“Not one of the portrayed boys in Isolated Heroes is a professional model. They are either too ‘strange’ or too ‘ordinary’ to fit the mould of supermodels. Yet, through the eyes of Sims and Simons, they are made visible, without the aid of gimmicks or theatrical enhancements. Isolated Heroes is a sequence of faces and expressions, mindful boys and stern young men, their gaze fixed. They express nothing but their own personality; they give everything away but their own thoughts. The photographs don’t make them more beautiful, as in traditional (fashion) portraiture; each face is a peaceful vindication of modern perception of beauty, a resolute alternative to the clichéd glorification of male strength. In narrowing the close-up on the faces, Sims and Simons have created portraits in an almost classical sense. The images evoke memories of Classical-Greek statues and postures, further enhanced with lighting, clear backdrop and focus.” – Peter De Potter on the gorgeous rare book, Isolated Heroes. (via CFA and Wes Del Val)