The past couple of weeks have been very busy for photographer Samantha Wolov, winner of Nerve.com's Emerging Photographer of the Year Award. Wolov, an AU senior majoring in art history, has launched a new Web site to showcase her most recent work: erotic photographs of real people having sex.
Wolov used to shoot portraits, but during the spring 2005 semester she ventured into new territory for a class project. The School of Communication course, called, "The Radical Image," required students to undertake a project with an entirely blank slate, so long as they completed a paper on theory and what the project intended to communicate.
For Wolov, her "Anti-Porn Project" was an attempt to reject the aesthetic of typical pornography.
"I don't think Playboy is arousing ... or that the images in Maxim are," Wolov said. "There are a lot of people who don't think Playboy is arousing. It's fake. It provides the fantasy. I didn't see why reality wasn't arousing to begin with."
Because the course was designed to focus on radical ideas, the project did not face any negative backlash from fellow students, nor did students consider it to be particularly revolutionary in the grand scheme of radical artwork.
"They were supportive of me in the same way we were supportive of each other," Wolov said. "There were some fantastic projects in the class."
Wolov's Professor, Leena Jayaswal, was also encouraging of the project. She acknowledged although Wolov's project in particular was not the most groundbreaking idea within the field of photography, it offered a valuable contribution to the class and to general academic discourse.
"What is radical to you may not be radical to someone else. The point is that you are venturing out beyond your safety," said Jayaswal. "Any kind of work that creates a dialogue is beneficial in a university."
However, many people are not as appreciative of Wolov's work, and she's aware of the fact.
"A lot of people don't consider this art. I know I'm ruffling some feathers, and I'm sorry I've offended people," she said.
For Wolov, who has continued working on her erotic photography in the past four months since the project, the process of expanding her work has been both arduous and rewarding.
"I really feel like I've grown in the past four months since the project," said Wolov, who has been submitting her photographs to a variety exhibitions and contests. "For every 50 submissions," Wolov said, "maybe you'll get one acceptance."
Fortunately for her, Wolov has not faced any problems working with her models, which consist mostly of her friends.
Beca Freitas-Wolfe, a senior in SOC, was one of Wolov's portrait models who then modeled for her when she began the "Anti-Porn Project." Like many of Wolov's models, she was simply helping out a friend.
"I certainly do not regret [modeling]. I am proud of Sam's success and her work is absolutely amazing," Freitas-Wolfe said.
Since finishing her class project, Wolov has photographed students from other schools, like Natalie Kruk, a student at California Institute of Technology.
"My roommate knew Sam and was her friend, so I wasn't skeptical about the intentions of her project," said Kruk. "As an ex-artist, I understood some of her purpose with this project."
Wolov's main goal with her models is to achieve an aesthetic of authenticity.
"I don't use a studio, I don't use lighting," said Wolov. "In the end, these people are performing."
Wolov tries to give guidance to her models without making the action in the photos unnatural.
"Sam played an observer, only giving directions when she thought a change in position would make the picture more interesting. She let me and my boyfriend just play around and have fun with it," said Kruk.
Since finishing the "Anti-Porn Project," Wolov has decided not to call her work by that name anymore.
"It was a way to differentiate between that and my other work," she said. "[With that name], people see it as porn, and don't make the connection."
Right now, Wolov is continuing with her photography and is trying to broaden the age range of her models. With the growing exposure of her work, she has access to more people who are familiar with her work and willing to model for photos.
In the future, Wolov is unsure whether she will continue with the project as the centerpiece of her career.
"While [erotic photography] is popular, it isn't exactly marketable. No one wants a blowjob on their wall," she said.
Wolov is currently in the process of applying to graduate schools. Her new website, www.samanthawolov.com, launched Sept. 28. Her gallery on www.nerve.com launched Sept. 30.
