John Dietrich
"Although I’m known for my images of Dita von Teese, Bryan Ferry and Ozzy Osbourne, I’ve been taking fetish photographs for many years. The highlight of the working day at the office then was furtively spanking one of the office girls in the stockroom. I was a fetishist before I was a photographer and was influenced by classic British spanking magazines like Roué, Janus, and Blushes.
"In the late ’70s, there was punk and many of the clothes were highly fetishistic, with safety pins, ripped fishnets, latex mini skirts, etc. I would go to clubs like the Rum Runner in Birmingham where Duran Duran performed and shoot people who had style and were sexy. I was intent on becoming a fashion photographer in those days and fetish was more a personal pursuit, rather than a serious attempt at building a career. That all changed when I became aware of Helmut Newton in 1982 with the release of his book 47 Nudes and his concept of Nordfleish. His images encompassed everything I wanted to be a photographer. I realized I was a worshipper of women and intoxicated by female beauty.
"I drew inspiration from Newton. His pictures had a story – they weren’t the typical flat fashion pictures trying to sell a boring product. Also, I heard he was very lecherous around his models and classed as one of the bad boys of photography. This was music to my ears and fitted my self-image as a libertine.
"I became aware of Skin Two around 1987. The late great Bob Carlos Clarke used Skin Two to source many of the clothes and accessories and credited them in his pictures. His refined techniques of using black and white materials, coupled with toning and montage took erotic photography to a new level. His images, particularly from his books Obsession and Dark Summer, were a great inspiration.
"I think there is an anarchic edginess to most of my images now and a subversive element which leaves me relatively unscathed by the fetish fashion world. Feeding off my history and the dynamics of eroticism, I set a scene where drama and naughtiness can happen. I try to ignore what others are doing, in an attempt not to become formulaic. It helps enormously if you are working with a great model. One of my favorites is Vanessa Upton, who I think is England’s best kept secret and greatest fetish diva.
"My next book will have leather clad ravishing beauties on great looking bikes, lots of gorgeous women with smackable bottoms – all stereotypical, all clichéd, as all the best fantasies are! There’s the occasional celeb (these will probably be boring!) and some spooky Gothica, inspired from the writings of Edgar Allen Poe
"These days, I also run Club Severine in Birmingham. We have of fun and get up to as much pervery as any of the London clubs. It is also a great recruiting ground for models!"
Contact: 07834 857271
See also [ List of spanking photographers ]
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