The man behind the beard: Artist celebrates the machismo and might of men's facial hair by capturing hipsters, lumberjacks, and everything in between

For many, the man is only as good as his mustache.

Which is exactly what photographer Joseph D. R. Oleary explores in a new exhibition entitled ‘Of Beards and Men,’ a work that examines the complicated relationship between a man, his facial hair, and his identity.

After shooting 125 subjects, many of them who had never sat for a photo shoot, the result was an array of men whose looks are as diverse as they beards they sport.



Hot fuzz: Photographer Joseph D. R. Oleary took the portraits of 125 bearded men in a new exhibition he calls 'Of Men and Beards'





The mustache makes the man: Oleary examined how facial hair was part of the men's identities and portrayed their differentiating masculinity








Rugged: For these men, facial hair showed they were into extreme sports




Apothecary: This man favors a waxed mustache and beard





Country-Western: The proud countenance of a cattle rancher

The Minneapolis College of Art and Design graduate, who lives and works out of his farm outside of the city, is featuring these photos in a self-published book of the same name.

According to the Lenscratch blog, Oleary wanted to explore and study masculinity in contemporary society, adding that after pulling back from more traditional portraits, he began to see each subject as a whole.

‘Over the last 14 months,’ he said, ‘I invited 125 bearded men to my studio.


'Few of these men had ever stood in front of a camera for a professional portrait. Getting them to let down their barriers was both challenging and extremely rewarding.’






Hairy hunks: Left, a man uses his facial hair to accompany glossy waves and has opera music scattered on the floor; right, a man in a wife beater and a carefully-sculpted mass of bristles






Sitting pretty: Many of the men Oleary photographed had never had a professional portrait taken





To be or not to be: Time is not for men who have beards





All in the family: A father shows off his ginger curls and goatee while holding his infant son, also a redhead








States of dress: Left, a man in a cowboy hat and messy beard; right, the carefully-curated fringe of an otherwise nude man holding a 'V for Vendetta' mask to protect his modesty






Inked up: This man may be an elusive Brooklyn hipster, as evidenced by his flora tattoo sleeve and ironic beard