• Picture of the Day: Desert Beauties – Circa 1940′s

    LouPop Collection

    Posted on May 19, 2012

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    Editor’s Note: To learn more about the life and times of LouPop and the collection of vernacular photography, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click the green icon.
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    Photo: Courtesy of The Estate of Anthony Colagreco.


  • The Philo Project: Erotic Art

    Barlow Holley

    Posted on May 12, 2012 by Barlow Holley

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    ……….I despise imposing my own subjective idea of this photographic message upon you the viewer and wish to leave its meaning as open-ended as possible. That being said, one could reasonably say that this image is of a more humorous rather than serious nature in comparison to some of the other exhibits in The Philo Project series. To me, this picture hints at a variety of themes: a parody of the concept of “erotic art” through the absurd juxtaposition of a formal space and stodgy musical instrument with near complete nudity, a glimpse of the sitter with see-through vision, or merely the whimsical appreciation of the human form in the position of musical performance. Is erotic art a nominal practice more than other genres of art, does erotic art require reference to physical acts or parts to be erotic, what is erotic art’s place in the hierarchy of artistic content, assuming that such an ordering exists? These are just a handful of my personal musings.

    To Be Continued……….


  • Latisha: Today’s Screenshot – April 25, 2012

    TWS

    Editor’s Note: To see more pictures of TW’s brief encounter with Latisha, go to the search bar at the top of the page: type in Latisha and click the green icon.


  • Tony Wood: Nude Distortions

    Long Legged Nude

    Posted on April 24, 2012 by Tony Wood
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    I grew up with the conventions of rebelling. I remember seeing the first Playboys when I was 6. I had 4 older brothers. The ideal bodies, with their standardized and unlikely proportions bore me now. I have great fun creating impossible bodies that defy gravity and biology. I’ve always had a fascination with distortion. Hendrix, Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, the distorted realities of William Burroughs, Joel Peter Witkins and Terry Gilliam have all been important Art for me. Minor White said there were 2 kinds of photographers, “those who like reality the way it is and those who are dissatisfied with the world as it is”.
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    Untitled


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    The definition of photography has undergone a huge redefinition. With the digitalization of the world we are seeing once separate visual mediums merging and over-lapping in unexpected ways. I took a photography class with Jerry Uelsmann in the 80′s – where he described how he merged multiple images with a 6 enlarger darkroom. Before Photoshop it was rare to find photographers working this way. The digital application has opened up the possibility of controlling everything that makes up an image, much like a synthesizer can effect every component of sound. The photographer decides the color pallet, not Kodak. Images, colors, textures, tones can all be layered, collaged and merged in new ways that were impossible a couple decades ago.
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    Untitled

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    Two Faced Nude

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    Editor’s Note: To learn more about photographer Tony Wood, log on: www.AnthonyWoodPhotography.com. Copyright 2012


  • The Philo Project: Interpretations of Erotica

    Jennie

    Posted on April 19, 2012 by Jennie Shapira

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    MISPLACEMENT

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    ……….For me, eroticism tickles the uncomfortable; it’s the delicate play of contrasting themes, acting perversely to make the viewer experience the combative feelings of ease and unease. It’s the product of a dichotomy between overt sexuality and something that both pushes you back and draws you in. What defines erotic as erotic is precisely this interaction. The concept of seeing only enough to force you to fill in the rest plays strongly with my views of eroticism, allowing a not-fully nude image to sometimes be more sexually driven than one where everything is purely raw.

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    Jennie

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    As a deeper conversation with the viewer, the creation of a scene which beckons for an accompanying narrative causes the interaction to deepen. In the end, it doesn’t matter if the story is the same as the stories imagined by all the others, nor the story imagined by the subject at the time of creation, as long as it is one that spawns a desire to know the character and know how the depicted situation managed to occur.

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    Jennie

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    In order to embody these themes and appropriately have them relate to the ‘philo’ environment located at UPenn’s College Hall, I imagined one half of the dynamic play to involve the concept of purity and intellectual soundness. The Philomathean Halls are gilded with knowledge, so a fair counter would be one that’s slightly disturbing and somewhat scandalous, which would eject itself from the ‘ivy-bubble’ as much as possible. To show eroticism, I plan to pose myself in an uncomfortable, tied-up fashion, as if just left in this building, for non-specific torture to ensue. Such would invoke much internal conversation, a discomfort with the image, and a great contrast with the neat, orderly, olden feel of the library.

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    Jennie

    To Be Continued………..


  • Jennifer Cole: Growing Up – Part 2

    Jennifer Cole

    Posted on April 11, 2012 by Jennifer Cole

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    ……….In the past several months, I’ve arrived at many conclusions about my behavior, and how it has affected others, as well as myself. I realized I have a problem facing reality and tend to act out in extreme ways to distract myself from it. I’ve become so skilled at stifling and numbing my hurt feelings, fears, anxieties, and my inner anger, that anticipating a drink every single evening seemed like normative behavior. Then it became apparent to me that feelings are just feelings… no matter how uncomfortable they are, sometimes you just have to sit with them, go to sleep, and wake up with a better, rested, and fresh outlook.

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    I started to reteach myself how to think and live. My ambitions of being an event planner and starting my own business came to the forefront of my goals once again, after being buried somewhere back in college. Entering this type of business has been anything but easy…coupled with my “partying” tendencies: I have realized this business will never happen – unless I properly fuel the fire that needs to ignite it; me.

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    Jennifer Cole


    Copyright 2012

    To Be Continued………..
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    Editor’s Note: To see more pictures of Jennifer Cole, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click green icon.


  • Sonrya Sanjaraya: Artist of the Day

    Sonrya Sanjaraya

    Posted on April 5, 2012 by Sonrya Sanjaraya
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    …..When asked recently what was the inspiration by this art work: Just a woman always used by men for her beauty. A woman who would have been loved, but also a woman who loved playing this seduction game with her body, her sexiness, her feminine desires. I created a magic witch – which made men come to her but who didn’t find the way to keep one with her forever.

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    Self-Portrait 2012


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    The link between the drawing and this recent self-portrait represents this ongoing search, the cool balance to use the females power over man, and find how to capture more than desires and smiles: find how to be the magic one.
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    About The Author: To read more articles by Sonrya Sanjaraya, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click the green icon.


  • Brooke Lynne: March Cover Shoot 2012

    Brooke Lynne

    Posted on March 29, 2012 by Lynne Brooke

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    STRIPPED: A Tony Ward Studio Exclusive Blog Series – Part 4

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    ……….Two songs seemed like a lot but I was already a pro after my last audition. I felt at ease knowing the girls weren’t all watching and hoping I’d fall of stage. I went through the routine with much less anxiety compared to my first audition. I felt comfortable and confident. After introducing myself to the bar patrons, I received an abundant amount of positive feedback – along with about 23 dollars in ones. I got dressed and headed to the back and filled out yet another application: although I really started wondering what kind of background you really needed to get hired other than being able to dance and have a social security number.

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    I was hired on the spot and was told to call the next day to go over my schedule. I left feeling excited and energized. I found my new home and Brooke Lynne was born. All I needed to do now was figure exactly what a “G-string” was and get one in every color!


    Copyright 2012

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    To Be Continued……
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    Editor’s Note: To read Brooke Lynne parts one through three, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click the green icon.


  • Rachael V: Leg Show Cover

    Dutch Treat

    Posted on March 5, 2012 by Tony Ward

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    ………Fetish model and songstress, Rachael V continues to turn heads both in her native Holland. and here in the US where she can be seen on the March cover of the popular New York based, Leg Show magazine. I had the opportunity to photograph Rachael during her tour, and edited a few new photos from our sitting: that have not been previously published.

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    TWS contributing photographer, Alejandra Guerrero was also featured and interviewed for the publication.

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    Rachael V

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    Rachael V

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    Rachael V

    Rachael V

    Editor’s Note: To see more pictures and learn more about Rachael V, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click green icon.


  • Nude of the Day: March 4, 2012

    Jennifer Cole

    Editor’s Note: To see more pictures of Jennifer Cole, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click green icon.