Ashley Fontenot grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and moved to Los Angeles in 1998. She began taking digital photos and discovered a passion and talent for photographing nude women. Her work has been featured on websites, including Danni’s Hard Drive, on television with SexTV, and in a book called “Women by Women.”
Ashley Fontenot’s Website
What characteristics do you look for when choosing a model? I look for models that spark something in me. To put it bluntly, I try to choose girls that for the most part, find myself attracted to. I like girls that have unique features, and above all, an attractive face. I like girls with personality that will ooze out of the photos. I like girls that want to ooze on film, girls such as Emily Marilyn. I mesh well with flirty girls. It means they’re comfortable with their sexuality or want attention. Either way, they both look good on film.
Your work was featured in a recently released hardcover book titled “Women by Women”. What differences do you see when you compare erotic photography by men and women? When women look at women, they look at different parts. I would prefer to take a photo of a woman who was bubbling out of her bra seductively. I think a male would chose to just have her topless. For women, the idea of sex is more of a turn on than looking at genitalia.
What drew you to digital photography as opposed to film? Digital is easy, fast, inexpensive and the ultimate in instant gratification. I am in awe of photographers that shoot film, but for me and the way I work, digital is the only way. I shoot large quantities of images in a very short amount of time if I were shooting film I’d be pulling my hair out! I think the quality of digital still has a bit of way to go, but I’m confident that the day will soon come when an affordable digital camera can rival a film camera.
On your website you reveal that you’re working on your first book. What can we expect and when might we see it? Oh dear! I don’t know. I have absolutely no idea what its going to look like. I still haven’t nailed down a common theme.. I’m still choosing images to send to an interested publisher. I’m scared of my book. Truly. My best friend is a reputable writer and has a few books published and every time he publishes a book, the first thing he says is What if this is my last book?. So far I have been unscathed by criticism but to have something in print and be criticized I think that will change things. Its not going to keep me from being published.. but its defiantly helping me procrastinate a bit. To answer your question of when well, I hope to have something out in 2004 and its safe to say that you’ll see some cute girls.
Who are some of your favorite photographers? My favorite photographers right now are Ellen Von UnWerth, Emma Delves-Broughton, Christine Kessler, Ian Vloke-Wurth. These are all photographers that can successfully create the fantasy of the perfect woman.
Do you think the appeal of the female body as a subject is purely sexual, or is there more to it? I think there’s more to it, of course every individual is going to draw something different from a photograph. For some, it could be purely sexual. But if you really think about it, sex is everything. We base our decisions on sexuality, attraction and pleasure. Those things are all one in the same as far as I’m concerned. I feel that a lot of the appeal has to do with the whole mother creator giver of life aspect. Women are beautiful, warm and safe. Anyone can look at a beautiful woman and appreciate her on a number of levels.