For photographer David Velez, the male body is not a concept to be explained—it’s something to be observed, felt, and allowed to exist on its own terms. Based in Seixal, the 31-year-old photographer works across portraiture, fashion, lifestyle, and body-focused photography. While his portfolio spans multiple genres, his most recognizable work centers on the male form—captured with an emphasis on beauty, strength, sensuality, and presence.
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David holds a degree in Photography and Visual Culture from the IADE-U Institute of Art, Design, and Enterprise, but his approach to image-making is guided less by theory and more by instinct. His work resists over-intellectualization, favoring immediacy and human connection.
“I don’t know if it’s a unique perspective,” he says, “but I know it’s my perspective and what I like for sure.”
Letting the Model Lead
Unlike photographers who build elaborate narratives around their images, David starts—and often ends—with the person in front of his lens. The setting, styling, and lighting are all secondary to the energy the model brings into the frame.
“The clothes, the spot, the light — that’s secondary,” he explains. “What’s more important is the models and what they give to the photo.” That philosophy gives his images an intimacy that feels unforced. The men he photographs are not positioned as symbols or ideas, but as individuals—present, grounded, and visibly at ease in their bodies.
David’s fascination with people has been a throughline in his work since the beginning. Early on, he was drawn to more conceptual photography, influenced by artists like Robert Mapplethorpe, Terry Richardson, and Herbert List. Over time, that inspiration expanded.
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“Right now there’s so much content online, so many books and magazines, it’s hard to tell you names,” he says. “My ‘inspiration’ folders have so many random artists and random photos, and right now, that’s what inspires me.”
Still, one source remains constant. “I also always say: my models inspire me.”
Capturing Beauty Without Overthinking It
David is candid about his relationship to meaning in art. While some of his work carries conceptual weight, most of his images are not built around symbolism or layered intent. “I don’t think about my art that way,” he says. “I don’t feel like I want my art to focus on meanings and whys and deeper thoughts.”
“Most of my photos are not about that deep feeling,” he continues. “It’s about capturing people I find beautiful and interesting and making them feel sexy and good about themselves.”
That clarity of purpose has allowed his work to remain consistent even as it evolves. His recent Golden Boys series reflects this balance—introducing gold and blue lighting to add atmosphere and contrast while keeping the focus squarely on the body and the person inhabiting it.
Navigating Nudity in a Censored World
As an artist who frequently photographs the human form, David has felt the limitations of social platforms acutely. “I feel anger,” he says. “It’s so sad how restrictive social platforms are about nudity.”
While he acknowledges that some rules exist for safety, he believes the male body is disproportionately policed. “I feel especially with the male form, it’s harder to have content online,” he explains. Instagram remains his primary platform for visibility and client outreach, but it comes with compromises.
“I can’t show my full work without crops or blurred parts, and that’s damaging for me.” As a result, David—like many artists working with the body—has been forced to spread his work across multiple platforms. “Instead of having everything on one platform, we artists need to have a bunch of different places so we can showcase all of our art.”
Art, Eroticism, and Where the Line Falls
David’s relationship to nudity has shifted over time. What began as strictly artistic nude photography has gradually expanded. “These past years, I’ve been exploring more of the pornography part of art,” he says. For him, the distinction isn’t moral—it’s qualitative. “The distinction matters for me, but just about the quality of the art.”
David believes erotic imagery can still be art when intention, composition, and care are present. “I can make artistic nude photos incorporating pornography, and that is art,” he says. What separates meaningful work from something disposable, in his view, is effort. “When there’s no thought, no light awareness, no direction of the model, I can see that there was no effort,” he explains. “And I just feel like it’s not art; it’s just a photo.”
He’s quick to acknowledge the subjectivity of that stance. “But this is in my head,” he adds. “Art is so subjective, and there are so many different opinions.”
Growing Alongside the Work
When asked what photography has taught him about himself, David doesn’t frame his career as a journey of discovery so much as one of parallel growth. “I don’t really feel like I learned something about myself,” he says. “When I started into photography, I already had a pretty good idea of what I liked and wanted to do.”
Instead, he describes an evolution shared between artist and practice. “It’s more like I grew up together with my work,” he explains. “We both got more mature, we sometimes try new things together, and we keep working together doing what we love.”
“If that makes any sense — me and my art,” he adds, laughing.
Looking Forward
With summer underway in Portugal, David already has his eye on what’s next. “It’s summer here in Portugal,” he says, “so I hope to start making lots of beach/pool shoots.”
As for choosing a favorite image from his body of work, that decision never sticks. “Every time I think, ‘This is my favorite photo ever,’ I do a new one a few weeks later, and there goes my favorite.” What matters more to him is how the work lands with others. “I hope people like my work; people feel good when they see it,” he says. “I hope they dream about it and see that it’s really me and what I love.”
“And if they don’t like it,” he adds, “it’s okay; I love it the same way.”
Want to see the good stuff?
We’ve published more of Velez’s work — including the shots too spicy for this site — over on our Substack.
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Explore More
Follow David on Instagram, X, and Top4Fans to explore more of David Velez’s work. You can also visit his website to view his portfolio and purchase his art.
