Interview with a Vampire.

Okay, not really. It's only me being interviewed for inclusion in OPEN: An Erotica Journal. 

What have you learned from your subjects?

I was actually my own first subject. Self-portraiture allowed me to explore my alter-egos and the female archetypes, stereotypes that I've always struggled with. Through my self-portrait work, as well as my artful representation of others' on their own journeys to self-discovery, I learned that we are all inherently powerful, complex and oh-so wildly beautiful. I've embraced this beauty over time... years spent agonizing about my one breast smaller than the other, my new-found stray silver hairs, the roundness of a tummy that nourished and housed my only child, and the forever scars that tell a visual story of my survival. My subjects have taught me to honor the vulnerability and ferocity of myself, my fellow human beings, and the world we share.

What do you enjoy about erotic photography?

It's the playful spirit and evocative nature of erotic photography that most thrill me. While I don't create for the sole purpose of titillation, and don't consider myself a provocateur, I'm aware that the work is intrinsically sensual, sometimes powerfully sexual. My art is about what is authentic, and unabashed, and raw, and right there in front of me. The "erotic" is merely incidental.

When shooting nudes, are you able to separate your own personal sexual desire from your artistic process?

Although the environment I stage for nude and erotica work is certainly conducive to sexual play, and creates a heightened level of sensuality which I channel to create my art, I have never been affected by my own sexual desire while photographing. This may be, in part, due to my subjects being primarily female - as I simply haven't found myself sexually attracted to women. It's more likely due to how detail-driven my process is, and how incredibly cerebral I am. My focus is on the light, the lines, the tone and mood... all of the individual components that make up the "big picture," rather than my own relation or reaction to my subject.

Can you share a significant experience in life that made you "open"?

My mother died tragically when I was 20 years old. Five years later I gave birth to my only daughter. Both experiences were startlingly (and paradoxically) similar, as they each required more of me than I felt I was entirely capable of; shook my concept of "self" to its core; and left me raw, vulnerable and seeking clarity in my new identity. Motherless daughter, motherless mother. My work is a looking glass, mirroring these experiences of feminine transformation, celebrating the nature of being open-wide and malleable, but also resolute. I believe I honor them both by doing what I do.