Larry Sultan/ The Valley

image by
Larry Sultan,
The Valley
West Valley Studio # 12, 2002

I was thinking that a series of postings
about sex and photography
would be an easy thing.
It´s not.

Its hard to find images that either touch your intellect,
or your emotions, maybe both.

I don´t mean the pure sexual instincts.

Larry Sultan has compiled a series of photographs
he took on a set for a porn-movie in a book called “The Valley”.

His images closely related to the porn-action
are very calculated and easy to grasp.
They are made not to show to much of the so called action,
their construction is easily to detect.

Might be just the truth,
that it is just not really interesting,
how a home turned to a porn movie set
looks alike,
and what is happening there.

The mechanics of sex are simple,
hardly worth mentioning,
but the emotions and the sensuality,
that come along with this basic act,
could become a topic worthwhile for a project.

Porn is purely about the mechanics.
No emotions, no secrets.

So, all those very well made photographs by Larry Sultan
can´t hide,
that the topic,
while triggering curiosity,
is a boring one.

Larry Sultan´s photographs become more interesting,
when taken out of their context.

Like the image above:
dark males staring into the light,
staring at a naked woman, vulnerable
in her nakedness..

It´s about the voyeurism,
inherent to photography,
even more so,
when connected with nudity,
or pornographic action.