Faded Sons: Five Years of Light, Flesh, and Feeling
- Q Kansas City
- 20 hours ago
- 2 min read
There’s something disarming about the way John D. Brant photographs people. His subjects don’t perform; they exhale. In a world that rewards filters and perfection, Brant’s images slow time down. The skin shows texture. The eyes linger. The human form, often bare and always honest, holds its own quiet power.
That’s the essence of Faded Sons, his long-running photography zine now celebrating its five-year anniversary. What started as an experiment in light and vulnerability has evolved into a collectible chronicle of queer beauty that is as raw as it is intentional.
Each issue tells a story, not through words but through posture, breath, and the subtle interplay between strength and surrender. Brant’s subjects, whether artists, lovers, strangers, or friends, step into his lens and emerge immortalized in the soft glow of imperfection.
“I’m drawn to the tension between confidence and fragility,” Brant says. “There’s a truth in the moments when people stop trying to look beautiful and just are.”
A Photographer with a Point of View
Originally from New Jersey and now based in Kansas City, Brant studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York before returning to the Midwest. His work carries that duality: gritty urban precision paired with the intimacy of smaller moments. You can feel both the East Coast discipline and the Midwestern warmth in every frame.
Brant isn’t chasing shock value or gloss. His focus is connection, capturing the poetry of bodies that exist outside the mainstream lens. The result is timeless, equal parts nostalgic and fresh, cinematic yet deeply human.
The Anniversary Issue of Faded Sons
The newest edition, Faded Sons Issue 13, marks a milestone: five years of imagery that has helped redefine what male and queer portraiture can look like. Featuring cover model Beau Buttler, the issue celebrates not just aesthetics but evolution, the growth of an artist, a community, and a body of work that has resonated far beyond Kansas City.
Join the Celebration
On Sunday, October 26, from 2–5 PM, Q Kansas City (504 Westport Rd) will host the release party for Faded Sons Issue 13. The afternoon promises a relaxed, art-forward atmosphere with music, cocktails, conversation, and the chance to meet Brant and Buttler in person.
Whether you’ve been following Faded Sons from the beginning or are just discovering it now, this moment invites you to see what happens when courage meets craft and to celebrate the quiet magic of showing up exactly as you are.
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