| Portrait of a Fetish Photographer |
| Written by Priapus | |||||
| Thursday, 08 May 2008 20:41 | |||||
|
Fetish photography. To a growing number of people, it’s gaining popularity as a respected art form. For too long it’s stayed hidden in the wings of popular art, relegated there by narrow minded critics eager to call it porn. Now, however, it’s on the rise, and its top photographers are getting their dues- and from a much wider audience than just the fetish scene. But is this a good thing? Some would say no- that the mainstream attention fetish photography is getting might be a sterile wash that the scene does not need. In Lilwhip’s interview with Priapus, a gifted artist slowly gaining status in the fetish scene as a talented photographer, he revealed that it might not beneficial to the niche.
I first saw his work while looking for artists to participate in an auction we were holding for our last fetish party. I found Priapus's uncommon use of bold colors to be riveting. It brought a fresh perspective to a style that is often ruled by black and white, which has almost become cliché. His models are not cloaked in the shadows; instead they radiate an energy that is larger than life- rather like brilliant goddesses caught on film in a moment of vulnerability. Put simply, it is obvious to me that he thinks outside the box, and that’s exactly the kind of artist I wanted representing our auction. I was thrilled when he decided to be a part of it and I wish I could have kept every piece he submitted for myself. Unfortunately, writers do not have the budget of art collectors. But I digress. Priapus’s photography, to me, drips with eroticism. But does every viewer feel that way? Would a Republican mother of four feel the same way about viewing his prints as I do? Not necessarily, but that maxim holds for the rest of the art world as well. Art is very subjective- some prefer Dali’s surrealism, while others prefer the softer impressionism of Monet. Such is true in fetish photography as well. For some, there is a clear line between fetish and erotic art. For others, the edges are blurred and the two are interchangeable. So is there a difference between erotica and fetish? According to Priapus, no. “Both are erotic” he told me when I asked; “It’s just the accessories. There are so many different facets to fetish- the objectification of the models- the articles of clothing- the intensity of the moment… You can go from just a model with fetish clothes to a full on scene and it’s very different.”
“It’s not something everyone can do because they don’t know what they are doing- they’ve never been there before. They’re not fetish people. A lot of fetish photography seems very staged, and contrived. I’m trying to go to a certain place with it, and get intimate with it. With scenes, you don’t just get the image, you capture the energy. Trying to find and define fetish is hard, and the label ‘fetish’ is so diverse- people’s tastes are all over the place… People who have never been exposed to it might look at it and think its ridiculous, cause they don’t get it. I don’t want to talk for other photographers, but the emotion that’s happening during a scene, and what people portray when they are in their character and their fetish, those are the feelings and energies I want to capture. Everyone, be they in the fetish scene or not, can pick up on that and identify with it.” In the bio on his website, Priapus mentions he has a background in fashion photography. I was curious as to what this was, and how this affected him now. I wasn’t surprised to find out he’d been a model from age 15 to age 27. The man is outrageously good looking and oozes sexuality through his pores as naturally as breathing. But more on lilwhip’s taste in men another time. As a model, he was lucky enough to work with several excellent photographers who influenced him heavily, some notables being Bruce Weber, Albert Watson, and Kal Yee. Kal Yee specifically taught him much on the technical side, showing him cutting edge techniques in lighting and in the dark room. He was always asking questions as he modeled, and soaked up much information this way. This long exposure to the fashion industry shaped how he photographs fetish now, and while he learned a great deal, that’s not always a good thing, according to him. “The problem I’m having is that I have seen everything for so long as fashion, so it comes out in my photography, and that’s not what I’m trying to accomplish. It’s frustrating when I’m trying to do one thing and that surfaces instead. I’m not trying to capture the fashion side of it, so I’m breaking bad habits now and relearning.” And consequently, because I know the question has popped into your head just like it did mine, which came first? Did photography lead him to an interest in the fetish scene, or was it the other way around? Personally I wanted to believe it was the latter, and I was gratified to find out I was correct. Because he was involved in fetish, he told me, he was moved to capture the energy he saw in it and relate it to others, hence the photography. So how does he choose his models? And when he does a shoot, is he following an idea of the finished product in his head, or is he going along for a ride with the model and seeing what takes place?
“As far as shooting, there are two ways of looking at it. I can arrange the shoot and the lighting and the models, and try to get as close as possible to what is in my head. Or, a model comes in and her energy is so amazing that I need to shoot her and it just starts- it just develops into whatever she’s giving me and I go with it. It’s a back and forth, give and take, and grows it exponentially. In most cases I need to meet the model before hand so I can feel their energy; so I can at least sit for an hour and talk and see where their head is at, and get to know them. I like to feel where they’re coming from and why they are doing the shoot. It’s an intimate situation shooting erotic art… after all the model’s naked, so it’s almost a dominance/submission sort of situation because the photographer is telling them ‘move this way, move that way’ and is in control of the whole environment. The model doesn’t make a perfect photograph and neither does the photographer, it happens somewhere in between. That moment when we are both on cue, I feel it and I see it, and get it on film. That’s the moment when I get what I want. It’s a rush.” There’s a sentence in Priapus’s bio on his website that reads thusly: My work is an attempt to carry the observer beyond carnal lust and into reflective contemplation. I found this interesting, and I asked him to explain what it meant. “Everyone has their opinion about the porn or erotic art debate. I don’t want my work to be blatant pornography. It’s been a challenge not to be so blatant with nudity and gestures, and try to be more subtle. Whatever a photographer captures, our minds can come up with eroticism and meanings a thousand times more potent, so suggestion and subtlety are more important than putting it all out there. I want to capture what I’m thinking and envisioning, but I want my viewers to look at the image and play with it for a while, and go there in their own heads instead of trying to figure out what’s in the heads of the people that are shooting.” And how did he feel about the porn vs. art question? “This question is everywhere- there are whole books dedicated to the debate, and its amazing how subjective all the answers are. What view is more prevalent, porn or art? It depends on where you’re coming from, what you’re looking at. There’s a photographer I recently saw on DeviantArt. www.nexus143.deviantart.com People were telling him ‘that’s beautiful erotic art’, and he was saying ‘no, it’s not erotic art, its porn… I’m shooting porn.’ I loved that he wasn’t hiding behind it and was just open about it. The stuff I shoot could be considered porn, depending on where it’s coming from. Law 2257 has just redefined what is considered pornography- this whole trend is happening- the conservative right is cracking down, but then fetish is becoming mainstream so…. It’s a balance. This brought up another question. Fetish is indeed becoming mainstream, and not everyone thinks this is a good thing. How did he feel about it? When I asked him, he looked me in the eye with a little smile and said “Oh, I don’t know.” He seemed reluctant to answer until I pressed him. “It’s coming into fashion- It’s becoming mainstream with all the fetish parties- people go and they’re not into fetish but they like to dress up etc. But it’s all good. I’m not a public person, if I play out my fetishes, it’s in private… but as far as the fetish parties, if people are going and buying the clothes and the books and whatever, that’s great. But you can say anything is a fetish these days- for instance I heard a man say recently ‘I have a long hair fetish’. That’s not a fetish, you just like long hair. People overuse the word. For myself, I’m a very private person and it’s only recently that I’ve started talking more about it to other people. The one thing I’ve been trying to do since I was a kid is not label myself as anything, and not label anyone else. That’s one of the biggest problems I have with the fetish scene now… people keep trying to label everyone- who gives a shit? Top, bottom, we’re all evolving as human beings. Why can’t we evolve through the fetish lifestyle? People are so worried about being labeled as a submissive when they’re portraying themselves as a dominant… who cares what everyone else thinks?” And what about those who criticize his photography, saying it promotes violence against women? We cannot seem to turn around these days without running into this complaint; that life imitates art, not the other way around. Look at those who complained that death metal sponsored satanic worship, or those who now are screaming that violent video games cause children to go on shooting sprees. Priapus has run into his fair share of individuals of this mindset. “But I try not to think too much about what the conservatives think. I like the fetish lifestyle because it’s a place for people to play out their secrets in a healthy environment- with two people who are consenting adults. I think it’s an excuse to say fetish promotes violence towards women- conservatives can point the finger but there’s so much other stuff fucked up about our society… child abuse, domestic violence. We aren’t talking about any of this stuff. There’s a social sickness in the US; people not talking; dysfunctions are happening over and over. And then people sit back and point their finger at something like the fetish scene, when those involved in it are being honest and out in the open about that side of life- they’re not hiding. What’s promoting violence towards women is husbands beating their wives, boyfriends beating their girlfriends, parents abusing their kids and keeping it a dirty secret. It has nothing it has nothing to do with fetish. It makes me angry. People want easy answers, so they’re going to sit there and point because it’s easy, instead of actually thinking about it. What made me write what I did in my bio was actually about this- if a conservative has his little secrets and fetishes that he doesn’t admit, and he looks at my stuff, and something turns him on that he doesn’t want to be turned on by; it’s supposed to make you think. ‘Why am I getting turned on by this? Why do I find it erotic to see a woman in a dominant position or a submissive one? What’s going on with me, who am I, why is this coming up for me?’ That’s what I’m trying to accomplish. I look at fetish photos and I say ‘wow this is interesting, let me think on this…’ and hopefully others are doing the same thing with my work. Maybe someone who thought it wasn’t okay to feel like that can look and say wow, other people are feeling this way too, I’m not unique, I’m not alone.” Priapus was recently selected to participate in both the Dirty Show in Detroit, and Nude Night in Orlando. We wish him the best and are sure the future holds even more distinctions for him. This is a talented photographer on the rise, readers, and I urge you to experience his work, regardless of how you might react. You might love it as I do, or it might repel you, but it WILL make you think. And that’s the point of good art. -Lilwhip
Set as favorite
Bookmark
Email This
Hits: 274 Comments (2)
 a guest said:
a guest said:
Write comment
|
|||||
By Lilwhip
A scene, for those of you not in the fetish lifestyle, is an encounter between two or more consenting adults who wish to play out a fetish or fantasy. This can take place in private, or in a club with others watching. It’s always discussed beforehand what everyone’s expectations and limits are. These scenes can be incredibly intense for both participants and onlookers, and it’s hard to describe the energy that can be generated between people without experiencing it for yourself. This is the energy that Priapus is hoping to capture on film.
“For models- I look for an amazing energy- in the fetish community there are a lot of girls whose fetish is to have their photograph taken. They love it, do it for free, do it over and over, and it works out great. But for me- I need an energy- I’m looking for quality models that I feel meet my vision a hundred percent.”
Subscribe to this comment's feed
(god help them) I gave myself a slew of labels.. because I can be any one of those people at any given moment... just depends on where my energies want to go in the moment .. and how I manage to keep that energy always flowing in a positive direction regardless of where people might have me pidgeon-holed. The top photo in this article is stunning. You can view that photo and your brain can come up with a 100 different scenarios for what's on her mind. (love it). ~Zelle
Copyright ©2008 Photos by Priapus