320 pages, 268 images, 60 artists – once you see Night Visions, you’ll never view the dark in the same way again, writes Reg Domingo.

Fred Goudon, Kobi Israel, Roberto Chiovitti, Ohm Phanphiroj, Michael Andrew, Joan Crisol – no, it’s not an AXN roll call (though these visionary photographers have all graced these very pages); rather, these are among the dozens of leading artists featured in Night Visions, the latest anthology released by uber-publisher Bruno Gmünder, and the follow-up to the hugely popular book, Visions.

“The anthology format was new to us as a publisher,” says Joris Buiks, who co-edited the first installment but edited the sequel entirely on his own. “Before Visions, we had never published an anthology book in the classical sense before. Press reviews have been unanimously positive and ultimately the book was a seller. We took that as a big compliment and as an encouragement to make a sequel.”

Second time around, Buiks wanted to offer readers, and the artists, something new. “So we came up with the idea to theme the anthology. We have been looking for a theme that, as we believed, most photographers could somehow relate to. Plus we wanted a theme that is open for various interpretations, aiming at a compilation with many, many styles.”

And many styles they got. Thousands of images were submitted by photographers from around the world, all with their own unique take of what life was like once the sun went down. There are the stylised shots of Patrick Mettraux; the voyeuristic views of Ohm Phanhiroj; the hyper-masculine work of Jeff Palmer; the erotically-charged scenes of Wilson Models; and the kitsch aesthetic of Eric Sposito. All in all, there are more than 268 images by photographers ranging from the world-renowned to MySpace prodigies.

“My personal goal in editing is to take today’s hot names and put them alongside photographers for whom I foresee a great career,” Buiks tells AXN. “And I think there are plenty of them in both books that could really make it big.”

Joining the aforementioned crew are emerging up-and-comers such as Tennessee-based Ethan James and Deviant Art sensation Chris Knight, as well as photography heavyweights Adam Raphael, Marco Carocari and Henning Von Berg.

But choosing the artists was no walk in the park either. Whittling them down was just as challenging as sifting through the artworks.

“You can’t imagine how many photographers are out there,” Buik says. “In the three years that I’ve worked with Bruno Gmünder I’ve received lots and lots of book proposals. Many of which we had to turn down. Not because the work is not worth publishing, but simply because we can only publish so many. It’s with these artists that I started off, then added names to the list along the way.”

And the result of having such a diverse cast is a collection that leaves no dark stone unturned, no shadowy corner unexplored. From the bizarre and the unusual, the beautiful and sensual, to the sexy and downright filthy – Night Visions provides an arousing glimpse into an erotic and nocturnal world. You won’t look at the dark the same way again.

NIGHT  VISIONS: Contemporary Male Photography, edited by Joris Buiks, Foreword by Felice Picano is available now  at www.ep.com.au/shop