Dave Martin Day

The last time I did a full Dave Martin series, I used photos shared with us by Bryan B.

Today's come from my own collection, starting with this one of Bud Counts,

one of those models who never seems to have made a bad picture.

 

Physique Week, Day 7 - Favorite Models II

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Bud

Mr. Martin had Bud Counts lean against a large rock for this color shot.

 

Bud

I've posted almost three dozen photos of Bud Counts,

but somehow missed this one by Dave Martin until now.

 

Contrasting Bruce of LA Models, Part 2 - Bud Counts

I've done so many posts on Bud Counts that he has his own label on the list, and I haven't run out of material yet.  Today's second feature has some of his "blonde and built" work for Bruce.  This picture was made during a trip Bruce took to Mexico with some models.  That must have been fun.

 

Pin-up Style

Here we see Bud Counts against the corrugated backdrop that Bruce used often.

He looks like he might be doing sit-ups, but isn't very convincing.

 

Stamped and numbered

Bud Counts appears against this same rock later in today's series in a different pose.  

This version is interesting because it fetched over $700 in an on-line auction, 

probably because it has Bruce's original stamp and catalog number.

 

Chains

Here's another shot of the preceding backdrop.  Believe it or not, the corrugated panels were painted a lurid red at one time.  I have a couple of color images to prove it.

 

On the rocks again

Based on a quick survey of my Bud Counts files, I'd say he spent a good bit of time on, around, and against rocks in the desert.  Bruce of LA seems to have liked such settings.

 

Bud Counts Day

Bud Counts (1929-1996) was a competitive bodybuilder from 1950-55, but some say his career was held back by his comparatively short stature of 5'8".  The best he managed to do was second place in the 1954 Mr. Los Angeles competition.  After that, he turned to wrestling, but meanwhile he had a very successful modeling career posing for Bob Mizer of AMG, Dave Martin, Bruce of LA, and possibly others.  Today I'm featuring 10 of his photos, beginning with this nice one by Dave Martin.

 

Bruce of LA used that grass floor mat in a number of his photos, even taking it 

to the desert on at least one occasion.  Here Bud Counts poses on it and in 

front of another Bruce trademark, the corrugated background.

You'll see several ropes in today's series, too.

 

I lost track of how many models posed for Dave Martin at this rocky seaside locale, 

but none had a more memorable session that the one that produced this photo of Bud Counts.

 

Bob Mizer boasted in one of his promotional pieces in Physique Pictorial that AMG 

had taken over 400 photos of Bud Counts, and I believe it.  This triple composite is from 

an AMG session that used some elaborate props.  Bud also did a lot of work for Bruce of LA

 and Dave Martin, both of whose work is prominently featured in today's series.

 

Here we see Bud Counts with a beach ball in a setting 

that looks more like a desert than a beach.  Bruce?

 

Someone emailed the other day asking for a Levis theme, and this photo of Bud Counts will have 

to do until I can throw a full series together.  I just noticed that ropes seem to be used in a lot of 

Bud's photos by a number of different photographers.  I don't know who took this one, btw.

 

Bruce of LA took this photo of Bud Counts on one of his desert sessions.

My source even sent me Bruce's stamp from the reverse of the picture.

 

The shadow of a fish net behind Bud in this photo make me think of AMG, but it came to me 

with no photographer named.  Mr. Counts' 5'8" frame is absolutely stacked solid here.

 

Bud Counts fine derriere is featured in this Dave Martin photo.

 

This is one of only two color photos of Bud Counts in my collection.

 

Our derriere of the day features the always popular Bud Counts and a rock.