Back in 2010, London-based photographer Adrian Lourie noticed a glaring gap in gay media. The men splashed across magazine covers and glossy advertisements looked immaculate, heavily edited, and completely out of reach. Lourie wanted to see the guys he actually encountered in daily life: the ones living next door, hanging out in local pubs, or sitting across from him on the tube.
So, he decided to shoot them himself.
“I started it because I wanted to make something in print, and I wanted the opportunity to photograph loads of hot men,” Lourie shared in a recent chat with me. “A meat man is the sexy five-a-side player you eye up on the tube. He’s the gorgeous dog dad you always see in the park. Anybody can be a meat guy.”
Equipped with a camera and a simple premise, Lourie launched meat, a self-published UK pictorial focused on photographing everyday gay men without digital fixes or professional modeling backgrounds. Sixteen years, 76 zines, five books, and ten years of naked calendars later, what was supposed to be a single-year project has evolved into a massive cultural archive. To mark the milestone this year, Lourie is publishing meat sixteen – The First Sixteen Years, a 300-page retrospective hardback collecting over 800 men photographed since the project began.
Real Men, Borrowed Bedrooms, Zero Photoshop
The secret to the longevity of meat is its commitment to intimacy and authenticity. Lourie shoots his subjects in natural environments, apartments, hotel rooms, and everyday living spaces. The guys featured span different ages, body shapes, and backgrounds. They are rarely professional models, and they show up as themselves.
That focus on genuine representation hits especially close to home as the project grows alongside its creator.
“Meat has taught me that it doesn’t matter what you look like, everybody has hangups about their body,” Lourie said. “For me as an aging gay man, I think it’s really important that I represent guys my age and older in meat because we’re not invisible, we’re still relevant, and we still want to be seen.”
That approach feels even more distinct in 2026, where social media feeds are dominated by face-tuning apps and hyper-curated feeds. Looking back through the early zines, you see genuine skin textures, messy bedrooms, and natural light.
Inside The Hardback Edition
The new retrospective gathers selected photographs from the past 16 years alongside previously unseen archive pictures and brand-new shoots created specifically for the release.
Bound in an A4 hard cover with gold foil detailing, the book functions as both a history lesson in UK indie publishing and a collector’s piece. The first edition run is strictly limited to 200 copies, divided into two versions:
- Standard First Edition: Features over 300 pages of photography wrapped in a gold-foiled hard cover.
- Collector’s First Edition (Limited to 100 copies): Individually numbered and signed by Adrian Lourie, complete with an exclusive signed A4 photographic print.
Lourie has handled the project single-handedly since day one, relying on a small network of friends for help, but he points to the readers as the real engine behind the publication. “Alongside the men that I photographed, the most important thing to me is the meat community and the people who love what I do,” he noted. “Without them, there wouldn’t be a project to begin with.”
What Comes Next For The Project
While meat sixteen marks a major anniversary, Lourie isn’t wrapping up his camera gear anytime soon. Along with the retrospective book, meat continues its ongoing print lines, including the BARE and MANUAL series, alongside regional exhibitions and community events.
“When I first started meat, I had no idea that it would become what it has,” Lourie said. “I’m as passionate about meat today as I was when I first started… it isn’t the end of the project, and I’m actually looking forward constantly and continuing the project for as long as it excites me.”
Sixteen years later, that original drive hasn’t shifted: capturing real guys, exactly as they are.
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