Alluring-Art Photography: Evolving Erotic

Erotic images, in many forms, have taken off in so many ways, becoming embraced and enjoyed. In the midst of this broader acceptance, artists such as photographer Richard Lyons are seeking out and developing new technologies to further push erotica to its sexiest potential. In order to publish his innovative Alluring-Art Photography – Digital Erotic Anthology, Richard has set up a campaign and I spoke with him to learn more about his art, embracing cinemagraphs and his plans for this collection.

What inspired you to explore erotic photography?

I’ve always loved the female form. The curves and contours of their bodies. It was inspiring and when I got into photography I gravitated towards the erotic space. To me, the female body is so much more interesting to photograph then say landscape or lifestyle photography. I love creating that wow image,that makes people want more, and working in erotic photography I can achieve this!

How did you discover cinemagraphs and how did you go about learning the techniques?

Simply by searching through the internet. I’m always looking for new photos, styles, and genres to see what others are creating and when I came across the cinemagraph it captured me. the technique requires you to first start with a video file. You shoot your shot for about 10 seconds. Enough to get the motion you want to see later. Then Open Photoshop and import your video frames to layers. From there you’ll create a mask for one layer that will keep the motion and leave the background still.

How can this technology “evolve erotica?”
Using the cinemagraph style, you can take advantage of the subtle movement and make it tell the story or evoke an emotion. Like the skirt blowing in wind to reveal her bottom or a fire’s warm glow dancing in and around her body, revealing and hiding her more sexual side.

What is the typical reaction of people seeing this work for the first time?
So far I’ve had a pretty strong reaction to it. Fortunately people can first relate it to an animated gif so its not shocking to them. They see the subtle movement and want to see whats next! Which is why i’m currently working on this project.

If you could have one person pose for an erotic cinemagraph, who would it be?
That’s a great question, and one I’d honestly haven’t thought about yet. Off the top of my head I would say a top model or actress which would lead to huge publicity. For the love of the art, I would say the girl next door. I feel our society is closed in about how we view erotica. If we could get it out to the public, using the girl next door,showing them its nothing to be afraid of, people would be more open to enjoying it instead of hiding it.

What plans do you have for future work?
I havent thought to far ahead for future work as I’ve been so busy trying to make this project a success. My hope is this project does well and people want more!