Erotic-PortraitsErotic-PortraitsWhat is an Erotic-Portrait? A photograph that has all the qualities of a good portrait (good lighting, composition, individual personality, etc.) which, in addition, just happens to be sensual and erotic. The eroticism may be suggested as in many of the photos shown in the free access galleries on this site, or it may be overt as it is in the 18+ Adult Galleries. In either case, when successful, the eroticism enhances rather than compromises or detracts from the photograph's qualities as a portrait. In short, pornography can and should be subjected to the same stringent aesthetic criteria as any other form of creative artistic expression.
I believe that Erotic-Portraits will become increasingly popular as we move into the 21st Century. It has already become fashionable with the beautiful young men that I regularly photograph. Soon, I believe, celebrities whose private lives are already an open book, will be seduced by it and,as trend setters, will make it popular with the general public. This may sound flip and superficial, but hold onto your hat because you are about to find out that it is quite important.
The reason is simple: Sexuality although a highly personal and individual concern is no longer a private matter. Now that's a news flash! And here's the reason:
We know the intimate details of the sex lives of The Presidents of the United States and countless other public figures who seem to be living quite well despite these disclosures. People's sex lives are no longer a viable subject of scandal. We have more pressing environmental problems that include a population explosion almost totally out of control. Even the working man and woman can now bare it all publicly on talk radio and TV, all the while detailed information about our own lifestyles based only partly on our spending habits collected and stored in computer databases, are sold daily, usually without either our knowledge or consent. What else can you expect? Aren't we constantly being reminded that this is the Information Age? And if you thought that meant the Encyclopedia Britannica on a computer, well, think again!
Another flash: The information age have no closets - lesbian, gay, straight, bisexual, transgender, etc. The consumer databases those great search engines of world Capitalism created by the marketing industry that feeds the Advertising industry are bulging with information on every aspect of our lives. The failure of political coalitions as reflected by the current fragmentation of the political agenda into every increasing sub-sets of specific issues has simply provided economic interests with an easy way to target market groups of consumers otherwise difficult to define. For example, the 'gay marriage' issue has defined a choice mailing list of essentially white middle-class America. Membership lists of political action groups are just the thing marketing companies dream about, and rank right up there with bank customer lists. Rather than fight the issues capitalist interests simply exploit them for their economic benefit! Isn't it time the anally retentive politically correct acknowledge that. What may have worked 25 years ago will not work today which is why it's so comfortable for the politically inept.
It's an irreversible fait accompli, ever more skillfully being applied to the new emerging world markets throughout the continents of Asia and Africa the New 'Capitalist' Frontiers of the 21st century filled with masses of innocent pre-capitalists just waiting to be exploited in the fully-wired cable-ready high rises being constructed in China today. That's what life is all about in this post-Communist world Capitalist environment? If there's a buck in it, it will be KNOWN; if there's a buck in it, it will be DONE.
No turning back the digital clock. The only logical conclusion is to accept the fact that we have all been Outed, not by political left, but by the foot soldiers of Capitalism: the credit bureaus and the all invasive all-knowing cash-for-information marketing companies. Is your zip code 94114?
What about the collective good? Can't blame Capitalism for ignoring it when a fragmented political opposition only seeks out its own special interests. Perhaps the answer lies in a more compassionate assessment of our global situation rather than in old-style macho confrontations? It's an 'us' rather than a 'we-them' situation. News flash: We are not victims only co-conspirators. Sorry, everyone's hands are dirty. And whatever you may think you are doing that is significant only allows you to rationalize your position. If you ever feel that "they" are doing it to you, think again because you are doing it to yourself. "They" are not in the least interested in you.
Once understood and not merely intellectualized (as I am doing here),the need (along with the possibility) for any of us to hide information about any aspect of our lives, including our sexual self-identity, simply vanishes, and countless unimagined new ways of doing things can emerge. The CyberSex revolution of the '90s is just another step in that general direction. Hopefully, we can create a world without shame, pretense or deceit, at least as far as our sex lives are concerned, so that we can focus our attention on more important global issues that threaten our very survival on the planet.
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