Paul Mojica: R.I.P.
Month: November 2017
Jinghong Cui: Male and Female
Photography and Text by Jinghong Cui, Copyright 2017
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MALE AND FEMALE
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In most erotic photography I have seen, there were both women and men in the picture to directly picture the relationship. So I attempted to do it in a rather indirect way.
In this series, there was no woman directly in the picture. However, the lipstick and perfume are a clue of woman’s presence. More specially, in some pictures, there was a female cat. Both in Chinese and some Western cultures, cats are representative of being graceful, sexy, mysterious, seductive women. From the interaction of the man and those feminine embodiments, we can feel the intimate relationship between male and female.
I didn’t show the model’s entire face in all of the pictures because I wanted to focus on the sexuality rather than the model himself. Since there was no woman present, in order to highlight the females presence in each photo, I set those feminine objectives to be colorful and the rest of the picture to be black and white to create a strong contrast. When I was producing the shoot, I set the ISO high because I wanted to use noise to add more texture and emotion to the picture.
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About The Author: Jinghong Cui is a graduate student studying Material Science at the University of Pennsylvania. To access additional articles by Jinghong Cui, click here: https://tonywardstudio.com/blog/jinghong-cui-accessories/
Amber Shi: Erotica
Photography and Text by Amber Shi, Copyright 2017
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EROTICA
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Before 1839, descriptions of nudity and erotica mainly were reflected primarily in paintings, drawings and engravings. The definition of erotic photography has an undertone of sexually suggestive or sexually provocative nature. It wasn’t until the mid 20th century during the sexual revolution of the 1960’s that photographers started to shoot bare legs, short skirts or even naked breasts as matter of course. Inspired by the movie: “Love & Other Drugs”, I decided to do a series of photographs that follow the storyline of a drunk couple getting home to have sex.
The first few photos portray the first scene: getting home after a date night. The girl is wearing a sexy black-laced nightgown from La Perla. Some of the photos are more sexually seductive than explicit as they mainly consist of bare legs and skin. The foreplay is moved onto the bed where the couple drinks wine and flirts with each other. The foreplay is followed by some sex positions in black and white because I wanted to focus on the aesthetic details of the human body. I also picked a few photos that focused on the big picture: the entanglement of the couple’s legs that convey sexuality and lust. Throughout the shoot, I purposely avoided capturing the faces of the couple to add a sense of mystery, and to create an erotic resonance with the audience. The series ends with the aftermath of sex: when they lie down on the edge of the bed, cuddling.
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To access additional articles by Amber Shi, click here: https://tonywardstudio.com/blog/amber-shi-sun-kissed-blush/
Alexis Masino: Hesperides
Photography and Text by Alexis Masino, Copyright 2017
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HESPERIDES
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L’Eau Des Hesperides. A scent by Diptyque. Named after the Hesperides: mythological nymphs who guard Aphrodite’s garden and its golden apples of immortality.
Nymphs in a garden protecting a forbidden fruit which promises eternal life. The scent and the story surrounding it is enticing, sensual, erotic.
The use of leaves and apples in my photos is self explanatory; This is what awaits in the garden. The subject is engaging with the objects in atypical ways, creating an odd juxtaposition and sort of sensuality. The colors of the vegetation adds to the earthy feel of the pallette and the idea of a garden.
I decided to shoot through a large glass panel, which I sprayed, steamed, and held up for each shot. This gives the photos a hot, steamy, wet surface, which in and of itself is erotic and here creates the feel of rain, keeping the earthy theme of the shoot. The glass also allows for direct contact, as if the subject is touching or even licking the lens and by extension, the viewer.
I took the photos freshly out of the shower, nude, and in the comfort of my own living room (in which I set up a temporary makeshift studio). This added to the rainy, earthy feel and allowed for no inhibitions which might have been faced in a public studio space.
The decision to use myself as the subject and turn this into a series of self portraits was for multiple reasons. Most importantly, I knew for this particular theme it would be easier to enter a realm of sensuality with myself better than with a model. I also had very specific visions for the photos I was unsure a model could properly execute to my exact desire. But since this was my first erotic assignment, I ultimately thought it was most ethical to confront my own sexuality before trying to understand or display (without exploiting) that of others.
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About The Author: Alexis Masino is a freshman enrolled in the College of the University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2020. To access additional articles by Alexis Masino, go here: https://tonywardstudio.com/blog/alexis-masino-fashion-genderless/
Xiaonan Chen: Daydream
Photography and Text by Xiaonan Chen, Copyright 2017
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DAYDREAM
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It is a hot afternoon, no wind, no sound. What’s in her eyes is just the room painted by the golden sunshine. She grasps her straw hat, and the exotic metal earrings, and the cream-color mesh sweater covers on the black vest. She looks like she’s preparing for a trip, but no. It’s just a daydream.
She puts on the blood-red lipstick, which she never used. She is making up so carefully as she is watches her beautiful face from the mirror. She is just like going to a ball, but no. It’s just a daydream.
She wears her loose sweater with wide collar and long sleeves, and her long denim skirt with a diagonal cut. The yellow sweater contrasts the blue skirt so strong just like the sunshine and shadow. She plays hide and seek with herself, she gets lost in her world. It’s just a daydream.
She gets tired of the game, she takes on her white formal dress and the pair of round black sunglasses decorated with tiny diamonds. She still wears the lipstick but never see the mirror again. She looks outside from the window like some story is happening there. The golden fasteners on her pants sparkle under the strong sunshine. One of her shoulders exposes in the air but the other covered under the long sleeve. Just like two different parts of herself. She is mysterious, she is daydreaming.
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Xiaonan Chen is enrolled in the graduate program in Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania.