Well, look at what showed up this morning. Yep, another one of Robert Ascroft‘s photos of Mr. A.
Ali at Richard Armitage Net pointed out to me this looks like same T-shirt RA was wearing in that street shot of him walking toward the camera in his Burberry coat. Now here he is looking casual–and curiously American to me–sans coat and with those cool Converses. It’s Gary the Oklahoma school teacher, ready to do some weekend DIY or mix it up on the court with his basketball buddies.
I think Christmas came again over the last couple of days. *sigh*
the armitage effect 
That is a seriously gorgeous photo! Blue really is very flattering on him. Love the simplicity of this, lets his inner and outer beauty shine through.
Yes, I have done a lot of photo edits where I have added/enhanced the blues because the color is so becoming. Oh–I just found another photo by Ascroft . . . I need sleep, am positively giddy!!
More lovliness? What a good day!
A great RA day!! 😀
Lovely…I should resign myself now to getting nothing done today shouldn’t I? I’m coming up on a year, you’d think I’d see the signs by now 🙂
I’m many years into it now and if anything I’m getting worse!
It just gets worse. Trust me. 😉
Absolutely–it’s now seven+ for me, and I’m only getting more besotted. Of course, I can’t think of a better person to be besotted about, can you?
I choose to be besotted by only the BEST.
Happy Christmas to me, happy Christmas to me! These Ascroft shots, it’s like being drip-fed ambrosia. Yum, can’t get enough of Richard…
Hmmmm, I suddenly have a craving for ambrosia! Guess I will just have to look at RA some more. 😉
Lots of delicious Richard around lately! LOVE it and can’t get enough. Thanks, Angie.
No matter how much there is, we always want MORE!
Gorgeous new pic… 🙂
It really is, isn’t it?
Oh yes, he is… ❤
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I have just binned my previously started *ooof* for next week. I mean, this is the shot to end all shots. I love casual RA, and he looks so young in this, I am giddy just looking at it. I think Ali is spot-on with identifying Ascroft as the creator. This smacks of his straight-on approach. Whoa…
Right there with you, Guylty, taking it in the solar plexus, unlikely to recover.
Visceral reactions all around!!
Visceral (that’s the correct spelling *ooops*). Permanent solar-plexus damage has never felt so good.
Yes, as John Mellencamp would say, “Hurts so GOOD.”
And I really love your analysis, too, Guylty!!
Bless 🙂 xx
Not a bad substitute–it will have to do until next Christmas gift in December unless we are lucky enough for “Black Sky” to be released. Terrific photo!
OMG, he looks so casual and fresh!!! Is like if he was the cute neighbor who invite to play at the Park!!! 😉
I’d go for a playdate with him any old time!
Such a stunning picture. I love the way he looks and the outfit!! *guh* My poor heart may never recover! 😉 Mr Ascroft is a total genius. Sadly for me he looks so darned young and beautiful that it makes *me* feel positively ancient! 😦
He does, doesn’t he? Makes me feel about a half century older than I already am–and we’re not talking about a fibro day.
somebody should ask him in one of those Twitter Q&A’s if he’s using that top secret melon extract to keep himself young..or alternately, where he keeps that portrait of himself that ages in his place 😉
I think he’s too much of a sweetheart to have a Dorian Gray portrait hanging in his attic.
I think there’s a youthfulness he carries with him, an internal quality that shines out and helps give him a sort of ageless vibe. And he’s still definitely in touch with his inner child, too. 😉
One of my very favorite qualities about him (among all the others). I love the fact that there is still so much “kid” in him and it shows so easily when he’s talking about certain things.
I think of the delighted grin he wears when holding up that mini-Lego. That’s boyish Armitage shining right through the Thorin gear.
Yes and also the photo where he plays table soccer or whatever it’s called!!
And he’s so darned tall and trying to bend to make himself fit! LOL
Except for the fact that the table was so short for him–looked like a kid’s table!
I would be interested to know what type of products he uses in his skin care regimen.
Ascroft is brilliant. BTW, in Guylty’s latest “ooof” at Serv’s blog, she explains how the lighting used by Ascroft helped give RA a more youthful glow without necessarily needing to resort to Photoshop. 😉
That the other thing I was trying to think of–he certainly does not need the assistance of Photoshop.
Couldn’t agree with you more, Stephanie. I always find that Ps makes him look artificial. But then again, it is the general sexism and unfairness of life that the appearance of lines on a man’s face is considered a sign of experience, respectability, distinction (whereas for women… well, you know what I mean). Not that he has too many of those, but the few that he has, around his eyes, certainly enhance rather than detract.
I love those lines around his eyes. To me it says that this is someone who enjoys life and laughter and is living to appreciate more.
I agree. A man with true joie de vivre.
Spot-on Dee! Nothing to hide or to be embarrassed about. They are the “good lines”. For men and women alike, actually.
A life well lived and being lived!
Absolutement.
I think when people are habitually frowning, whinging, feeling dissatisfied with life, or they engage in harmful behavior like excessive drinking and drugging, it can settle into their face in unflattering ways. Those are the bad lines. I have seen people that’s happened to. They say at a certain point in life we have the face we deserve, or have earned. I have seen some incredibly beautiful older people–yes, with lines and crinkles and such– the sum total of their life experiences and their positive attitude about life shining through. I have to say my mother was one of those. With Mother’s Day coming, I find myself thinking of her quite a lot.
I have always been a little bothered by his official headshot, you know the one sent out by his agency. It’s a little too “done” for my taste, mainly around the eyes, which are one of his best, most expressive features IMHO.
Again, in total agreement with you, Angie. In an act of shameless self-promotion, may I link to an old *ooof* of mine pre-me+r in which I analysed exactly that shot. http://guylty.tumblr.com/post/31127001194/ooof-of-the-day-this-is-a-long-overdue-ooof
Hey, baby, self-promote away!! 😀 I am having to learn to get better at it with this new video production business and with the prospect of shopping a novel around at some point. 😉
You can rely on me as a promotion channel. Heck, I’ll write you a glowing testimonial – I am your number 1 fanfic fan!
Unfortunately, I know exactly what you mean about the lines in a woman’s face being treated merely as signs of aging–that said, I think every line and crinkle in Richard’s face is beautiful and needs no artificial enhancement in photos. He is perfection just the way he is.
I love the way the laugh lines at the corners of his eyes fold like tiny fans, I love the way the lines around his mouth etch a little deeper when he laughs, I love …
*sigh*
But I wish that was generally said about women’s lines, too, Leigh. Ah well, that’s a different story.
Yes, it is, a definite double standard.
I make no effort to hide my natural lines. As I told a friend, I earned every last one of them.
I am coming to terms with my own signs of aging still and am possibly still at the denial stage *ggg*. But I want to be rational and dignified about the fact that we all age. And I know I will do what you do. My lines are all good lines, anyway :-), and I am sure so are yours. Let’s celebrate them.
The great thing about being overweight and so fair you have to watch your time in the sun? You wrinkle less. 😉 II will tell you what is driving me crazy at present. Hair sprouting where it shouldn’t on a woman. I mean, I have always had this peach fuzz stuff on my face. Doesn’t bother me. But on my chin and my throat?? And why when my hair on top of my head is turning white are some of these errant hairs so DARK?? I mean, I have never had hair that dark anywhere on my body?? *sigh*
Just a taste of things to come. Even when the rest of one’s hair is white, the witch hairs still sprout dark and strong, and in odd places.
Yeah, they are very coarse compared to hair on head. Hard to pluck out. I just saw two on my throat and had to grab the tweezers. *sigh* There are times I have actually grabbed my razor and made a quick swipe. Makes me wonder if I should one day try some of that Vaniqua stuff!
I don’t know what Vaniqua is, but I use a magnifying shaving mirror and a pair of embroidery scissors to get some of the weird ones. For the rest, have the bastards waxed. (Electrolysis did not work for me.)
I hate that, too–and my hair is dark (normally, when I don’t dye it), so most of my other hair comes in the same. As for lines–don’t mind them at all. Actually, what with having very oily skin most of my life, I don’t have nearly as many as I should have–especially since I was awful about leaving makeup on my face at the end of the day when I was younger and wore the stuff all the time.
I had oily skin,too, and my nose will NEVER wrinkle because it is still oily! LOL Actually, as much as I dislike our humid environment here, it’s actually better for the skin in many ways. As for those pesky hairs, I love this quote: “I refuse to refer to them as whiskers. I prefer to think of them as errant eyebrow hairs.”
If you could see my eyebrows, you’d know I’m sitting here laughing like a hyena (of all the features I could’ve inherited from my father, WHY did it have to be that?) I used to pluck all the time, but it hurts like the devil, so I finally just stopped.
I wish I could remember who said that, but it really stuck with me after I started getting these “errant eyebrow hairs” back in my 40s. 😉 I still pluck but I need to get waxed again-brows, upper lip (OK, it’s really mustache) and now I think my chin needs it! LOL
I need a haircut so badly, to, my hair is literally taking over the planet and has grown terribly out of shape–maybe I’ll splurge and get my eyebrows waxed, too. It’s worth it to see a clean look for at least a few weeks!
It’s nice to think that sometimes being overweight can have an advantage ;-). It’s certainly an effect that I have noticed, too. And in the negative sense, as well, as when I had a radical weight loss, all of a sudden I had more wrinkles in my face. Ah well. Life.
And unlike some people, he was MADE for high definition (I have seen some performers on TV that it didn’t do any favors, I have to say).
I haven’t read Guylty’s *ooof* yet, but I would be much happier if it was the lighting that’s created the younger image rather than Photoshop. Same result, I know, but to me it seems less manipulative, if that makes any sense.
I just read Guylty’s post about the way the lighting was used too and found it most interesting. I would like to think that was the reason rather than it being Photoshopped! 😉
Stunning photo, and I love it *drool* but his younger look is courtesy of photo shopping, not just his outfit. Candid pics of him show the prominent vertical lines of his bone structure either side of his forehead, and they’re not evident, so what else has been touched up for publication? Sorry, I don’t mean to be a party pooper, but I love those lines – and the crinkles – they are him. Touching up studio shots is a fact of life nowadays, but he simply doesn’t need to be improved. At the Q&A last night he was absolutely beautiful. It’s been said countless times that he is more gorgeous in person than the photos. I wouldn’t have thought that possible, but I’ve seen him for myself now, and it’s true. He takes your breath away.
I don’t think he needs to be touched up either, Mezz. And I totally believe all you ladies about him being more gorgeous in the flesh. Now that I ‘ve finally decided to stop hiding my old accident scars from the world beneath bangs, I find heavily photoshopped images bother me more and more. Sometimes I don’t even immediately recognize a celeb from their photo after they’ve been tweaked so much! Our lines and crinkles and scars are part of the roadmap of our lives. Of course, II am still fighting off wrinkles with various lotions and potions, too LOL
I totally agree Mezz!!! I love every single crinkle, wrinkle and line on that beautiful face!!! Oh to see him in the flesh one day..That wish is on the top of my bucket list..*sigh*
Mine, too.
On the top for many of us, I am sure.
I was so busy looking at his lovely, long and lean body, that I totally didn’t notice all of the editing done to his face! I had to go back and look after reading all of the above comments. And, I have to agree, his face has been seriously retouched. How sad that we can’t see “real” photos anymore! Geez, do we have to be ashamed of the natural aging process! That’s why so many folks are going under the knife! (And then so many of them look down right scary!!) I have to say that I do use products to keep my facing looking as good as possible. (I like people saying, “Your that old!!”) But, come on, we age. I wish these folks would let us see real people growing old gracefully, like Richard!
My mother always cleaned and moisturized with a simple regimen of Dove soap and Oil of Olay moisturizer. She wore good foundation, cream blush and lipstick. She never got injected or filled or lifted or anything like that. And I couldn’t begin to tell you how many people thought of her as an absolutely beautiful older lady–even in the very last days of her life. She was blessed with good skin and tried to take of it, gave up smoking, didn’t drink or overdo it out in the sun. I am trying to do the same and hope to grow older gracefully, too. BTW, I think RA is going to be an absolutely stunning older man one day. 🙂
Mom has always used Oil of Olay as well! I used to use it for 20 or more years. Then I tried a variety of fancy and expensive moisturizers. Now I’m back to it but I used the Regenerist with DNA superstructure cream. And of course, I try to stay out of the sun as much as possible! (My fair skin and Rosecea make that a must!) And yes, Mr. Armitage will continue to knock our socks off when he’s 50, 60, 70, 80…
I’ve never been one to moisturize much because of my skin being so oily–it always feels like I can’t get it clean. But I have been thinking lately that I might need to start and my Mom also swore by Oil of Olay. People have always told me I look at least 10 years younger than I am, but I’m not sure I can count on that much longer.
Another stunning photo!