My Sister

This photo of my sister is so cute... was shot by Alex Trebus for a current ad campaign for german newspaper Die Zeit (comparable to "The Times" here in the US).
I haven't seen my sister in 3 years, and those of you who do have a sister or siblings, may know how much that sucks.

Love to ya, little sista .....

The Beauty of Decay

Thanks, Desert .
(and Joshua).

Behind the scenes

During a recent desert shoot, my makeup artist Roshar took some pics with my Yashica T4 while I was taking this photo:




The film that was inside the T4 must have been x-rayed about 50 times and expired for at least 10 years, but I kinda like the colors anyway.
I rarely get some cool BTS shots, and these are especially nice because they also capture the progress of the sunset.

Thanks, Roshar!

When Downtown LA turns into Ghost Town, I strike.

I snapped this photo of Amy last week downtown LA around midnight after a long day out in the desert.
It's amazing how the second biggest city of this country turns into this strange little underworld that we are barely aware of.
Good for me.
Good for my girlies.
Thank you, LA!

Behind the scenes (Please note how filthy my jeans look!):



Final shot:

No Quarter

Close the doors, put out the light
You know they won't be home tonight
The snow falls hard and don't you know
The winds of Thor are blowing cold
They're wearing steel that's bright and true
They carry news that must get through

They choose the path where no-one goes
They hold no quarter,
They hold no quarter.

Walking side by side with death
The devil mocks their every step
The snow drives back the foot that's slow
The dogs of doom are howling low
They carry news that must get through
To build a dream for me and you
They choose the path that no one goes
They hold no quarter,
They ask no quarter,
They hold no quarter.


Led Zeppelin - No Quarter

Tyler

One of my few friends who puts up with my shit.
He most certainly deserves to be mentioned here ....
I snapped this photo of him today during a shoot he assisted me on while the model was in makeup.

The day the world stood still ... and we drowned in our tears.

And while the city wept, I silently walked the streets, camera in hand.
Barricades were everywhere.
Somtimes a cop would send me back, but I'd walk around the next block and managed to sneak by the barricades, unnoticed by the police, who were often distracted by other weeping men and women or even sometimes cried themselves.

The day after,there was silence.
Sometimes there was a woman or a man crying.
Sometimes someone would just sit quietly and stare into nothingness ;in disbelief of the sudden nonexistance of the towers.

I haven't looked at these photos since I picked them up from the photo lab 5 years ago.
I never scanned or printed them either, until today.

These aren't photos of the burning towers.
Neither did I photograph the running crowds, barely escaping a certain death.

These photos aren't sensational, but these were my random , personal moments while I walked through the silent city.

And maybe I don't cry anymore today, 5 years later.
But something inside me died that day, and I will never get it back ; the love for a city and its people that I left my home and my family for in hopes of a bigger and brighter future.

On that day, everything that I hoped for, was buried in the burning rubble.

Now that 5 years have passed and hear people say how "time heals all wounds", I am not so sure about that anymore.

Dita

I took this photo of Dita at the Taschen Store a few weeks back.
I shot it with my Yashica T4.

Playboy Spain: Interview and Photos

I finally got my paws on a copy of Playboy Spain that came out in April and features a 4 page spread with an interview and some of my work.
If you'd like to read the interview, you'll find the transcript below the images...







Lara Sterling for Playboy Spain

It’s a typical December day in a warehouse studio near the center of Los Angeles. In the mainly Latino neighborhood, Christmastime can be seen in the cheap decorations that hang off the taquería awnings and the “snow”-sprayed windows of the immigration-law clinics. But it’s still hot out. It’s a searing 90 degrees in the street. It’s also scorching inside the warehouse. But not because of the building’s temperature; the air-conditioning blasts. The heat in here comes from what you see happening: namely, two naked, twentysomething-year-old Czech models buried inside one another’s crotch. The shoot is for one of infamous porn magnate Larry Flynt’s top magazines Leg World. There’s only one difference between this erotic photo-shoot and any other: There is a woman behind the camera and not a man.

“Most people think that I’m a lesbian,” says Cynthia Patterson whose tough voice belies the femininity of her long, red hair. “But I’m not. I’m a heterosexual female. And it’s because I like sex with men that I know what men like in terms of erotic photos. It’s this that I try to bring out in every shoot.” And what is it exactly that men like according to Patterson? “Simple”, states the photographer, “hot and dirty sex”.

Patterson, in fact, is one of the most prolific photographers in the adult-entertainment industry today, an industry that is dominated by men. So what has it taken to get as far as she has?

“Sure, there are times when I have to ‘think like a man’,” Patterson declares with an ironic snigger, “but don’t think that women like sex that is so different than men do. Once women get all their psychological ‘oh, dear, I’m a whore’ issues out of the way, I believe that both males and females go for a raw, animal sexuality.” Patterson adds that she knows when a particular model is posing in a manner that will sell well in the magazine because “I can feel in my gut that it’s hot.”

According to Patterson, it is the fact that a woman is beautiful and feminine that is foremost what is attractive in a photo. “And, yeah, that you then see her performing in all these incredibly kinky ways. I want the men who view my photos to see that my models are just as hard-core as they are.

“No,” Cynthia hedges, changing her mind, “even more so.”

Nudity Not Necessary
Still, even if Cynthia Patterson argues that there is nothing about being female that changes the way that she shoots, there must be something that differentiates the male photographers from the women. At least, this is what Beatrice Neumann, a German-born female erotic photographer, argues. The photographer, who got her start shooting stills of the prostitutes and strippers she knew in her hometown of Frankfurt, explains, “When women take erotic photos, they typically don’t shoot genitalia.” Neumann goes on to confirm that what she personally seeks in a photo is a woman who can “express her sexual confidence without being vulgar. It’s more about attitude, eye contact, a suggestive look. You don’t even need nudity for a photo to be exciting.”

But, sure, maybe as a female Neumann only needs a suggestive look for a photo to be a turn-on. But does that sell to the typically male consumer who is her market?

“Sure, it does,” disputes the photographer. “Otherwise there wouldn’t be so many woman erotic photographers out there today.”

In fact, Neumann shares that she receives emails on a daily basis from men who applaud her for her less-“obvious” techniques. “There is so much porn out there,” explains Neumann, “and men are fed up with it. They’re looking for something different, and I provide them with that.”

Digital Diaries
Still, it’s no big secret that female photographers in the world of erotic photography is a relatively new trend. According to Neumann, it was the advent of the digital format that allowed for the emergence of many of the new female erotic photographers on the scene. “I don’t want to perpetuate any stereotypes,” the erotic lenswoman opines, “but women feel more threatened by the technicality of film. They are intimidated by lights. Whereas the digital format is all about instant gratification, which has made the art of photography very accessible.”

It should come as no surprise then that just when digital cameras became affordable to the common consumer—the year 2000—a whole slew of new female names emerged on the erotic-photography circuit. One of the most famous names to rise up that year was Natacha Merritt, who published her collection of sexual self-portraits in the book, Digital Diaries (Taschen).

Female Erotic Photographer Legend
Nevertheless, this is not to say that before Natacha Merritt, there were no female erotic photographers working. Both Cynthia Patterson and Beatrice Neumann, for example, have been shooting professionally since the 1990s. This is not to mention the other big names in the erotic-photography arena, among them Ellen Von Unwerth or Emma Delves-Broughton. And, in fact, one of the photographers who helped mold Larry Flynt’s Hustler’s look when the magazine was first incepted back in the ’70s was female. Her name is Suze Randall. Ironically, it was Hugh Hefner of Playboy who first discovered her.

“I was 29, young and beautiful, and getting a lot of press as a photographer for this reason,” Randall recounts. “I started out as a model, and was shooting photos of my friends on the catwalks of Paris. Next thing I know I’m being flown to Chicago by Hefner, because he saw some photos of mine that he liked. And remember, this was an era when not even many men were shooting erotic photography, let alone women.”

So what was it like for Randall to break into the erotic-photography arena during that “more innocent” time? “I had to bust a lot of balls,” says the photographer. “The male photographers resented me. They saw this sexy, young woman having all this success.” Randall credits her drive and initiative for all that she’s achieved up to the present.

Nude Photos = Objectification?
But then again, there remains the issue of objectification—in other words, the concept that to take nude photos of women is to objectify them. This antiquated view is typically perpetuated by feminists. So what do the females who are actually shooting the nude photos think of this idea?

“Do I objectify women?” Randall asks with a scoff. “When a girl is young, in-shape and gorgeous, I think it’s wonderful to glorify her body. Because trust me, you won’t have it forever.” Randall should know: In a 1976 issue of Playboy, she also modeled for the magazine.

Barbara Ann Crumm, a model/photographer, who has worked with such erotic photographers as Cynthia Patterson, Richard Kern and Carlos Batts, concurs: “In front of the camera, I actually feel stronger, more human, and more empowered as a woman.”

The Model/Photographer Dynamic
And, finally, there remains one last question: Do the models feel more comfortable shooting with a photographer who is also female?

“Absolutely,” affirms Amy Rivera, who sees herself as both a fetish and pinup photographer. “Not only have the models told me so, but I’ve also heard this from other female photographers.” Randall adds, “It’s probably because I actually get my work done during a shoot, instead of thinking about my hard-on the whole time and how I’m going to try to get a date with the model.”

Still, Chanta Rose, who has worked both as an erotic model as well as a photographer, has a different take on the matter: “If a girl is so uncomfortable shooting in this industry, then she shouldn’t be in the business.” Rose shares that when she has worked as a model, her experiences with male photographers have actually been better. “Female photographers are always picking apart my body, telling me how fat I am, or how my body doesn’t work for a particular shoot. The male photographers, on the other, always like my body for what it is. They try to bring out the best in what they have to work with.” Nonetheless, a quick glance at any photo by any one of the aforementioned female erotic photographers
what red-blooded male can argue that these talented women have not also brought out what's stunningly beautiful in the models displayed here?