Is photography sexual?

Dunno about sexual, but I do agree with Bailey that every photoshoot is a mini love-affair. If you don't have that connection, you can't expect to get results.

No, that’s Rankin & Bailey being Rankin & Bailey… Do you think Don McCullin, Sebastiao Salgado or Nick Ut would share this sentiment?

Of course it's totally personal to each individual.

I definitely don't consider it sexual myself, I'm not thinking any sexual thoughts or getting turned on. I do love capturing people and feel that it's an intimate process. Intimate doesn't always mean sexual.

Holly Alexander Photography said

Of course it's totally personal to each individual.

I definitely don't consider it sexual myself, I'm not thinking any sexual thoughts or getting turned on. I do love capturing people and feel that it's an intimate process. Intimate doesn't always mean sexual.

Exactly!

Morph01 said

Holly Alexander Photography said

Of course it's totally personal to each individual.

I definitely don't consider it sexual myself, I'm not thinking any sexual thoughts or getting turned on. I do love capturing people and feel that it's an intimate process. Intimate doesn't always mean sexual.

Exactly!

This is my take too.

I believe that when photographing people, there has to be a connection to encourage that little bit of magic…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge%27s_law_of_headlines

"Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no."

Some images might appear sexy or stimulating to some yet have an adverse affect on others. Some images are cringe worthy no matter how stimulating the intention might originally have been. Then others have subtle sensual overtones yet not in any way sexual. It's very subjective.

Don't believe everything you hear uttered from anybody, in many cases they say what they think you want to hear.

CalmNudes said

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge%27s_law_of_headlines

"Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no."

I like that!

JEB Photo said

Morph01 said

Holly Alexander Photography said

Of course it's totally personal to each individual.

I definitely don't consider it sexual myself, I'm not thinking any sexual thoughts or getting turned on. I do love capturing people and feel that it's an intimate process. Intimate doesn't always mean sexual.

Exactly!

This is my take too.

I believe that when photographing people, there has to be a connection to encourage that little bit of magic…

Same here

Morph01 said

 I do agree with Bailey that every photoshoot is a mini love-affair. If you don't have that connection, you can't expect to get results.

I don't think I could function if I thought like that. My relationship with models is closer to gay-best-friend (though I'm neither of those) than it lover affair.  

Morph01 said

Holly Alexander Photography said

Of course it's totally personal to each individual.

I definitely don't consider it sexual myself, I'm not thinking any sexual thoughts or getting turned on. I do love capturing people and feel that it's an intimate process. Intimate doesn't always mean sexual.

Exactly!

Yes. It varies from person to person. I think some of the best photos I've made have been intimate without being sexual, there is something about a model trusting a photographer to take some photos which just wouldn't work with the "quite a sexual experience" thing going on. Similarly there are photos which are erotically charged but not vulgar (which is what I'm interested in making), pictures which are erotic and vulgar (traditional porn) and pictures that are sexually vulgar without being especially erotic (fanny snaps as I tend to call them, or 'failed porn') 

Some of my pictures are, in some way, about (rather than of) sex. Nudes that I do tend to be more figure studies, and pretty asexual - which is how I got tagged with this silly handle of mine. If I'm doing something that registers on the erotic scale well... put it this way, someone in Bailey's league might be able to do lights, camera settings, direction, etc and still have capacity left over to think sexual thoughts. For the rest of us it's one or the other, it takes everything I've got to do lights and camera

Some images can be very much so.

I had an FPI a couple of days ago with two female models interacting in what I think was a very sexual way.

I was involved in this purely by controlling the camera and getting into the right place.

JPea said

Some images can be very much so.

I had an FPI a couple of days ago with two female models interacting in what I think was a very sexual way.

I was involved in this purely by controlling the camera and getting into the right place.

+1

The intention with many of my images is that they will be sexual to the viewer. The actual producing of them isn't.

Holly Alexander Photography said

Of course it's totally personal to each individual.

I definitely don't consider it sexual myself, I'm not thinking any sexual thoughts or getting turned on. I do love capturing people and feel that it's an intimate process. Intimate doesn't always mean sexual.

Exactly this. The person I'm shooting is the main character of the Universe while I'm shooting them. It's your job to make them feel that way.

Can't say I've ever found a photoshoot to be a sexual experience. Even when photographing couples - I'm not part of that ... just a 'bystander' capturing something for them to relive.

To me its more sensuous than sexual, in me photography arouses a feeling of excitement but it is not the excitement of sexual stimulation. It is the excitement of trying to produce a photograph that the model and I, and any viewers, find pleasing and well taken, possibly conveying a sexual allure. But I do not get turned on or have thoughts of having sex during the shoot. 

Edited by Parkes Fine Art Photography