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 Mel Roberts.

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Mel Roberts' photographic career spanned over 40 years and reflects the growing visual freedom of the 1960s and 1970s in California. Roberts was one of the most prominent male photographers of the period. This first collection of his work reflects a unique vision with images that capture the subtle details of life from these important decades.

Roberts' images are of young men on a journey of self discovery, in a time before people were pressured to define themselves as gay, straight or otherwise. These portraits are a celebration of self expression and hope.
Mel passed away in august of 2007 at 84.

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Between 1977 and 1992, Roberts' Bel Air home was raided by the Los Angeles Police Department, each time confiscating large quantities of Roberts' work, photographic equipment and customer mailing lists. Roberts retired his professional photography career in 1981, with the exception of a few stills that were published in the 1998 book, Male Bonding, Volume Two, Roberts' work had been unseen for nearly two decades.