I had the privilege to work with Richard Armas in 1997 at his Hollywood studio. I brought with me Versace’s coffee table book Men without Ties, as a mood board of sort. Yes, I knew he was one of the most prolific and dependable fashion photographers in those days –google his Stevie Nicks photos; I didn’t know he was the man behind the (arguably) sexiest and most iconic Playgirl pictorials of the mid 80s: Steve Rally’s in September 1984, fashion model Brian Buzzini’s in June 1985 and then again, as Man of the Year, in January 1986. The first (of many) Man of the Year to pose with a raging hard-on!
Armas had a knack for making his centerfolds comfortable before the camera and for lending them a ‘romantic’ aura (Tom Collins, Mike Lee, Christian D’Anboise, Larry Young, George Dufour, to name a few): he posed them both indoors and outdoors, often with a soft light that caressed their bodies, making them look sexier, more friendly, more approachable. His December 1991 cover, with Daniel Celaya’s long hair, may have not aged well (so 1991!); his artistry has.
