"The difference between pornography and erotica is the lighting."
Gloria Leonard
A question that often comes up in photography and a question that I’ve often asked myself is this: When does nude photography cross the line into pornography.
Most of the nude photography I do would be considered fine art nudes, figurative nudes, or even conceptual nudes. In my mind, it’s as far from pornographic as you can get. It celebrates the beauty and wonder of the human body in an artistic and creative way. This year however, I’ve been exploring the world of erotica.
How is erotica different than my typical work? With my figurative nude work, whether I’m photographing or modeling, the body is an object of art. As cold as it sounds, the model as a person doesn’t really matter. I don’t have an issue with that. I was a professional ballet dancer and my job was to communicate the choreographer’s vision. My body was the instrument for doing that. My body was an object of art. I was objectified, not sexually, but objectified nevertheless.
When I first started exploring erotica I didn’t really get it. Where was the art in having a naked or half naked person just looking into the camera at the viewer? At the same time, the images were oddly compelling. Then it occurred to me that these images conveyed a sense of intimacy between the subject and viewer, which was very different than the oftentimes cold objective viewpoint of my figurative photography. There was a human connection between the subject and the viewer.
Of course, the primary intent of both erotica and porn is to sexually excite the viewer. But in my mind, there is a real difference between the two genres. With erotica, the person on the other side of the camera is not just a body, but a human being complete with all the qualities of a human. Erotica focuses on the beauty, sensuality, and emotional depth of human sexuality. It often communicates complex emotions beyond simply sexual arousal — such as tenderness, passion, or even vulnerability and power. It evokes feelings of intimacy, desire, or admiration, without necessarily focusing on explicit sexual acts. To create or amplify those feelings the photographer has to use the language of photography: composition, lighting, and storytelling, using sexual or sensual elements to enhance the subject’s allure or vulnerability.
Pornography on the other hand is really all about the act of sex. It’s more like my art or figurative nudes where the subject as a real person with feelings and emotions doesn’t really matter. In pornography, the subjects are seen as objects, as bodies that perform a sexual function for our pleasure. Porn is graphic in its depiction of sexuality. There is no layered emotional or symbolic depth that you might find in erotica.
I’m not placing judgement on any of these genres. They are all different and all serve the artists and viewers in different ways. I’m just trying to understand the nuances of these genres and understand the reactions people have to these various styles of photography. I don’t have an online forum to discuss these kinds of issues, but feel free to DM or email me and let me know what your thoughts are.