Joy Lewis: Hi Heels

I feel that the mainstream media tends to depict erotic photography negatively and that it is something not often discussed. Nudity attracts a lot of attention from people and people view nudity in photography as out of the “norm”. In art nude figures are often portrayed and it is seen as acceptable, but photographs of nudity are thought of as negative or uncomfortable to most people. This is because some people would call photography “real” while art is not.

Since erotic photography is not something I’ve ever considered or have ever really thought about I was nervous when handed this project. It was out of my comfort zone and something I was rather unfamiliar with which I would blame on the views and therefore lack of erotic photography in mainstream media. Although nervous, I was also rather excited to try something new and unfamiliar and use this project as an outlet for creativity.

I knew when handed the instructions for this assignment that I did not want to portray complete nudity and I think that is because I find nudity uncomfortable and again I think this has to do with the views society has about nudity. I instead wanted to find a way to suggest nudity throughout my photos photos. I chose to do my assignment on shoes because I feel that shoes are one of the more uncommon products advertised through erotic photography. I wanted to create sexy photos that creatively showcased the shoes my models were wearing.

For my models I chose friends whom I thought would be comfortable doing this assignment. I think that to do an assignment like this it is important to find models who are comfortable in their skin and are willing to go outside their comfort zone. I found this assignment to be the most difficult thus far, but I also think this experience has helped shape me into a better photographer.

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About The Author: Joy Lewis is a Junior enrolled in the College of the University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2019. To access additional articles by Joy Lewis, click here: https://tonywardstudio.com/blog/joy-lewis-chilly-weather-fashion/