The lovely Lori Mann is a professional photographer who captures glamorous women in a variety styles. Sometimes she finds herself on the other side of the lens, at play in the world of swing parties, fetish events and pin-up conventions. You can find photos both by and of Lori on her warm and intimate web site, LoriWorld.com. Lori took some time out of her hectic schedule to talk to the Eros Guide about her camera-crazed lifestyle.
Eros Guide: How did you meet all your interesting models, while shooting them or do they contact you and ask to be photographed?
Lori: Well, it's worked both ways. Sometimes I meet the models when I'm attending shows like Erotica LA or Glamourcon, and we decide we want to work together. Sometimes the models will contact me directly when they have seen my work. And of course sometimes I contact them directly or through my agent. Also, sometimes they're my friends first, women I've met at parties or what not, and later I ask if I can shoot them.
EG: Which came first for you, the erotic photography or the kink?
Lori: The kink definitely came first!
EG: Were you always bisexual, or did meeting all these hot babes influence you?
Lori: I've been bisexual and interested in BDSM since junior high. When I started playing in the swinging lifestyle, I had my first opportunities to photograph friends who I knew would be willing to be naked in front of my camera. I've been into photography and portraiture equally as long, but didn't venture into shooting the erotica until my actual lifestyle went there first.
EG: I see you go to swing parties. Do you attend fetish events as well? Or do you go to ALL the fun stuff in LA?
Lori: Well I don't go to ALL the fun stuff in LA cuz that would require more than 24 hours in a day every day, although I do have some friends who try! But yes, I do go to lots of fetish events as well as swing parties. I often play at private play parties in the dungeons of Mistress Gemini and Mistress Kittin or at the Wicked Gardens dungeon of Mistress Pandora. Of course I also attend plenty of private play parties at the homes of friends. But sometimes all I want to do is sit home, order a pizza, and watch BarbWire (the European version).
EG: The photos on your site are all of women and fantasy erotica, but it says you're a commercial photographer on your site. So did you ever shoot still-life, product shots or other boring stuff like that?
Lori: Actually, I did do that stuff for years. I shot catalogs, weddings, babies, you name it. And I hated it. I no longer do it. I realized that what I was really into was shooting erotica, and I decided about five years ago that that was all I was going to shoot. Even though it has meant taking a "day job" sometimes to supplement the income, it is worth it to me to focus only on that.
EG: Do you do any other sort of photography?
Lori: I do a lot of shoots for private women who want to come in for erotic photography for their husbands or boyfriends, and that's a lot of fun too. That photography business is the focus of my other site, pinkkittystudios.com.
EG: Do you make a living off your site or do you have a day job, too?
Lori: I'm a legal secretary. Sometimes I can do the photography full time, sometimes part time, and sometimes I have to be the legal secretary full time. It varies and depends on things like the economy and my level of boredom with any given job. The Pink Kitty Studios is actually the most lucrative part of my photo business, and eventually will probably be full time.
EG: There's a brief mention of a book in the calendar section of your site. Tell me about it.
Lori: It's a beautiful hard back book that showcases the work of about 50 female photographers who all shoot erotica called Women By Women: Erotic Photography. It's wonderful to see the diversity of styles that women all capture, and the diversity of what turns us all on. It was published by Prestel and you can get it at Amazon or any of the big book stores. It was the first time I've been published in a high end book and I'm thrilled about it!
EG: I noticed that instead of charging a subscription fee, you have a different way of allowing people a members only-type access. What a great idea! What made you think of doing that?
Lori: I assume you are talking about the one price for sixth months sign up fee for my site. Well, actually that is brand new! I really am doing it because I want the site to be more of a "collection of my work" that people can buy into, rather than the traditional monthly membership site. There is so much of the same stuff out there on the internet now that I wanted to do something different. I wanted to make my erotic art a bit more accessible.
EG: Are there any interesting tidbits about your history that you'd like to share with our readers? Were you a cheerleader? Voted most likely to succeed?
Lori: Nothing too exciting...I started out like an ordinary gal, drill team, yearbook, then on to college.
EG: Where did you go to school?
Lori: I attended UCLA and then got my master's degree in education from Pepperdine. It was shortly thereafter that I became a freak! But I don't think that had anything to do with Pepperdine [laughs].
EG: Well, that should hold our readers until they get to know you better on your site. Thank you so much!
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