I’m a bit puzzled by the personal attacks, myself.

I’m curious. Do you think all of my photography is trash, or just the shots of the half naked girls?

im sure others have oppinions and my point wont make a differnce but, i had to point out who are you to tell someone that there religion is wrong or there a slut or whos fault it is. all of you people need to grow up!

JAY MEDINA

I had an interesting comment today on my controversial blog post, “Enraged Feminist vs Utah’s Sexy Dancers.” Here it is, with my response:

I know that the girls are comfortable with the photography. If they weren’t they wouldn’t be shooting. However, I do know that Eric takes nude photographs, and I have to ask why. What is the reason for nude photos? They aren’t sold, so there goes the “sex sells” argument. So why are these girls being asked to take off their clothes? If the claim is “for artistic purposes,” I would have to truly question that motive. There is a fine line between art and pornography (which can be defined as, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, sexually explicit pictures, writing, or other material whose primary purpose is to cause sexual arousal), and I think some of the near nude (and the nude shoots) really fall into grey territory.

Mr. Anonymous,

I am building collections of intimate portraiture, both nude and implied nude that I hope to compile into high quality books and fine art giclee prints. These collections will be marketed to fine art collectors — NOT to porn sites.

There is a long history of nude art, and many of the world’s most famous and celebrated portrait artists have done nude work. Would you say the same about their collections?

FYI, nobody yet is privy to my full nudes collection. I have never released some of my best nude work, and don’t intend to until I have enough of it to do a high profile gallery showing and publish my first book of nude works.

My nude collection is not simply made up of skinny model types. Also included are full figured women, and many people who do not fit the standard definition of pretty girls according to Cosmo. One of the things I hope to accomplish with the collection is to redefine the concept of “sexy girl” to extend beyond the skin deep beauty concept — to capture the essence of a sexy personality. A woman’s ability to feel sexy empowers her.

My beautiful wife is the driving inspiration for my nudes collection. She is an outstanding, sexy woman who has struggled her whole life with self esteem issues because she doesn’t fit typical “sexy” stereotypes… but she is very sexy to me! I want her, and women like her to understand that they too are worthy of love, devotion, admiration, desire, and even lust. I think that women need to feel lusted after once in a while. Sex and procreation are essential to the continuation of the human race. As a spiritual person, I treat sexuality with sacred respect. Love and lust are powerful forces that speak to the core of our self worth as human beings, and everybody should have the right to enjoy them.

When it comes right down to it, I am a male feminist. I want to empower women. I want to build their confidence, and give “regular girls” hope that they don’t have to look like a supermodel to be desirable, capable, and powerful creatures. That is the essence of my nude work. That is the positive message I hope to share through the collection and publication of that work. Some people will have issues with my collection. I expect it to be far more controversial than my collection of nightlife dancer photos. I guess that’s the price you pay when artistic integrity means more to you than making the critics happy. I’m willing to pay it, because I’m passionate about my work, and I think the message I’m trying to convey is an important one with the potential to help a lot of people.

I really hope that my wife, and women like her will be able to see it for what it is, and feel uplifted by it. Maybe that’s silly. Maybe it will backfire. I can’t worry about that, though. I am driven to express myself creatively, because I am a creative person. That’s how I communicate. I hope that some people will get the message, but I’m not going to stop just because others don’t.

Where to start…
I took the time to read through every comment on this post. I have seen you working at a few parties that I have attended and have actually been completely overwhelmed by your professionalism with both the dancers, and the dj’s. You have turned what started as a side project into something that you truly enjoy, and you have made every one of your pictures personal, whether it’s seeing the dancers/dj’s on a personal level, or just seeing the way that you look at the club/rave scene as a whole. You have thrown more into photography than most people have ever done, and I applaud you for that. The time that you take to work with people is amazing, and it absolutely disgusts me that women that consider themselves feminists are actually taking the initiative to call you a pervert, or say you are filth.
I would love to know what Enraged Feminist thinks of porn, if this is filth.
Please don’t take the comments so heavily. I know it is hard because it is both something you love to do, and a profession that you are being criticized on, but these words are only there to hurt you, most of it won’t mean a thing to people.
The death threats are ridiculous though.. someone actually threatening to kill you over taking a picture of someone who is obviously posing FOR YOU. These women are proud of you, your work, and themselves, and it all shines through in the pictures you take.

You’re not wrong with what you do. Anyone can snap a picture. You are a photographer.

As a photographer, I am a bit biased towards the work itself and not the subject. As married man, yes, the people you photograph are attractive, but I’m not leaving my wife/cheating/oogling the girls you photograph. And my wife is confident enough, trusting, and intelligent enough to know that as a guy, I will look. But I’ll be at home, in bed with her at the end of the day.

As far as any parents who’re concerned with their kids’ actions, the “you’re photographing it, you’re responsible” reasoning doesn’t fly. He’s not putting on the event. He’s not inviting the people. He’s not handing them drugs/alcohol/porn/water/vegetables/elephants. He’s not doing anything but holding a camera and recording his surroundings.

Oh, Eric, I hope you never happen to be on the scene of an accident with your camera. If you take pictures and post them, you’ll be encouraging more people to have accidents. And please, don’t take pictures of people eating. Someone’s daughter might want to have a cheeseburger. The horror!

As anyone with a lick of sense in their minds can see, Eric isn’t in control of the surroundings he photographs. He just photographs it as it happens. That’s what he’s paid to do. And he does it well.

Maybe I’m a bit jaded because I’m a photographer and I see the world through the lens too. Or maybe it’s because I live life the way I do without following anyone’s path but my own. I just can’t hate on Eric for what he does. Then again, I’m intelligent enough to realize that there is so much more in this world than what some people are led to believe, and that doesn’t make it wrong or them right.

(I’m really trying to not hate on religion/religious nuts/uninformed persons/the ignorant.)

Confidence is sexy. You don’t have to be a stick figure to have that!

As men we have become fine-tuned by the media to some extent to think thin = sexy and it, I suppose it must influence our opinion to some extent but in total honesty it tends to be a reflex reaction to go “Wow” when one of these type of women are seen but in utmost honesty I’d much sooner see a well curved bottom and hips sooooo much sexier. Most women probably fall into the class of pear-shaped. Well, to me pair-shaped = perfect-shaped. Everyone is obviously entitled to their opinion as to what is sexy but for the biggest majority of men it isn’t standard model material. So girls, don’t EVER think you’re not sexy. There’s enough so-called BBW, plumper, mature etc sites out there, the so-called ‘readers-wives’ and if we all just fancied stick-insects these sites wouldn’t exist. So if your partner thinks you’re not sexy, it isn’t that you’re not sexy, it’s they’re the wrong partner, go and get a new one that does think it! trust me, someone WILL think you’re sexy.

Like I said, I’m a guy (and such probably a pervert lol) so yes, I look at,,,,,,, errrr, rude images (hey!!! I’m only a guy remember!!!) The number of times I’ve seen images of some lass modeling for her partner and trying to cover what they consider their flaws is infuriating. Firstly, if she’s that unsure of herself, she really shouldn’t have been put in that position (and THAT is nearer an abuse of sexuality, not someone happy to do it, paid or otherwise) and secondly (and much more important) if the shoot has been done well (or at least every effort made by the photographer to try their best in my case lol) then any naked human form should protray a thing of beauty.

To be frank (and this effects us guys just as much you know!!!) ‘sexy’ should really be read as ‘confident’. A confident person will always potray ‘sexiness’ A lass in sexy lingerie (male perspective again) will always look silly if she’s hunched-over, trying to hide her so-called imperfections etc etc. Whack those clothes on a jump out at your guy head-held high oozing confidence and I’ll wager a weeks salary his eyes light up!!! Don’t ever fall into the trap that because your other half looks at other women he obviously doesn’t find you attractive anymore, it’s sod all to do with it, to look is just our flawed genetic make-up I’m afraid and as the wife says “I don’t care were you get your appitite providing you only eat at home” , is good advice.