Shutterbug Sunday: Pedro Saudek
This week's installment comes from the amazing Pedro Saudek. He is a world traveling shutterbug who captures fabulous photos in fashion as well as the erotic arts. Welcome Pedro!
How long have you been capturing the world around you, either professionally or from the first time you picked up a camera?
I started using a camera when I was seven. It was my daddy's Russian manufactured camera. I was attracted by that magic steel and glass heavy object. I remember the first time I put my eye on the viewfinder and realized that reality can be viewed from different angles... reality, it's a point of view.
Of course it took time (much time) before I was able to properly use a camera, but that was probably the very first step into my photography passion and career.
But It was when I saw Michelangelo Antonioni's "Blow Up" movie for the first time that I really felt in love with photography. At that time I was fifteen, I was about to start high school and I decided that I had to study photography. It took a while to convince my parents but in the end they agreed and was admitted to the Visual Art Academy in Milan.
During my 5 years at the Academy I developed a real passion for cinema and I decided to continue my studies at the prestigious CSC in Rome where I graduated as DOP (Director of Photography). The rest is history ... :-)
What/who is your favorite subject? Do you find humans difficult or intriguing to shoot?
Let's say that I'm interested in anything that looks photogenic (at least from my point of view). From still life objects to landscapes and nature. But my favorite subjects are humans. I'm primarily interested in capturing female beauty, soul and sexiness in all hits forms.
In too many of the images with female subjects in my opinion women are treated, depicted and portrayed as objects instead of subjects.
I think the most essential element overall is always human dignity and I do believe in the educative (or dis- educative) power of photography as well as of the image in general.
That said, I always do my best to get into the intimacy of the people I shoot. The result of my work comes from a mix of my "talent" (if any :-)) and what my subjects are able to give. On a 50/50% share base. No, I've never found it difficult or intriguing shooting people!
If you could choose any one person in history, alive or dead, to do a full photo shoot of, who would it be and why?
It would probably be Giovanna D'Arco. She was revolutionary and brought a very important emancipation wind into women's conditions history. She was fighting the church and human chauvinism with incredible braveness. She was absolutely modern not only for that time!
Do you have a fantasy location you would love to shoot? If so, is there a specific subject to go along with it?
Well let's say that I have a kind of strange and personal relationship with locations. I usually like to shoot in very "normal" places. I think that every place has a story to tell if you are able to listen to it. It's not only the story of the people who live in the places, it's the places themselves. That's where I like to shoot. I always try to get the stories out and translate them into my images. Especially when I shoot erotic photos and videos, I always try to tell stories which would be able to give emotions to the spectators. I love to put extraordinary beauties into ordinary environments and locations. I think it's very erotic, stimulating and moving for the people to recognize something that belongs to real life, something related with their everyday life.
Contrariwise I think it's not always good, emotional and intimate to locate shooting in a "million dollars house" or a private jet. This could be perfect for advertising which needs to sell products representing a certain kind of status and lifestyle, but it's not exactly the same if you want to deliver emotions.Eroticism is related with emotions, intimacy and basic instincts which are better stimulated by the imagination of reality. Sex is something which involves a big part of human relations. I've been working in the fashion and advertising business for almost 20 years and I realized that many communication instruments and rules are very often based and related in various manners of sex. Sometimes explicitly, sometimes under double sense, and always hooked to an idea of hedonism. That's probably why "sex sells".But when I shoot erotic content I have to deal with different drives.
It's very important for me to create erotic and emotional situations, not only sexual images. The difference can be thin but it still makes a difference. Above all there is the absolute respect I have for women, which I would never ever put into any humiliating or uncomfortable situations. That means that I consider the models, the women I have the pleasure to work with, as protagonists of their own sexuality. I first talk to them about my ideas for the shooting and I ask them to play around it with their own point of view and their own personality. They really have to enjoy it! If they have to be sexy they first have to feel sexy... and who would ever feel sexy in a crappy cheep situation? I also think that a female's eroticism and and a female's brain in general is much more evolved, sophisticated and open-minded than a male's.
That's why I work already eleven years with my wife, Asta, which is my soul driver and right hand, other then a continuous inspiration and supervisor!Together with her and a small group of close friends with great professional skills we have been producing content for several erotic magazines and websites including Femjoy, Met-Art and Joymee during the last six years. Three years ago we created a new erotic website virtualrealitychannel.com with the idea and the aim to give to eroticism and its protagonist (the models) the right attention. Virtualrealitychannel's core concept is to enhance a model's personality, and includes self-made content telling about their life and private moments, voting on the models to drive them to the top, choosing a girl from the casting, and following her climbing up to the top by producing continuous new professional and fine art content, and much more.
We want to put models and users in a closer (virtual) relationship. We believe in hi-class, elegance and quality content to bring a small but important contribution to the eroticism on the web. People can be educated to a better level of fruition, can be driven into the world of sex with a new point of view which can deliver a better entertainment experience. We also believe in good and very selected cooperation and we are now producing high quality photo and video content with the best and most naturally erotic European girls and developing a new iPad application in cooperation with Fleshlight which is a great company and a great family business continuously creating and developing new incredible first class products for men and women's pleasure and fun. I really love what I do and I feel incredibly lucky to be able to make the living doing what I like with the people I love.
I think that life has been generous with me on both the private and professional side and I think it's a must for me to enjoy every single moment doing my best at the highest level possible. Life is a beautiful journey if you have the right people traveling with you.I want to thank my amazing wife Asta for the continuous support, inspiration, love and patience. And I want to thank my wonderful kids Nicola and Lucas for teaching me what happiness is with their beautiful smiles.
-Pedro Saudek
for anyone who like my work lease visit www.virtualrealitychannel.com new version now online!
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