Pervy girls in a pervy world

Respected LA fetish photographer Christine Kessler has just had her first book, Pervy Girls, published by Goliath. Tony Mitchell, who championed her work in Skin Two, recalls how he watched her style develop and picks his favourite images from the book

One of the greatest pleasures of my long association with fetish magazine Skin Two was the opportunity it provided for discovering, documenting and showcasing promising new talents who have gone on to become fetish household names.

Christine Kessler (known to her friends as Steen) is one such talent I’m proud to have given exposure and encouragement to. Today she is without doubt one of fetish photography’s consummate artists — a quietly confident stylist who manages to combine an incredibly prolific output with consistent high quality, and who, incidentally, is no mean talent-spotter herself.

When I first encountered Christine’s work many years ago, she was documenting Los Angeles alternative culture through arty portraits shot on black and white film. In the late 1990s, because she wanted to showcase her photography to a wider audience, she began to get involved in web design, and as a consequence she found herself embracing the fast-growing medium of digital photography.

Suddenly (or so it seemed to me), her oeuvre expanded to embrace a new world of vibrant digital colour and an entirely new outlook on her favourite subject matter — kinky girls. Suddenly, she was tapping into LA’s growing pool of feisty fetish modelling talent with a photographic approach that seemed perfect for capturing the pervy aspirations of a whole new generation of cute ’n’ sexy, latex-loving, young American exhibitionists.

‘These are women for whom fetish can be dark and dangerous if needs be, but for whom dressing up is mainly about having fun — with a capital F’

These are women for whom fetish can be dark and dangerous if needs be, but for whom dressing up is mainly about having fun — with a capital F. Aided and abetted by a new wave of fetish fashion designers creating clothes that are more colourful, stylish, sexy and feminine than ever, these women embrace a new kind of playful erotic style which seems both totally modern and authentically female. And rarely is this new style better expressed than in the photography of Christine Kessler.

With the constant imperative of providing content for her own websites, My Fetish Diary and Toe And Arch, and for the numerous model sites she hosts, she has photographed everyone from top fetish celebs Masuimi Max and Emily Marilyn to promising newcomers like Scar and Jami Deadly. And they all say the same thing about Christine: they love working with her because she makes them feel comfortable.

This, of course, is often what enables her to tease out the very character traits they don’t readily reveal to just anyone. Not so long ago, for example, it would have been impossible to imagine many photographers getting away with dressing a serious fetishista in sock-suspenders, but Kessler and her models have now turned this once-joky styling touch into a serious statement of cool on the fetish circuit.

Of course all photography like this is a joint effort. But the view of contemporary female glamour and sexuality offered by Christine Kessler’s work is more than just a collaboration — it’s a 100-percent inside job, and all the better for it.

‘All photography like this is a joint effort. But Christine Kessler’s work is more than just a collaboration — it’s a 100-percent inside job, and all the better for it’

(Adapted from Tony Mitchell’s foreword to Pervy Girls, a Goliath Portfolio title)

http://www.christinekessler.com/

About CK

Christine Kessler has been behind the lens of a camera for most of her life. She enjoys many facets of photography including fashion, fine art, erotic and fetish imagery. Her photographs have been included in numerous group shows and two solo gallery exhibitions. Her first book has been recently published by Goliath.

Christine's portfolio is a testament to her photographic range. She's as well versed in creating classic, often haunting monochrome images as she is shooting vibrant color stills. Her unique framing, her eye for beauty, and sense of humor have won her fans the world over, and set her work apart from others.

Christine's photographs have graced the pages of these magazines, as well as a in a lovely feature on Michelle7.com.