a bit aloof.
Hopefully, we can get a glimpse of the personality behind the image.
The trick of celebrity is to take cover behind the shades.
Some think it's about being cool, but it is actually about privacy.
For most of us, anonymity gives us the freedom to interact with the world on our own terms.
A pair of dark shades gives the wearer a sense of control, otherwise lost when all eyes are trained on the stars' naked eyes.
If you don't mind my asking, Conrad, have you ever thought of being a professional model?
You've got the looks and the style.
With that I can almost see a faint smile on the lips of the star.
Commendable as his acumen in the pool is, he's got such great looks and flair that one would hope there's room for a modeling career as well.
The Beauty of the Sri Lankan Male
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| Eyes that see the good in me... |
Recently I was sent a photo of a young man with a mild tan and asked if I could tell whether or not he was Sri Lankan. I could not. It may well have been because the man in the photograph was not Sri Lankan.
Conrad Francis is Sri Lankan. His eyes reveal that. His soft tan complexion is also an indication of sorts, but skin complexions are less peculiar to a race of people than those vagaries that characterize the eyes.
Mr. Francis has beautiful Sri Lankan eyes. One cannot really describe in words what those characteristics are that distinguish one set of eyes from another, but they exist no less. I know Sri Lankan eyes when I see them. I know Bangladeshi eyes and Nepali eyes--at least I can recognize these in the faces of the men I see. There are exceptions of course.
The computer that the brain is gives each of us the ability to decipher all of the countless traits that define physical features.
Like a computer we amass data, over time, sort through and analyze it, with the result that those of us who have lived in Sri Lanka, for example, can recognize a Sri Lankan face.
I had for 11 years lived in Japan and I can say that I could distinguish a Japanese face from a Korean or a Chinese.
It is because I live in the UAE now that I have a sense for the faces of the Keralites, the Pashtoons, the Pinoys and the many other ethnicities which inhabit this country in great number.
After the eyes, the next distinguishing features are the lips. They complement the eyes and together combine with other features of the face to reveal the beauty of the Sri Lankan male.
Having seen in great number the faces of so many, it is the face of the Sri Lankan male which gives me the greatest pause. The eyes, the lips, the eye brows, the cheeks and the complexions, ranging from cream to ebony, come together like a jigsaw puzzle of a thousand pieces, perfectly arranged.
...the beauty of the Sri Lankan male.
 | Conrad Francis is a Sri Lankan, a swimmer and I hope one day an accomplished model. His is a perfect blend of form and function. |
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| Sri Lankan Male is proud to exhibit a perfect specimen of the Sri Lankan male. |
I was never athletic. The prospective rewards never seemed tangible enough to me. Whether it was the reward of just being part of a team or winning a competition, the reward to me seemed either elusive or only supposed. I felt self-conscious whether at bat or languishing in an open field waiting for a ball to come my way. The pace of activity was either too fast to know what was really going or what might happen next, or it was slow and boring.
A Swimmer's Advantage
I have all the more admiration for an athlete like Mr. Francis, and even more so when he offers the spectacle of the handsome Sri Lankan male.
Swimming also has a particular appeal to me. It is different from other sports. It is more individual, and the effect of being immersed in water means that overheated muscles get immediate respite.
The swimmer has this advantage. If one can refrain from counting laps, then the fact of being submerged in water also allows one to wander off in thought. The muscles, after all, soon get programmed to take over, like fingers to a keyboard. The mind, then, is free to pursue its own flights of fancy. Butterflies are, after all, free to fly.
The image of Mr. Francis in water is quite striking. His smooth, crew cut style and the perfect symmetry of his movements are inspiring. He appears as graceful as any athlete can. His form is as beautiful as that of a gymnast. The beads of water and glistening sheen on his skin are tantalizing.
I don't know if I should call it the sport of swimming or the art of swimming. It would seem to have an equal measure of both. That would make Conrad Francis both an athlete and an artist. Indeed the photographer who has captured the images shown here (source, The Colombo Spirit) has the eye to know when a man looks his best and the technique to know how to translate that into handsome digital images.
My own contribution is to further interpret and enhance the images. The re-coloring, cropping, application of various digital effects and formatting changes are mine. I offer these as a personal tribute to Mr. Conrad Francis. I have never met him and only know him through these images.
I also offer this post up to all others who are fans of the Sri Lankan and South Asian male, like myself.
Never is the best time...
I cannot say when I will ever tire of seeing images of handsome Sri Lankan men.
Music is art, sport is art and so too is the male physique. The Greeks and Romans were not abashed about acknowledging this. "Never a Time" is a song by Phil Collins, and an example of music as art. If you've got the MP3 file, put on that tune while you admire one final image of art and beauty in Mr. Conrad Francis.
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| click on image for full view |
Gallery
| Click on images below for the original The Colombo Spirit images. (Your favorite?) | ||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
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| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
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| Read The Colombo Spirit feature article on Conrad Francis, Be Honest to Yourself. | ||||
- Read More about Conrad:
Keep your head down and do your best.Sri Lanka's big fish in the pool - Sport - Al Jazeera EnglishSri Lanka Swimming Sensation
The photos appearing in this SLM post are from The Colombo Spirit and have been edited to complement the theme of this post. I place no claim of ownership on any but original SLM images, indicated when such is the case. Original SLM images are free for use in any format, but I request a courtesy link back to this website.
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posted by B.D. at 5:11 PM
6 Comments:
Very attractive blog and the pics are really wonderful.. Thanks!
Notice Forms
OK, glad you like it Madhu, but your link isn't really appropriate.
Number 7 is the best. I like worshipping a guy I admire, in this case for both his looks and his accomplished athleticism, and pic number 7 puts me in a position of worship. Plus I love seeing his beautiful pecs on such obvious display.
It must be really fun and interesting to be the photographer of men like this, whether athletes or fashion models. Seeing such beauty in person, and capturing it on camera. Interacting with and spending time with the models. It takes a lot to be a photographer like that. Knowledge of lighting, posing, and capturing the mmoment.
I would ask Conrad what he likes about swimming, and what he gets out of it personally. I think that would be interesting to know.
And yes, his eyes are extraordinary with his lips coming in a very close second. He looks extraordinarly kind, but also intense and focused.
Now that I look back on my high school years, I wish I had gone out for running. I like to run, like the feeling of speed, exertion, and the feeling of flying along that happens when you really hit your stride. But I was a rebellious teen, and wanted my free time to be totally free and absolutely mine. No time for coaches or practices!
Swimmer's bodies are flexible, and have a much lighter layer of muscle than most other athletes. It's all about perfectly flat stomachs and fat-free bodies with the swimmers.
I wonder if Conrad is a naturally good poser or if he was coached by the photographer. The poses is 4, 6 and 7 with twisted or leaning torso are to me the sexiest and rather artistic, like a sculpture. I have had only one chance to really photograph a Sri Lankan model, and unfortunately have not been able to post any of the 300 images as the young man changed his mind about doing so. It was an interesting experience. The model, or more accurately aspiring model, was more in control than I was. He knew how to pose and what kind of image he wanted to present.
The idea is good, the presentation is, however, not so pleasing. There are so many near-perfect men a phnotographer can try to capture on "film" - the trick is how to make a man look as good as the human eye can see. Many men are almost totally perfect. Others have one or more physical assets that are impressive. Yes, living art is amazing. Men should appreciate what they have and enhance those qualities with physical training and grooming. So many men take better care of their motor cars, or bikes, but the body, the only one he has, is neglected - why?
^^ Glad you like the idea, but by presentation do you me the layout or editing of the pics or the accompanying commentary? I wasn't the photographer so can't take credit or blame for image composition, but I think the photographer did a great job with Conrad considering that Conrad is a swimmer, not a model. Except for bodybuilders is is probably true what you say that most guys pay more attention to their cars than themselves. But if you've got the looks of a mustang but only drive a Lancer, then you'll probably pay more attention to your body.
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