Between Fine Art Nudes and Porn

Perhaps due in large part to the taboo on sex, photographers who take to producing fine art nudes often eschew the erotic appeal of naked bodies, focusing on the technical and aesthetic qualities instead. On the other end of the spectrum, pornographers are usually concerned solely with the erotic appeal of the media they produce, all too frequently ignoring the technical and aesthetic qualities of the naked bodies they document, because their (narrow) focus is on what will sexually arouse the viewer.

There are, certainly, fine art photographers who recognize the erotic appeal of nudity, and even pornographers who make an effort to produce artistic porn (though this seems particularly rare). But on either end of the spectrum, you have to cater to an audience that has certain expectations. Connoisseurs of fine art, being enmeshed in a culture of high society, generally spurn the base appeal of sexuality, while typical consumers of pornography consider any distraction from their sexual response unforgivable.

How then, does the erotic photographer position himself on the narrow balance between fine art and porn? With much difficulty. As an erotic photographer, I am interested in both sex and art, and most especially the art of sex; I am genuinely concerned with producing art that is sexual. If, then, I ask a model to get naked for me, there are two points to note. First is that, unlike the fine art photographer, I have no intention of hiding the fact that I am interested in sex. But second is that, unlike the pornographer, I really am interested in art, and I'm not just using that as an excuse to persuade the model to take her clothes off.

There is a euphemism for people who do that. The 'Guy With a Camera' probably (but not always) has minimal talent or experience as a photogprapher, and moreover, his primary motivation is to get you naked, not to take great pictures of you. As an artist, my genuine motivation is to take great pictures of you - even if my interest in eroticism dictates that the sort of great pictures I want to get are the sexy and/or naked kind. But I have no intention of abusing your trust or exploiting you or making inappropriate sexual advances toward you like the GWC is wont to do.

For Art

What does "For Art" mean? Some people have gotten the impression that "For Art" is a cheap excuse guys use to trick naive girls into taking their clothes off "for a good purpose". While there are bound to be those out there who use it in that way, this is not what it stands for, and this abuse should not reflect poorly on the proper use of the phrase. "For Art" means that the primary purpose is art - not getting girls to take their clothes off and get naughty, but to create art. This may involve girls taking their clothes off and getting naughty, or just taking their clothes off, or even leaving their clothes on. The point is, whatever happens - which is never to exceed the boundaries of the model's comfort zone - or doesn't happen, what matters is the art that results. This takes the pressure off of the model to "perform" in any way she is not comfortable. It reassures her that what she's doing - whether it includes sex or not - really is For Art, and that "For Art" is not simply an excuse to get her to do those things.