In its latest two-volume issue, Elska magazine, “a project dedicated to sharing the bodies and voices of a diverse cross-section of men from LGBTQ communities around the world,” took a closer look at the queer men of Munich, Germany, through intimate photography and personal storytelling. 

A statement from Elska editor and chief photographer Liam Campbell announcing the issue, read: “Elska Munich is our fourty-seventh issue and marks a long-overdue return to Germany, following Elska Berlin, which was our second issue.

“I knew we’d return to the country eventually, but I didn’t expect that Munich would become the target city,” Campbell added. “Many people had warned me that this was a stuffy town full of arrogant and conservative people, but perhaps it was because of this negativity that I felt inspired to come here and challenge these notions”. 

Speaking on the city, and the 17 subjects Elska interviewed for its latest double issue, Campbell reported: “I discovered such a spirit of enthusiasm from the men I met here to take part in my project, and this spurred me on to work harder than ever, meeting and photographing way more people than we could fit in an issue.

“That’s why we decided, for only the second time in Elska history, to publish two separate volumes from one city”. 

The men interviewed for the special double-issue spoke candidly about their personal and professional lives while posing for intimate photos of their unique and diverse bodies. 

Amongst those interviewed in the recently-published issue is Dat N, who pled with readers to treat older gay men with more respect and dignity, Dymytro S, who told the story of his immigration to Germany from his native Ukraine, and Christoph H, who shared the story of how he discovered his love for football after joining a queer team. 

In addition to the 17 main interviews and photography sessions, three more Munich-based queer men were interviewed and photographed for Elska Ekstra Munich, the comparison zine, which similarly contains hundreds of pages of outtakes and behind-the-scenes stories. 

Elska Munich is purchasable from select shops around the world, as well as online from the official website.