Erica & James

I am of the firm belief that neither nudity, nor explicitness, is necessary to make an image erotic. I think that such is the case with these three images. I typically start shoots with clothes on, and try to get something interesting there, first. Not that I'm going to abandon nudity anytime soon, since I like the idea of creating the question of whether it's art or porn. I do not believe for a moment that my work classifies as porn, but of course, that is just my opinion. I enjoy being the provocateur, and I like other people to ask that question about my work themselves. In the end, there is always someone, somewhere, who  finds Victoria's Secret catalogs to be good porn- not to mention even more seemingly innocuous imagery elsewhere. Beauty and/or porn, as well as what is perhaps erotic, is always in the eye of the beholder.

Manchester

This shot was a pleasant surprise, since I did not know that she had this tattoo on the inside of her lip, until she did this. Apparently, although they tend to be less painful than other tattoos, ink does not usually last here. They need to be redone, or they fade into oblivion. Something about the acid and chemical content of the mouth. The body also absorbs the pigment inside the mouth. These tats last from 1-5 years, depending on the person. Interesting factoid of the day...

Christine

This shot is actually a few years old. Besides that I've always really liked it, it seemed to mark a turning point for me. I think that this is my first successful image employing an extreme point of view and perspective, which I've continued to explore ever since. I find the idea of creating a lush deep space, starting with only the beginning in focus, to be  a great way of forcing the viewer to see things the way that I often do while shooting. Of course this kind of spatial illusion is nothing new- it goes back to Andrea Mantegna (an Italian painter from the 1400's) and The Lamentation of Christ. At first that painting looks like a study of foreshortening, but he actually reduced the size of the feet, among other things. Likewise, I can use lighting, depth of field, and Photoshop to create little tricks, making it seem like three feet goes on and on...

Setsuki

These two images are from a brief initial shoot with Setsuki. btw, that's her real, given name! I'm always excited when I get a very genuine portrait such as this one below. They are not easy to come by, despite the fact that I'm always trying. It depends more on the person I'm working with, rather than necessarily what I do. There are certain qualities that need to be present. Things such as eyes that can lock with the camera, yet be translucent as well. Expressions that are natural and relaxed, almost detached. Usually someone who feels comfortable wearing little to no makeup. Still, the right time and place- not to mention luck, play a large role. I can't help to be painfully aware that some of the most memorable portraits were created by extremely capable photographers, yet could never be repeated or matched. They remain well known solely for that one image, rather than their complete body of work.  Steve McCurry's "Afghan Girl" or Dorothea Lange's "Migrant Mother" are good examples of this phenomenon.  A rarer thing is a photographer who can consistently attain superb portraits, such as Richard Avedon, or Yousuf Karsh. But even Avedon has "Dovima with the Elephants", and Karsh has "Winston Churchill". Of course, I don't have that defining image yet- perhaps never will. But there are a few images that I capture that give me hope that there is still a chance...

Katy & Kitty

These images might seem a little out of place with any thing else in this blog. They were intentionally part of a shoot with Katy & Kitty, and I've been dedicating a portion of many of my shoots to shooting these images. They're for my body scape series, which I have not shown anywhere on the web but here, although some were incorporated in my body painting show at Mew gallery last year. btw, I hate the term body painting, but I can't seem to come up with anything better. The lighting, texture and mood are the same as everything else here, so I suppose that they do sort of belong with this body of work.

Meira

This is an out takes from a recent shoot with Meira, for her new paysite. Of course the images used for the set of 40 pics look completely different- pretty much formula soft core porn, in color. The lighting was even and straightforward, and I only employed my film noir lighting for the more interesting shots. I'm not very fond of doing sets because the post production is very time consuming, despite the fact that I try to rip through it. The typical porn producer would consider my "ripping through it" extremely time consuming. I need to work on letting go and just setting some auto levels to each image. I don't know how to be a hack. There are many days when I wish I could be. I do have to admit, however, that it's a blast shooting these sets! Porn formula is so easy. I don't even have to think about it. I just shoot and have fun. In my personal work I need to be so intensely focused- constantly moving lights, looking for the right angle, checking the camera parameters, et cetera. In the work that I post here, I'm always trying so hard to come up with something that is on a different level. I tend to forget that, perhaps, I should be enjoying these shoots more. I just saw your eyes roll... I'm serious, though. As Ming-Ming always says on Wonder Pets, "this is Seer-wious!!"

Li

Li is a medical doctor with whom I've shot many times. She is one of my favorite people to shoot with, which could have something to do with the fact that she has a fetish for being photographed. She actually gets off on being photographed, and although this could be said of quite a few women that I've photographed, with Li it is very intense and definitely different. She enjoys working with other photographers as well, and while she says I'm her favorite, I'm never under any illusion other than it is the camera providing the connection. When the camera goes down it is like an on/off switch. That's part of what fetishes are- object related. When that object is no longer there, neither is the fetish. None the less, I have to admit it is fascinating to control someone like a puppet on a string with a camera.  Li has several unique fetishes like that. Another is uniforms- the more formal, the more intense it is for her. A Marine decorated with lots of medals does a lot more for her than a Army private with none. Lots of people have reactions like that to clothing, but with Li it is intense beyond description. I find it curious that playing dress up and/or role playing would do nothing for her- it has to be genuine. She also has a Playboy bunny fetish. Her ultimate fantasy is to be a Playboy bunny- she says she would give up being a doctor to be one! Of course she owns a bunny outfit, but the interesting thing is that it is vintage from the 60's. With her own nameplate. She is quite particular like that...

Katy

Katy is a rockabilly girl who is obsessed with Henry Miller. It’s something that we have in common, among other things. Pinup images are a genre that I've focused on in the past and continue to occasionally create. There have not been any of my pinup pics represented here since it is a style that is so very different from this work. I'm definitely still channeling Bettie Page, though! Katy, of course, has many tattoos- certainly not very pinup. In the past, I’ve always strove to be dead on as far as re-creating the looks of yesteryear. I feel as though I've been hitting a stride lately in developing my own distinct style. Now I've been trying to incorporate that when doing the pinups, portraits and Hollywood glamour photographs.

Izzy

This is one of my personal favorites. I was thinking of a Fellini film when I shot it, and it still reminds me of Fellini film as an image. I have to admit that there is not much humor in my work, with the exception of my portfolio of dolls & toys. This one cracks me up, though. That has a lot to do with Izzy, who never takes things too seriously, and is always a blast to work with. btw, she was shaking her tits at pedestrians below, before & after the shot- which was even funnier than the image itself...

Sara

Sara is a professional model, and these images are from one particular shoot we did. Although they may not look different from other images of mine, I have to say that working with her is much different than working with most people. She doesn't need any direction, and I don't need to say anything. With others (especially someone who has never been photographed before), I am able to get images that look very good, but it can be very hard work. Sarah has a way of moving around that is exquisite to watch, and easy to photograph...

  

Jade Vixen

Jade Vixen is a very well known dominatrix, who is also an old and dear friend. Some of my most memorable images were created with her, although they have usually been fashion or vintage looking images rather than raw and erotic. There are several good reasons for this, despite that she has a very edgy and uninhibited persona. For one thing she typically tends to be in control and dominant (or wants to portray that in her images), whereas my erotic images tend to portray a submissive with some wild abandon. She also has an exquisite collection of vintage clothes- so we've usually gravitated towards showing them off.

Meira & Nick

Well, I think it's official- I believe that I've photographed Meira more times & in more situations than anyone else that I've worked with in the past. This is the second shoot with her and Nick. I don't think that I've ever had a bad shoot with her, and I'm still looking forward to many more. Shoots with her couldn't be more laid back.  In fact, we sometimes smoke up beforehand- something that I rarely do, since I definitely prefer to be in full control of my facilities when I'm shooting. Sloppiness is probably not a bad thing to introduce into my work. I like the unpredictability of it- but I'm not willing to go there with someone new, and especially not if I'm getting paid to do a job. I have been experimenting more with paid work, though- and people seem to be digging it. Me, too.

Kitty

More goose pimples...

Mistress Thora

More explorations of texture. I'm not looking forward to winter ending, as goose pimples will be much harder to come by.

Thora & Meira

This shoot is my first one in a dominatrix's dungeon- Mistress Thora Nang's. While dungeons have long interested me, and I've had access to some in the past, I've avoided shooting in them. They usually seem too contemporary or cheesy to me. Not to mention that I would not have the same control or comfort that I have in my own studio. The benefit, though, is that everything is right there- it's like being a kid in a candy store. Which is an understatement in Mistress Thora's dungeon! She has an incredible selection of equipment, apparatus and furnishings. It actually causes sensory overload- I have no idea what to try out next. I'll definitely be back there to shoot again...

Lee

This tie was fairly traditional Kinkabu, although the use of cheap twine definitely was not. Kinkabu usually employs quality jute rope (or hemp rope). I tend to be more concerned with my own aesthetics rather than being proper. I think that the twine gives a wonderfully rough look- practically falling apart as I apply it. It's difficult to work with, and it's not comfortable- but I none the less want to try some more of this. It really digs into the skin and leaves nice marks, too...

Jade Vixen

I've always, as far back as I can remember, taken pictures of marks left by clothing. These marks fascinate me because they seem to be like ghosts that soon fade away. The pictures of them were always simply documents, though, as opposed to having the same importance of whatever else I was shooting. Consequently, I was really dropping the ball on subject matter that could of had the potential strength of anything else I photograph. Lately I've been spending much more time shooting these intriguing textures, not to mention tying corsets and ropes ever more tighter to achieve better marks...

Meira

These images are documenting a practical matter- washing the icing off from the icing shoot, which I've previously posted. A very nonchalant fifteen minute shoot that was more goofing around and chatting (along with Izzy), rather than shooting. I often get better shots with Meira just being casual, as opposed to thinking about it too much.

Little One

These two images of Little One represent an example of something that I've been working on during the past couple of years. I've been going back to older images and completely starting over from scratch, and finding new ways to finish them. That is the beauty (and possibly the frustration) of the potential of negatives- whether film or digital. The possibilities of what a technically good negative can be turned into are endless. In the past, my modus operandi was to retain good solid blacks, make sure that the lightest areas were not blown out- and then let everything else fall in between. This was a logical way to work in the darkroom with film, with some burning & dodging here and there to help. Using layers in Photoshop, though, allows me to exploit areas of detail that would have been impossible or at least extremely difficult in the darkroom. Rather than exploiting the possibilities of distorting or retouching images, I'm finding that instead, I can create levels of detail that inherently exist, but were way beyond my reach in the darkroom. That is to say that I'm not making detail up, but merely excavating it very carefully, much the way an archaeologist carefully excavates a dig with fine brushes and other tools. After all, that's exactly what Photoshop is anyway- a very powerful tool. Of course, all tools can be used either heavy-handedly or with fine precision. I've discovered that using fine precision is allowing me to make images that are hyper-real, instead of becoming hyper fake.

Speaking of detail, the images that I post here are actually scaled-down versions in order to be viewed easily on the blog- if the image is clicked on, a larger and more detailed version can be seen...

Laura

The following quote is from a NY Times article that I read today:
"No organ is more promiscuous than the eye, and no appetite more insatiable than the hunger to look. These truths go a long way toward explaining the preoccupations of a culture whose interest in imagery is defining."
I could easily have a lot to say about what I feel regarding this quote. It is probably best to just leave it here on it's own, though, since the reason I like it so much is that it sums up many vague thoughts that I have- and so well in just a couple of sentences...


The following images are of Laura, from a shoot about eight months ago.