So, when did you start taking saucy photographs of men?
When I broke up with my partner of eight years. Before that I didn't deal with gay lifestyle at all. Before that I did travel photography and I won quite a lot of awards for it.

What made you want to do gay stuff?
It was probably a psychological process to help me understand what I was going through. And to reconcile the very macho background I have and the army experiences I have with being gay.

Was being in the army a sexy experience for you?
Not at all! You're at the age when you want to love and show love and all you can do is hide your sexuality.

Were there other gay men in the army that you could hook up with?
When I was 18 I thought I was the only gay man in the world but after a few months I met someone who was gay and we became good friends. One thing that is very special to Israeli society is this brotherhood. It's about loving the other guy but it's not sexual. You hear stories about people rescuing their friends in war, it's so deep. And they're always saying 'I love you, my brother', which is very confusing when you're gay.

Did the soldiers you took photos of know that you were a gay photographer?
Yeah, most of the guys are my friends. Some of them are real soldiers and some of them not.

Is it weird to go back to that situation and all of a sudden be in control of it?
That's why I did it. It started out as an art project dealing with coming out and my memories. So, I went back to the same situations I remembered from being in the army, but this time I was in control.

So, do Israeli soldiers usually wander around in their tiny sexy underwear?
Yeah. They will not go naked in the desert but underwear, yeah. For so many people it's a fantasy but for some people that's just real life.

Views by Kobi Israel is published by Bruno Gmunder. Visit www.kobi-israel.com.