CThru.com Presents Tony Ward

Alexandra

……….We agreed to meet for dinner at a tiny quaint restaurant just off the Rue de Rivoli. A charming enough place with fine French cuisine to discuss the shoot we were about to embark upon the following day at my hotel suite in Paris. Alexandra was born and raised in France and lived just outside the ring, so I knew she would pick a good place to dine.

She completely embodied my idea of a beautiful French woman, and possessed the confidence in front of the camera to portray the role I wished for her to play. If there is any hotel that sets the mood for a classic erotic sitting, its Hotel Regina, a place that I frequent when I stay in Paris. If your looking to travel and want good old fashioned French charm, this is the place.

The grand old hotel is uniquely located at the corner of Rue de Rivoli and Place des Pyramides, facing the Louvre and the famous Tuileries Gardens. All of the bedrooms are furnished in Louis XV and Louis XVI decorative styles, contemporary it is not.

Alexandra easily felt at home and we quickly moved through a series of poses that she planned. Her experience as a well known nude model for some of France’s finest photographers made my work for the day, quite easy and relaxing.

Just remember, Alexandra does not come with the room. The hotel is a BYOB, bring your own babe………………..

……..I first came across Rachel at Flashdancer’s a popular gentleman’s club in the heart of New York City. She was dancing there and mixed in very comfortably with the other thirty or so women that were working the floor on that particular evening. . She was the prettiest woman in the place or so I thought. It was only revealed to me after several days of shooting, that at one time this beautiful woman was once a man.

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……….Devon called the studio to let us know that she would be working in New York for a few days and invited me to visit her at her hotel room for a photo shoot once she checked in. She was busy working the phone, upon my arrival. To see the entire sitting and more Erotica from the Tony Ward archives, log on to: tonyward.com

Yoko Grosshans

Posted by Yoko Grosshans

……….I have not modeled since I was in my early twenties. I thought it would be awkward for me, but TW has such an ability to make one feel so comfortable. His professionalism is obvious, but setting the mood with music and making you feel so sexy with words of encouragement is something that will stay with me to this day……..

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…….An artist is never far away from his work. While vacationing in Ibiza with his family, TW met Nancy at a night club while she was go go dancing the night away. The following day, they were shooting on the amazing beaches of the Spanish Island. To see the entire sitting and more Erotica from the Tony Ward archives, log on to: tonyward.com

….. After our sitting Monica mentioned in passing that the advertising agency she working for was moving to larger offices in South Philly and that she was considering leaving the company to branch out on her own. I encouraged her to do so…..

Fashion By Shawn Pinckney

It was a good thing she did. Month’s after Ms. Gursky left the company, her former boss Mark Norris and two company employees were shot to death in their new offices during a board meeting shortly after they moved in, by a disgruntled client. According to police reports, the gunmen was under the impression that he was being swindled on a $1.3 million dollar land deal.

Monica

…..I first noticed Monica standing outside the studio smoking a cigarette during a break at her place of employment, the offices of Mark Norris, a boutique advertising agency, in Philadelphia. Mark’s offices were right next door to the studio, so I noticed Monica frequently coming to and leaving work.

Monica Wearing White

I knew right away that I wanted to photograph her, so I waited until I saw her boss Mark around the neighborhood to ask him to introduce me to the talented designer at his company. Monica contacted me days later to let me know that she was interested and we agreed to meet for drinks to discuss the shoot in detail.

Black Short Shorts With Matching Top

We carried on well in to the evening and had a good time together. The chemistry and imagination shared during our meeting, created the recipe for a sensuous erotic shoot……..

Black Shoes To Match

Monica grew more comfortable as the shoot evolved. So comfortable that she agreed to reveal her natural beauty…….

…..to be continued…….

Portrait Of Yoko, New Years Eve, 2009

Posted by Yoko Grosshans

……..Ever since I was three years old, my parents’ traveled a lot. From that early age I had a golden opportunity to visit places all around the world. My father’s job as an environmental chemical engineer, required extensive travel and not wanting to miss time spent with his children and wife, he chose to bring us along on many occasions. Mom and dad instilled in me a passion for having an open mind to new and different cultures which eventually led to my yearning to become a photojournalist.

Traveler

In my early teens, dad introduced me to photography which taught me the importance of developing both verbal and visual communications. Those early influences got me interested in studying photography and communications in college at Temple University and Tyler School of Art. I remember the very first photographic opportunity, when I traveled throughout Southeast Asia for a year with camera in hand like it was yesterday. I spent four months in India where I had the pleasure of studying with the gracious, tender and loving Dalai Lama for an extended period.

Yoko's Lingerie By Victoria's Secret

Richard Gere happened to be visiting his holiness at the same time, which made the experience additionally memorable. I would have to write a book to express all the other experiences I treasured while visiting the ancient country of India. The 4 months I spent in Nepal were also incredibly memorable. To live on a mountaintop and wake up every morning surrounded by the Himalayas is indescribable.

Yoko's Makeup Ashley Bohl For Mac

The time I spent in Thailand was beautifully crazy, if that makes any sense. In Bangkok, The Red Light District brought me a sense of sadness, but the full moon parties were a blast. I enjoyed the islands which were so calm and serene and where I also learned to scuba dive was a cherished moment . How does one sum up year’s worth of experience? Perhaps there will be more stories to tell…..

Elizabeth Cunningham

…..In an ongoing effort to support student art, it is with great pleasure that the studio introduces you to the photographs of Elizabeth Cunningham. Elizabeth is studying photography at the University of Pennsylvania.

Series: The Misrepresentation of Identity
While trying to find the common thread running through my work, my initial thought was that it is an exercise in finding the beauty in the grotesque. While this is partially true, I think my unconscious intentions went further than that, to instead question the idea of identity and misrepresentation. How much does the body play a part in the two?

We live in a society where we are perpetually focused on our bodies and how they define us. It is impossible to avoid exposure to the advertising industry that exists to reminds us our skin is the most important tool in representing ourselves to others. But what if our bodies actually said nothing about who we are? What if that false connection between body and identity was broken?

In my work I explore how one can manipulate and distort the structural elements of our bodies to create grotesque figures that can still be profoundly beautiful. Piecing together new forms, these bodies say nothing about one’s identity.

I decided to focus on images to the extreme end of the spectrum of identity: the hyper-sexualized images of the pornography industry. These subjects are defined by their attempt to be seen as single-faceted, sexual beings, ritualistically obsessed with what their bodies can do. Viewers remain in a state of suspended belief, choosing to think of these men and women as the sex objects their actions are hinting at, rather than a unique person with a complex person. A belief that this is not a job for them, this is who they are.  I removed the figures from their erotic context, and intentionally distorted them. These new disturbing and grotesque figures would be unlikely to be found in the pornographic world, and yet I ultimately wanted to create images that were still undeniably beautiful. Most importantly, these images emphasize that once again, the body is a shell; a beautiful and complex one that can be distorted and changed to represent a multitude of things, but one that says almost nothing of what is held inside.

Elizabeth