Site review: Breath Takers

Breath-Takers is one of a couple of sites featuring the work of UK photographer Michael White. I'll admit that, as with some other sites I've tried, I wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but it was bumped up my list a couple of places by a recent price reduction - but I needn't have worried, since there's some great, fun and sexy photography here.

It's hard to know quite where to slot it; the photography is perhaps a little arty, with frequent bokeh and emphasis on natural light; but I wouldn't call it art-nude (which, at least for me, would make it rather a turn-off if it were). This is, in no small part, down to the emphasis of clothing (and removal thereof) here... art-nudes tend to be just that - nudes; whereas at Breath Takers, many of the photo sets start with a fully dressed model, and follow her teasing the viewer by gradually disrobing. It's made more believable by the fact that the models actually wear appealing clothes; the kind they might actually wear themselves; and similarly underneath we get to see a great variety of sophisticated, sexy lingerie and nylons.

And of course, clad in these are some lovely models; leaning towards UK, but you'll also find French, east European and US girls. There are some well-known models, such as the (deservedly) ubiquitous Ariel and Eufrat; some lovely French models; and some others who I suspect may not be found anywhere else. Particular favourites for me were the very petite, but oh-so-sexy Ayla Sky; the elegant and naughty Joceline Brooke-Hamilton; pinup and fetish model Anita De Bauch; charming and very racy starlet Samantha Bentley; and oh-my-gosh-those-legs Danielle Maye.

The levels of explicitness vary by model here; the majority of sets end up with full nudity but within that, some models are a little coy (you know full-well what I mean) whereas others are less so, and some recent photos and videos are very racy, with some masturbation - which is welcome and adds more to the mix, I appreciate eroticism from the subtle to the not so.

Locations are also good; many photos are within a light, airy, tastefully decorated house, which the photographer makes good use of all rooms of; there are also plenty of other locations, including European villas. Some are outdoor-themed, such as walks in the park with a little teasing; sometimes these are a bit more risqué but I'd love to have seen a few more so! And I like that there's often a theme or narrative of some sort; such as a sexy phone call, reading a magazine or domestic chores - it's all the more fuel for the imagination as you browse.

Technically the site is good too; pics are 3K-5K pixels and videos 720p. There are a few navigation oddities, but it does have a good update shcedule, with 3 galleries and one video per week. And with a few years' material here, it's also easy to see the progression of the photographer; some earlier galleries are too shadowy, perhaps a bit too moody; but later ones are better lit, but still relying on natural light, and not at the expense of the erotic atmosphere.

So although it has a completely different feel to it, it's positioned similarly to Petites Parisiennes, and there are actually a few of the same models on both sites. It doesn't quite meet my one unique quality of PP, which is that there I found something I liked from literally every model; and it's perhaps not quite as sexy - but it's close, and different enough to be complementary rather than competing. Recommended, and I shall return!

Visit Breath Takers - or click on any of the pics for some sample galleries!