Customer Reviews

XXX: 30 Porn-Star Portraits

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Timothy Greenfield-Sanders' new book may surprise you. We would expect someone with the talents of this photographer to produce beautiful portraits, and that he did. Mr. Greenfield-Sanders, using a large format camera, shot each model clothed and nude, against a neutral background, in practical identical poses. What you probably would not have thought, however-- and Simon Dumenco is quite right when he says so in his foreward-- that after you get over your initial viewing of the full-frontals, you are drawn to the faces of the photographer's subjects. Additionally, you might be surprised that such diverse people as Gore Vidal-- who wrote the introduction-- Salman Rushsdie, John Waters, A. M. Homes, JT Leroy, John Malkovich, Lou Reed, Faye Wattleton et al. have provided thoughtful essays on the subject of pornography.

We are not told how the photographer came up with these 30 individuals-- there are both women and men here, straight and gay, or at least the stars of gay movies-- although one would assume, given the nature of these folks' professions, that no one in the business would be camera shy. Both Ron Jeremy--according to his bio he is listed in GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS for having appeared in the most porno movies, over 1,750 adult films-- and Jenna Jameson, who graces the front cover of this volume and whose memoir recently made the NEW YORK TIMES best seller list, are included.

The essays cover a wide range of topics from AIDS to the availability of porn on the internet. Mr. Vidal attempts to tell us why pornorgaphy exists-- getting into both religion and the ruling class-- while Rushdie discusses the rise of pornography in the East, opining that "If Western pornography is a symptom of Western decadence, [as the Eastern establishment would say] then Eastern pornography is a side effect of Eastern repressions." He also reminds the reader that in today's Iran, distribution of pornography is a crime that carries the death penalty.

This is a quite serious book with beautiful photographs beautifully reproduced and one of the most unusual you'll likely to see.

Full disclosure obliges me to mention that I know Timothy and that I'm listed in the acknowledgements for this book. But even if I were a stranger and had just picked this up in a store -- instead of ordering it months in advance from Amazon -- I still would have been quite blown away. There have been (a few) serious treatments of the porn world before, but none that combine such a dazzling array of essayists with such an informed view of the industry and, as importantly, such an aesthetic presentation. The portraits, especially -- with the same poses clothed and unclothed, a la Goya's Maja -- are sympathetic, unpatronizing, and, I'd be willing to bet, definitive. A wow.

the most striking thing about this book is comparing and contrasting the clothed people versus their nude versions. it's interesting becuase so much personality can be seen in the clothes they wear, where as the nudes are left up to your imagination to mold them into anything you'd like.

the photography is wonderful and some of the articles were more interesting than others. it was nice to read some of the personal essays the porn stars wrote about themselves and their experiences and how they got into the industry.
if you're a fan of photography you'll appreciate the work in this book, if you just want to get to know a bit more about the industry from insiders then you'll also enjoy this book.

The photos are more interesting than the text. Beyond the standard issue-style bio sheets of the stars, the other writings were filler/pseudointellectual at best.

Per the photographs, what many refer to as "flaws" are actually accurate depictions of physical and emotional growth and aging. Nina Hartley looks just as good for her age as Sunrise Adams does for hers. I appreciate that the contrast was embraced and upheld with no effort made to have the former look like the latter!

The grouping is diverse with an excellent race and age range, it didn't smack of "tokenism" in any respect.

This book provides a rather unique artistic portrait of a life style that is not the norm, yet is one that is becoming more mainstream as fewer and fewer people are reluctant to view the material in which these "stars" appear and perform. One finds a rather interesting difference in viewing portraits of these individuals when shown in a more "everyday life" setting than their "industry" setting. This is not the sort of thing a family would leave lying about on a coffee table, but it is both disturbing and fascinating for curious adults.

I'm an avid collector of photography books and recently added this one to my somewhat extensive collection. Surprisingly, none of the other reviews I read mentioned what I think is most important about this work - its success in humanizing the men and women contained in its pages in uniformly respectful and highly personal ways. In leafing through the book's images, I felt a connection with its subjects, not so much as objects of sex, but more as human beings who derive their livelihood from the sex industry. There's a major difference between the two and Greenfield seems to have captured it. I, for one, have never subscribed to the Andrea Dworkin school of thought that porn is by definition a very bad thing that ultimately results in violence against women (and psychological damage to men well, as some people believe). Perhaps some unsavory individuals make it bad, and some performers enter it for the wrong reasons, but this book reveals that more than a few people are unashamed of their involvement in it and are really quite proud of who they are. Bravo to Greenfield for revealing this fact through his images. I think his book goes a long way in educating us to the fact that there are always shades of gray to every argument!

I've seen Timothy Greenfield-Sanders' work before, and was curious when I saw this book. I was surprised by how some of the adult stars looked sweet and innocent with their clothes on (like Sunrise Adams) but then morphed into their adult personas with their clothes off. The photos, shot with a large-format polaroid, are an amazing study in portraiture. I literally stopped when I got to Tawny Roberts' photos; she stares out from the page with such wide-eyed clarity that you can't help but stare back. Her eyes and expression spoke volumes, which is exactly what the photographer hoped to capture.

Timothy Greenfield-Sanders' photos are stunning. The models are incredibly diverse in size, shape, appearance, and sexuality. If you think all pornstars look or act or think or feel the same, study the photos and read the biographies in the back of the book. Greenfield-Sanders' subjects are as diverse as ... well...real life. This book manages to tear down any stereotypical image one might have about porn stars.

The collected essays are diverse, as well, reflecting the backgrounds and histories of the authors.

Yes, I'd put this book on my coffee table. Yes, the pictures are great, and yes, the book is more than just the pictures.

Pornstars as people thats a first. Instead of erotic shots Timothy Greenfield Sanders chooses to show the inner beauty of both male and female straight and gay adult performers. I also recommend the dvd and cd soundtrack as both are excellent

It seems so easy to dismiss the nation's biggest entertainment industry as mere "pornography", cluttered with "porn stars". This book takes a step back and flashes an artful lens on the simple beauty of these individuals, yes, blurring the line between the valley and Hollywood. These pictures are human and beautiful, great nudes, and interesting clothed shots.