Many, many moons ago when I lived in NYC, photography was predominantly a man's profession. Although there were other females in the field, I wasn't aware of anyone else shooting male nudes. When I tried to sell my prints, only gay men's magazines were interested. As Seinfeld said, "Not that there's anything wrong with that!" It's just that they were not my target audience. Early on there were some publications created by men which were intended to appeal to women. I'm sorry but a naked man wearing wool socks and construction boots, holding a large axe and standing in front of a big pile of logs, just doesn't cut it for me!
The 3 Chainsaw Dudes. When we lived in Lake Mohawk an arborist told us we had the largest black cherry tree he'd ever seen. Whether we had an early heat wave in late April or an unexpected snowstorm, our tree faithfully blossomed between my husband's birthday on April 26th and mine on April 30th. So we nicknamed it The Birthday Tree. One night we had a horrific lightning storm.There was a deafening crack as a bolt of lightning split our beloved Birthday Tree right down the middle and out of our lives. A tree service dispatched these three gentlemen to 11 North Shore Trail. Never letting a good photo-op go to waste, I posed them and click, Chainsaw Dudes sprang to life.
This is Betty Dodson, American sex educator and Artist, photographed in her home in NYC in the early 70's. Betty pioneered the Pro-sex feminist movement, gave workshops, wrote books and created erotic art.
I took this photo on a nude beach on the Spanish island of Ibiza, a very long time ago when I was in my 20's. Yes, this child of Woodstock was the only one running around naked with a Nikon strapped around her neck! This was unspoiled, idyllic, hippie Ibiza . It was 30 years before the invasion of the electronic music scene, raves and the drug Ecstasy. Ibiza was home to artists and musicians. There was a feeling of spirituality, creativity, magic, love, innocence and magnetism there. In fact Ibiza, like Sedona, is geologically speaking, one of the most magnetic places on earth.Its limestone contains a concentration of energy that provides an electric and vitalizing atmosphere. I felt as if I never wanted to leave.
True love in the bushes of Brazil. This married couple were expecting their first baby. To make a broad generalization, Brazilians are such happy, uninhibited people. They feel joy in their bodies and pleasure in their natural state of nakedness. When I visited the infamous Beach of Ipanema, I wasn't prepared for all the thong wearing bronzed bodies. So there I was, the pasty white American in a one piece bathing suit, no less. Never felt so conspicuous in my life. But I had a big smile on my face and ya' know what? Everyone smiled back!
This is acclaimed erotic sculptor, Doug Johns, known for his hundreds of exacting replicas of male and female"naughty bits."
Alternative Processes: Gum Bichromate prints and Polaroid Transfers