What you are about to read is part fact, part fantasy, and is entirely true.
The names, dates, and locations in this story have been changed to protect the guilty.
All images, unless otherwise noted, are illustrations generated by me, for this story.
Enjoy 😉
“Artistic nude” is such an odd term to me.
Blame it on my Mormon upbringing, perhaps?
I’ve always been provocateur – particularly when it comes to sacred cows.
I don’t know why, but I came into this world to tip them over.
The highest compliment I’ve ever received for my work is, “I can’t tell if this is art…. Or PORN…. May I see some more?”
This is a person who truly understands my vision.
Why is that?
They didn’t need to name it. They have the ability to sit in between what they feel are two polar opposites, and to just be CURIOUS about it.
This is a rare and beautiful trait.
Why is it that every human emotion: fear, sadness, love, exuberance, solace, etc – is appropriate inspiration for all artistic expressions…
Except for the one emotion that is responsible for any of us being here in the first place – Eros?
Is the fire too hot to touch?
This image is from a different shoot, different time- but it exemplifies what I’m talking about here – this distinction between “art” and “porn” –
When you really break it down, it is the question of art vs craft.
One is done as an expression of a personal vision, one is done to make money.
And yet – people don’t seem to have strong feelings about whether or not their new kitchen cabinets are “art” or “craft”, but exceedingly jagged feelings about the part of a woman that nourishes a baby, or the part of her that is the portal of life.
I find it odd.
Over the years, I’ve made countless millions of photographs – and a small handful of them bridge this distinction – they have the power to inspire and arouse. They’ve always been carefully lit black & white figure studies of a woman’s body.
I’ve never been one to sit on my laurels – I understand my ability to transcend the categories with the gentle, poetic curvature of a woman’s body.
But what about my 2nd favorite thing in the world – receiving head?
What would it look like to depict a woman sucking a man’s cock, in an artistically compelling way?
We all love participating in the act, but can I make it…. visually beautiful?
Linda is a beautiful middle aged woman whose body has obviously been taken apart and put back together again by at least a few different kinds of surgeons, during the course of birthing 7 children. She hired me to do a boudoir shoot for her several years ago. It was an excellent shoot. She – and her husband – really enjoyed the results.
Last month, I got a call from her.
“Steven and I would love to do a couple’s shoot. An intimate couple’s shoot. We just loved working with you a few years ago on that boudoir shoot, we were wondering if you may be available for such a thing?”
Ask, and ye shall receive.
Might this be my new Mt Everest?
Taking the lead, I responded :
“Of course. Let’s meet for drinks and discuss more about what your vision is for the shoot.”
2 weeks ago we met for drinks. They were warm, gregarious, maybe even just a bit nervous.
“Here is a shoot we did a couple of years ago”
This is their first rodeo – but a special occasion for them.
Some couples go to Aruba, Linda & Steven fuck in front of a photographer.
I’ve done intimate images of couples before – them naked together – but never actually photographed the act of sex.
“Absolutely. Let’s do it.”, I asserted.
They didn’t even ask what my rate was.
We planned a date. Mapped out the logistics, and I sent them an invoice.
It’s the day of the shoot.
Their vision is to create a photo essay that depicts a night out, with several stops.
First stop:
My studio for a formal set of images.
She donned a black formal gown, he, a tuxedo.
They’ve been married for god knows how long – but they still have an obvious electricity between them. I’m studying that as much as anything.
I guide them out onto the shooting space. This is going to be my Richard Avedon meets Helmut Newton moment. I’m shooting them on a classic plain white backdrop with dramatic side lighting. This will cast the white background as a nuanced grey, will create natural vignetting, and most importantly, will give them a stately, high contrast lighting that will render them timeless and epic in black and white.
Yes – I’ve already cast this vision – unless something serious changes, this group of shots will best be served in monochrome.
(I have a very specific, structured way of deciding if a given image will be best in color or back & white, which I’ll elaborate on in another post in the near future).
I guide them through shots that evoke dancing, which then leads to passion.
“Steven, go ahead and slide the strap of her dress off of her shoulder”.
He does so, and 2 seconds later, her breasts are out and he’s sucking on them.
Yes, this escalated quickly.
I guess that’s how it goes when you’ve been married for ____ years. The paths are well trodden.
Click… cllick… click click click click….
It’s moving relatively fast and I’ve got high hopes for some kind of artistic achievement here.
Her gown drops to the floor – there she stands in nothing but little black panties, thigh high stockings, heels, and a necklace.
Steven is still in his tux.
He continues to devour her without needing any direction.
Personally – seeing a woman in nothing but thigh high stockings and heels, is one of the finer pleasures in life. High heels give legs structure and posture that reassure me that God himself created them – the legs AND the heels. They are clearly a symbiotic relationship that was always meant to be. There’s something about the way the stockings celebrate her legs, which are paths to the most divine place. I love the way a woman’s pussy sits neatly atop the peak of her two nylon covered legs. This sets the stage for the star of the show – HER. It’s always fascinating to see how she carries herself – the look in her eyes. The way she carries and presents her breasts. How she touches her hair. How her lips move. It’s a grand play on a singular stage.
The juxtaposition of a woman in such a state of perfect near-undress, next to her man, fully dressed in a tux – is potent. I can’t tell if I find it hot, hilarious, or perhaps both. I just know I’ll be kicking this question around for weeks after the shoot wraps.
I digress….
How much should I direct them, anyway?
Now I get up in my head – I wonder if they want me to mold them into a pice of art like I often do with my studio subjects – or if they just want to fuck in front of me? I’m open to either.
Their unfolding passion creates a force field that I’m reluctant to puncture.
I shift into documentary mode and fire off a volley of shots while he proceeds to enjoy his wife.
Steven is on one knee. She’s sitting on a chair. She places one foot – still in her 4” heels – on his shoulder.
His face dives deep into her. She tosses her head back in pleasure.
I am a fly on the wall.
He ceremoniously removes each heel, then, each stocking.
Fully naked, the roles reverse. She takes charge.
She undoes his tie. His shirt. His belt. His pants drop to the floor.
There’s something so unsexy about a man removing his shoes and socks. I’m sure there’s a way to do it in a compelling way that doesn’t risk breaking the spell of the moment – but I don’t know.
Most of the time in situations like this – I’m removing my own pantyhose and heels (unless I don’t… 😉
Is that more sexy? Less sexy?
Regardless – I have no advice for Steven in this moment, so I just let it happen and let my camera rest for a few seconds.
And so, Steven stands before his wife – dress shirt unbuttoned, bow tie undone – and she kneels before him.
Linda does not waste any time – she takes Steven into her mouth.
And here we are – preparing to ascend my next artistic Everest.
I’ve never photographed a blow job before, and I’ve always wanted to see what I can make of it.
These two move fast. I have to think and act quickly.
I look closer – what are we dealing with here? How big of a guy is Steven anyway? What lens would be most flattering here?
I can make his cock look bigger or smaller with the slightest change in angle, light, shadow, or focal length.
I wonder how he feels about his dick? This is a wildly complicated topic for most guys.
Now is not the time for a heart to heart about his cock, to suss out any dick dysmorphia he may or may not have.
He DOES drive a rather large truck, and he’s not a farmer or construction guy….
I take the safe route – make it look as big as possible.
“My cock looks too big in this picture” said no guy, ever.
At this point I have one job: make his cock look huge, and make sure she looks gorgeous while worshiping it.
I realize something counterintuitive – the deeper she takes him into her throat, (God bless you, Linda), the smaller his dick will look in the world of a two dimensional photograph.
It’s obvious now that I MUST step in as director.
“Umm, Linda, uh… will you do something about little different for me?”
They pause and look over at me. I don’t think they’ve ever had a director with them in moments like this.
“I want you to gently cup his balls with your left hand, and then put only the tip of his cock in your mouth. Make sure that the whole side of his shaft is visible and in good light. Okay…. Good…. Hold it there for me just like that – click click click…. Don’t move – click click – Okay, rotate your wrist just a little, keep his balls in your hand though…. Click click… Steven, look down at her, touch her hair with your right hand, but don’t mess her hair up… good…. Click click click…. Linda, back off on his cock just a little – I want to see the edge of his head as it’s meeting your lips… click click…. Good! Excellent! Okay… keep going….”
Thank God Steven stayed nice and hard through all of that.
Or was it… BECAUSE of that?
Our next stop is more “innocent”. They put on some nice casual clothes and we visit a local bar that’s full of rich vibes. We are going for “first date” vibes. They order cocktails, sit close, look each other in the eyes, sip, kiss, and laugh. Adorable. It’s easy to document their affection in this setting.
The final stop is an air bnb next door to the bar. We’ve already mapped out the moves – we’ll go up there, I’ll set up some studio lights, they’ll pour another drink and then proceed to fuck in the name of photography.
The lights are set up. Drinks, poured. The existing lighting in this place is not ideal – it’s not quite vibey enough to shoot without supplemental lights, and it’s too dim to go without them. They sit next to each other on the sofa. Kissing ensues. Clothes come off.
Soon, Linda is riding Steven reverse cowgirl style for the camera.
She’s facing me, her body obviously lit up, her nipples erect.
She takes him deep inside her and makes sure that I have a very clear view of how she’s doing it.
She slowly rides him…. Up, down, up, down… she tosses her head back, her hands in her hair….
I could be wrong, but I think she’s really liking this part, and I think it’s MORE than just the sex that she’s liking.
I go ahead and accept the unspoken compliment. I’m flattered that my gaze is making her body light up even more than usual.
“We are going to go into the bedroom now, is that okay?”
“Of course. Can you give me just a second to get some lights set up in there?”
The bedroom is dim and small. It’s BEAUTIFUL – just very short on space. Getting the right light – to – subject distance is going to be a real bitch in here, and I have a feeling they both really just want to cum now.
In front of me.
…and my camera, I’m pretty sure.
What is my role here tonight, anyway?
In the photography world, we have a joke:
Pay someone to have sex with you, and you’ve just committed the crime of prostitution.
Put a camera in the room – now it’s “art” and well protected by the 1st Amendment.
Pay someone to have sex with you using something other than cash – like dinner, drinks, travel, jewelry…. And now you are just on a “date”.
II pull my head back into the game. I don’t know how fast this is going to move – and unlike that blow job earlier, this one is going to be harder to direct, and, most likely, – impossible to re-shoot (for at least an hour, anyway, depending on Steven’s 55 yr old testosterone levels, etc – could be untenable until the next morning) and while they are lovely company, I’d like to go home soon.
I get the lights set. I take a guess on the power settings. They are already in bed. I pop off a few shots while they are getting the heat going.
The light is AWFUL.
Fuck.
What am I going to do? Ask them to stop fucking for a moment so I can fuck around with my strobes and do a series of test shots?
What were they expecting for this part, anyway? Perfectly lit, composed portraits of his cock hammering away at her pussy that they could enlarge and frame for the entrance of their home? Something for his office wall, perhaps?
I accept that this moment is most likely really more about the experience of having done it – not necessarily the photographic merits of this group of images. I power down the strobes and shift my camera into a mode that will make the most of this low light situation.
I realize how many kudos directors of photography should get for shooting love scenes that feel real – because in real life- two people making love – are NOT photogenic.
Bodies contort with pleasure, to facilitate pleasure. Hair falls all over the place, covering faces. Obscuring kisses and glances and gazes.
I accept that these images will be gritty – visceral – imperfect. Let’s call it “reportage” and call it a night, shall we?
Linda climbs on top of him and begins riding him again.
She leans forward to kiss him.
His cock is deep inside her, and it’s all front and center for my …. Viewing pleasure?
Is that what’s going on here?
Her pussy voraciously takes his cock in, over, and over, and over…
…and I can’t help but wonder ….
what she feels like….?
So, um… what, exactly, are we doing here?
Speaking of photography – check out my gallery here.
