Book Review: Taschen's The New Erotic Photography

This is a book that's been vaguely on my shopping list for ages, although it always got ousted by others... perhaps compilations somehow don't seem as focused, but I needn't have worried - rather, am now kicking myself for not getting it sooner. I felt a little sorry for the postman, carrying this large book to my door - approx 32x24cm, with 6 or 8 pages each from over 50 photographers, so over 400 pages; it could even be imposing... if it weren't for Maki Miyashita's (um, perhaps not actually hers?) floral panties hung out to dry on the cover.

Edited by Dian Hanson - formerly editor of Leg Show magazine, now Taschen's sexy books editor (however you wish to parenthesise those last three words) - and fetish photographer Eric Kroll, this is (as the title suggests) a showcase of erotic photography, with submissions from a few photographers familiar to me, and a great deal hitherto unknown ones. Far too many great photos to mention them all, but some of the highlights for me were:

• My two favourite Japanese photographers - Yasuji Watanabe's modern, contemporary work, and Ken-ichi Murata's gothic - and rather pervy - hand-tinted fairy tales;
• along with newer photographer Maki Miyashita, whose studies of women in their underwear I found interesting and witty
• The way that German photographer Markus Amon captures the smouldering eyes of his models (although the nylon and sheer underwear helps too)
• Susan Egan's very candid pictures of real couples having sex
• The deservedly popular Steve Diet Goedde being less fetishy than usual - the lovely Emily Marilyn doesn't have a stitch (not even latex) on her
• A few trademark-style motel-fetish, neo-noir pics from one favourite photographers, Chas Ray Krider
• Richard Kern's quirky, humourous, documentary-style shots of young, tomboy-ish (as he describes them) women; and Dave Naz's similarly stripped-down, natural girls
• In contrast, Florian Lohmann reminds me that there's still very much a place in my, er, heart? for ultra glam, styled shots (especially near-naked stewardesses and French maids)
• Nicola Ranaldi's very erotic close-ups of faces, with lustful looks and a finger slipped between lips
• And back to Japan for some pics from Joan Sinclair's Pink Box, a documentary book on Tokyo sex clubs - very enlightening, that I shall review sometime.

Given how good - and more to the point, how exciting - the photography is, I almost don't want to admit that the text nearly tore me away from it - there are some genuine insights both in the editors' introductions, and the introduction to each photographer's work. I suspect  the intros were prompted by some standard questions, since there are a couple of themes that keep cropping up. One is the relative merits of film vs digital; opinions are divided, from Bob Coulter's 'Anyone who prefers film at this point is retarded' to Ken-ichi Murata's 'I work only with film because it is the height of quality' - personally, I don't see a distinction, especially to look at eg Will Santillo's grainy, atmospheric images and then read that he uses digital. I guess it's more down to the way the photographer wants to work; the immediate feedback of digital vs having to think and prepare more with film.

More interesting is the concept of the difference between porn and erotica; for me, I do see a distinction, but also think that there's no hard and fast line between them, and I enjoy material that's one, the other and in between - but again, there are some very different views here. Some photographers see porn as a line that they don't cross; Lisa Boyle feels it's any kind of penetration; Didier Carre suggests that in porn, men don't love the models in the way he does as a photographer. Petter Hegre implies very subjectively that visually they could be very similar, but differing in the intention with which the pictures are taken. Photographers like Ed Fox, Dave Naz and Richard Kern - who often shoot for top-shelf magazines - see less of a distinction, the latter saying 'I don't consider myself an erotic photographer and I hate that term - It brings to mind black and white photos of naked people with oil on them'.

Although I appreciate and enjoy the work of all the photographers here, ideologically I'm with that last trio; there doesn't have to be a distinction. If there is one, though, I think Ms Hanson has nailed it in her introduction: 'First, toss out all the bodyscapes' ... 'More important, it must capture some genuine emotion on the model's face'. And, pre-empting balancing my focus here on the photographers, 'If it sounds like I think erotic photography is as much about the model as the photographer, I've made myself clear'.

Anyway, for all that prose, this is a great book of exciting, arousing, thought-provoking pictures, and is thoroughly recommended - a steal at about £15! You can see more pics through Taschen's video of the editors discussing the book.

Editions Ragage RIP? My to-read list remains squarely German

Some unfortunate publisher news - Jam from Petites Parisiennes has confirmed that French publisher Editions Ragage has gone out of business. (Oh, and of course - I learned this the hard way, but although their site is still accepting orders, it's not a good idea to place one!) This is a shame; they have an original catalogue of really cute and sexy photobooks, and I've discovered a few great photographers just from browsing (they also have fiction and other writing, for those better-equipped with French than I am). French smut has a unique quality that's very exciting - still glamourous, but much more sexy and arousing than arty material.

I really hope that somebody buys the business and rescues it - although there are so many good photographers and models that we can discover online, there's a tactile, illicit quality to owning and browsing a racy book that can't be beaten. And this leaves the market even more dominated by German publishers... and as if to prove that point, various finds and pre-orders have come to fruition, leaving me with the following four new books from Taschen, Edition Skylight (actually Swiss) and Goliath to set aside time to, er, read. Expect reviews sometime, although I still haven't decided the order to enjoy them.

eBook review: Quickies In New York, Stories: Winter to Spring

Bit of a departure here, given my habit for erotic photo books. I enjoy physical books; the tactile sensation of turning the pages, not knowing quite what I'll find on the next - it's somehow more of an illicit thrill than looking online. And similarly, I'm usually lowbrow enough just to get books for the pictures; although I know there is a lot of really good erotic fiction around, there's some part of me that can't shake the bodice-ripping stereotype. (Notwithstanding, I have a very good friend who assures me that some recent Mills & Boons are decidedly racy.)

So it's strange to be writing about an ebook of erotic prose... but I'll confess to cheating a bit. This blog isn't intended to be a reference to all things erotic; merely some reviews of things that specifically appeal to the reviewer. And before accepting Guy New York's offer of a review copy, I knew that I'd enjoy it, having previously noted my feelings for the wonderful Quickies in New York blog.

This isn't erotic writing as you'd imagine it; I'm unsure - and unfussed - as to how fictional it may or may not be, but more to the point, it's delivered in very short, discrete, stories that take no more than a few minutes to read. And they are as diverse as they are concise; some very explicit, describing sex from the slow and tender, to the frenzied. Others focusing solely on details; of undressing a partner, deliberately fumbling with clothing to anticipate the sex. Some are simply conversations between friends or lovers, occasional or full-time; and some introspective reflections of love and sex that once, or perhaps never, was.

What they all have in common is that they linger for far longer than they take to read - the writing is always thought-provoking and I've found that pondering them takes as many forms as the stories themselves. Mild envy at the passion of a well-described lover; empathy at love lost; fuel for ideas for my own future encounters; interest and bafflement at some of the polyamorous situations presented (I'm a bit old-fashioned...).

Anyway, rather than try to do it the required justice, I've grabbed a few passages of note. You can, of course, read the full text of most stories at QNY; but even as an eBook, there's a tangible quality, a purity of purpose, to specifically reading the kindle version, as opposed to it being one in a wash of browser windows and tabs.

My only - very minor - issues are that firstly, that there's no navigable table of contents (forgive my pedantry, it comes from working in publishing and having built eBooks); and that it doesn't include any of The Dirty Gentleman's equally erotic, evocative pictures. Neither detract from how enjoyable this is, especially for the ludicrous price of $2 - and as such this is hugely recommended.

As I strongly suspect the mooted physical - and illustrated - book will be!

Book Review: Roy Stuart V

Roy Stuart is - as best I can describe - an erotic auteur, an American photographer and filmmaker based in Paris - and his work has that familiar, appealing feeling of French eroticism that I like so much. He's also often the subject of tiresome is-it-art-or-is-it-porn discussions - I'll skip that comparison since art is highly subjective, but I'll say his work is definitely erotic and likely pornographic - and very exciting for it. He's been a fixture in Leg Show magazine for some years - which is all the better for it - and this is his fifth book via Taschen, the only one that's readily available to buy (a shame that Taschen seem to let books go out of print relatively quickly).

This is definitely racier than some of my recent glamour-based reviews. The content ranges from simple portraits and undressing, to full nudity and sex - there are individual models, scenes with two girls, couples and threesomes. Which arguably makes it porn - which is fine with me - although rather different from the run-of the mill kind. I can think of two major aspects that set Mr Stuart's work apart; first is the quality of the photography itself - the lighting, focus and bokeh is very evocative, bringing out the subject of each shot - be it a flash of panties; the face of the model seductively looking at the camera; or her hand wrapped around her partner's cock, guiding it into herself.

The other key aspect is narrative; the book is a mixture of different styles, with some documentary and portraiture, but most of it is taken up with short sets depicting a story. These are as diverse as a couple simply having sex (and authentically looking like they are enjoying it); grabbing a chance look up skirts in the park; having panties (rather improbably) stolen; or coming to a more-than-amicable resolution of a minor traffic prang. It's this aspect that, for me, make it very exciting, to imagine either being part of the story or simply a voyeur as being a reader makes me.

Models here (the female ones, that is - there are some men including the photographer) are naturally beautiful women; but it's worth noting one of Mr Stuart's other defining features, is his disapproval of the last-decade-or-so's trend of shaving pubic hair. This is perfectly OK with me, since being waxed bare has never really appealed to me; I prefer my eroticism with models who look natural - and without fail, every model here is unshaved. Another feature is the locations; some Parisian scenes, but many in the classical French interior of the studio, with baroque chairs and the like.

The book itself is of the usual Taschen quality, well printed - 280 pages and slightly oversized (approx 25x31cm). A coffee-table book, but only if you have lovers or particularly open-minded friends round for coffee. It also come with a DVD; about an hour of clips of the photographer's film projects; the subject matter is similar, with some crossover with the scenes in the book - but the very graphic sex and porn aspect is obviously heightened when viewing it as video.

You may think that it sounds a little pretentious; I find more of a hint of that when viewing Mr Stuart's work than with some other photographers. And you might arguably be right - but then what is eroticism and fantasy, but a kind of pretence? Either way, it's all the more thought-provoking - and arousing - for it. Definitely recommended, if you don't mind turning the heat up a bit from typical art-nude books.

Summer books from Goliath

Goliath is a favourite publisher - they have some great, fun and sexy books, of which I own quite a few and have already reviewed two here - Nylon Girls and Touch. So I'm always interested when something new turns up on their site, and this latest brace of racy tomes is no exception.

First is Latex Fetish Photography - just the preview page shows some familiar models and photographers, including one from a great set of Mosh by Holly Randall - I also know Viva Van Story's work is in there but hopefully there will be some new names to discover too. Either way, it all looks extremely tight and shiny; so much so that it's already preordered, and as such I'll write a little more when it arrives.

Next is Dave Naz's Butt Babes. I've been following Mr Naz's work for some time, but am afraid I don't yet have any of his books - I'll confess that his last at Edition Reuss, isn't quite, my niche. However, a recent Leg Show special on him has won me over to his fun, sexy and arousing - and sometime appealingly explicit - style of capturing pretty, natural girls without overdoing the glamour. As such, I'm now kicking myself for not picking up his two previous Goliath books - specifically focused on Panties and Legs (two subjects very close to my heart, not to mention other parts) - when they were readily available, they are far harder to come by now. I'll just have to make sure not to make the same mistake with this one!

Book Review: Pantyhose Killer Girls

As a card-carrying nylon fetishist, I was pretty much sold just by the title of Edition Reuss' Pantyhose Killer Girls, by Mathias Angelov. However, I'll confess to a little naiveté, even upon seeing the cover; I read it as Pantyhose Killer Girls - killer in the sense of sexy, beautiful, perhaps a bit dangerous... well, perhaps that does apply, but it's actually very much Pantyhose Killer Girls, since the book is themed around models destroying their nylons for the camera.

The models range form 18-28 (the intro paragraph to each photo set tells us as much, and is a nice touch) and are pretty, mostly girls-next-door - at least some are amateur models and all look very much like they are enjoying themselves! Which makes the photographer's assertion in the preface (somebody has to read these things, after all) all the more believable - that he first came across the theme of nylon destruction as an icebreaker.

And destroy them they do, with obvious glee. The tights themselves are mostly plain, no fancy Wolfords here - but they are purely sacrificial - we see them pulled tight between the girls' legs, yanked up over their breasts, before succumbing to fingernails and having holes ripped in them until they are mere shreds of nylon - leaving only persistent seams pressing into their skin.

The tease of glimpsing a model's pussy though the nylon is therefore rewarded a page or two later by seeing it exposed - there's no shortage of explicit nudity here. The style is relatively unsophisticated - this is unashamedly posed glamour rather than evocative erotica... and I'll risk a generalisation by saying that it definitely has a German feel to it. None of which are a bad thing; the book is done in good humour and with a sense of fun - which in itself lends it a different kind of excitement to it.

Print quality and paper is really good, and the book is a nice size at about 25x18cm. You may pay a little more for this than some books, since it's relatively niche; but if it's your niche, then it's a very enjoyable addition to any collection!

Book review: Touch

Here's something a bit different to my usual penchants for steamy erotica or glam pinups - but no less fun for it, and one of my favourite books. Peter Gorman is a New York photographer, who has somehow found himself in the incredibly arduous job of visiting women in their apartments, and taking pictures of them in various states of undress. The result is, I think, more and less glamorous than that sounds, but both in a good way. More because, although these not (at least I don't think so) being professional models, he's found a wonderful array of really pretty girls, in a refreshing variety of shapes, looks and ethnicities.

We see them in, I guess, whatever poses they feel comfortable or sexy with; from handstands, to being curled up in bed, to teasing the viewer with a hand slipped inside their underwear - or said same panties being pulled tightly upwards against their skin. And as that last group implies, more often than not with at least some semblance of clothing on - not enough to leave too much to the imagination (there's plenty of full frontal nudity here), but just retaining a bit more interest than being completely naked.

The key feature of the book, though, is the seemingly less glamorous aspect of photographing the models' in their own homes. It makes the images believable and natural, despite the posing for the camera. And the glimpses of their rooms, their own stuff - often in some disarray, clothes hanging up, piles of books, fridges covered in notes - lends the enterprise an arousing and unique degree of intimacy, voyeurism and eroticism.

I think this is his third book along this theme; I do have the one before this - Stripped Naked - but I'd say that in Touch he's got the formula just right; the models look comfortable, as if they are having fun; sexy without being too self-conscious. The photography here is also better; there's obviously a flash-reliant documentary style to it, but it's well-lit and considered for it, and very much part of the feel.

As to format, this is larger than Goliath's typical format, at about 26x18cm; also, they've rather cheekily numbered every page, so although technically it's about 220 pages, only the right-hand pages are printed, so there are half that many photos in there. But it would still a great book even if it were - as it should be - half the thickness. Recommended; more samples here at Goliath.

Racy books @ Blurb

After getting some great magazines from MagCloud, have recently discovered the book equivalent, Blurb. It's a print-on-demand service for folk to self-publish books and seems to be one of the most popular ones for photographers.

Which is great news all round - of course, most erotic photographers would like to be picked up by Edition Skylight, Goliath, teNues etc... but that's a) not necessarily easy and b) something of a minefield with publishers increasingly being pushed hard on pricing by Amazon and the like. The downside is that we don't see the bargains that we're used to - but I'm happy for the artists themselves to set the price and know what they will get from it.

Anyway, of far more interest is some of the very interesting stuff I'm seeing there, and the rapidly growing size of my shopping list! Click on the thumbnails to see previews of the books, then hunt around there and let me know if you find anything else!

Summer releases @ Edition Skylight

A look at Edition Skylight (why are the majority of racy book publishers German?) reveals a quintet of impending titles, which pique my interest to varying degrees.

Perhaps most appetising is Fabio Borquez' Erotic Wonderland - I'm not quite convinced by some of the processed images I see there, but looks to have plenty of great glamour and erotic shots. Grand X-Nudes... not so much, seems a bit too art-nude-y for my tastes; on the other hand, although I more often than not find B&W pics a bit too arty, Pussy Club looks quite exciting and potentially worth making an exception for.

Kamikaze Girls - again, very stylised work of Stefan Gesell, where the photographs serve mainly as a starting point for his highly illustrative style - am not quite sure but if it turns up at the right price, I may investigate. And finally, the Porn Stars Project - perhaps a bit too mainstream glam, but that's not necessarily a bad thing!