Amy Adams and Mark Crane are a husband and wife creative team who explore the "feminine erotic gaze." Most erotic literature, photography and film are produced for men, while the erotic interests of the majority of society—women—are largely overlooked.
Amy is a graphic designer and photographer. A while back, one of Amy's friends requested a nude photo shoot. Amy did not have experience shooting nudes, but the friend was happy with the photos and this led to a referral for another nude photo shoot.
Amy enjoyed the work and decided to assemble a portfolio of fine art nude photographs. She began placing ads on Craigslist seeking models. She sought ordinary people with no prior modeling experience. For payment she offered free prints of her work.
Over several months, Amy received dozens of responses from a variety of people who were willing to shed their clothes and their inhibitions for her camera. They were from all walks of life, as young as twenty-three and as old as fifty-seven. Some wanted nude photos to impress their boyfriends, girlfriends, or spouses. Some wanted to show off their tattoos and piercings. Some just wanted the experience of being a nude model.
Amy soon decided this so-called "fine art" academic nude photography was not particularly inspiring. Her aesthetic shifted to what she calls "fine art erotic" photography. While she wanted to maintain an artistic sensibility in her photographs, she also wanted to capture genuine sexual excitement and desire. This change in direction led to photo sessions in which Amy and her models had intimate conversations about erotic desires and experiences.
Amy's husband, Mark, writes editorial advertising copy during his work day, and fiction on his own time. As Amy's work progressed, she and Mark frequently discussed the stories told to her by the models.
Approximately seventy percent of the people who responded to Amy's ads were women. Amy and Mark realized that a significant number of these women acknowledged they enjoyed the role of voyeur in the "voyeur and exhibitionist relationship." They were average women who liked to look at naked men. This insight led Amy and Mark to focus their work on the relationship between female empowerment, voyeurism, and the feminine erotic gaze.
Drawing inspiration from the stories told by Amy's models, Amy and Mark authored the erotic fiction that comprises this collection. The stories are inspired by situations which Amy or Mark personally experienced, or those shared with Amy by her models. None of the names used in this book are the actual names of any of the persons involved with Amy's and Mark's work. Amy and Mark want to thank everyone who contributed to their project.
