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When Playboy model Lisa Boyle stepped behind the camera to begin shooting
her own electrifying erotic images, she took the phrase "more than
just a pretty face" to a whole new level. The modest, down-to-earth
Boyle is driven, passionate and gifted at creating her intoxicatingly sexy
photos. We spoke with Lisa about the twists in both her career and ambitions
that led her to be one of the hottest photographers in the world today.
Literally.
Sez G: You have a smokin' hot bod, and made the cover of Playboy early in your extensive modeling career. Why did you decide to go behind the camera?
Lisa Boyle: I have always been interested in photography. When I was little, my parents hardly took any pictures. I've always missed not having documentation of my life growing up. Since then, I have been obsessed with documenting things in pictures and feel as though it's "proof" that I exist. Too deep? [laughs]
Also, I knew there was a time when I'd want to "retire" my g-string, and I wanted to like my job after modeling as much as I like the modeling thing. What better career to continue that creative process than to be a photographer?
Sez G: But you haven't retired your g-string yet! You still do some seriously sexy modeling and regularly update the members section of your website. How has being a photographer changed your approach to modeling? What do you look for in a photographer?
Lisa Boyle: Me being a photographer has not changed my approach to modeling at all. I am a good model. [laughs] No seriously, I am. I'm a mover, and I like to be creative. I like when the photographer and model work together with both of their visions.
Sez G: You've said of photography, "my experiences as a model
helped me tremendously... I know what I want and how to communicate that
with my subjects." What's a typical photo shoot like when you're behind
the camera?
Lisa Boyle: I have fun while shooting. I like to shoot fast and to be shot fast. I HATE when there is a giant setup, and you have to stand there while someone tweaks lights for an hour. I like spontaneity. I have to have music both when I'm being shot and when I am shooting. I like to laugh. My sets are what I would consider fun. I hate to say this, but it is SO not "sexual," meaning that I like to get a feeling of movement and a sense of who the subject really is rather than "objectify" them.
Sez G: It's effective…. your portfolio is packed with very sexy women who seem sincerely electrified with eroticism. You've shot a lot of the big names in print, video and the web, including Jenna Jameson, Tila Nguyen, Sung Hi Lee, Danni Woodward, Celeste Star, Nikki Benz and Shae Marks. Do you have any muses? What do you look for in a model?
Lisa Boyle: I have to say, to me, it's ALLLLL about the eyes. You can be the most beautiful person in the world, but if there is nothing behind the eyes, the shot is dead to me. It's acting. You can't just stand there and be "pretty." It's not enough for me. I like to capture personality, playfulness, fun and wickedness. Tera Patrick is awesome, Jenna was awesome. I really like shooting Jesse Capelli as well. Great eyes. Also a friend of mine who is a fashion model, Jaime, is great.
Sez G: You've worked very hard to get sober and remain so for
fifteen years. That's wonderful! What was your addiction, what was the turning
point for you, and what do you do in your daily life to stay sober?
Lisa Boyle: Phew! Yeah, getting sober was the hardest thing I've ever done and the thing I'm MOST proud of in my whole life. I grew up in a very alcoholic family and swore I would never drink. So I started doing coke. Somehow, I thought that was different!
Well, I discovered that being totally tweaked out on coke was a little... um... not fun. I then discovered alcohol to "balance the coke out." That was utopia for me. Then it started not working. I could no longer escape and have fun. It was a constant "chase" of that high, and the comedown was brutal. I literally wanted to die, I felt so shitty about myself. I said, "this either has to change or I'm going to kill myself." I was that miserable. I ended up at and AA meeting with someone who had gotten a DUI. I thought, "this is gonna be SO lame." Well, at that first meeting, I realized "Oh Shit...I'm one of them!"
Being sober has given me the ability to follow my dreams, show up, be present (which is not always a piece of cake) and have a life.
Sez G: You grew up in Chicago. When and how did you end up in
LA?
Lisa Boyle: I moved to LA with a boyfriend from Chicago who was in
a band that got signed. They moved to LA, and a few months later, I moved
out too. I lived the total "rocker" life for a few years, and it was a lot
of fun. I've always hated the winter in Chicago and never wanted to go back.
I waitressed and bartended for years before even thinking of modeling or acting. I sort of fell into it… cause if you are a pretty girl in LA, everyone assumes you should model or act. I got a modeling agent and Playboy saw my card and shot me for Playboy's Book of Lingerie. I got a cover out of that first shoot.. and the rest is history! [laughs] I SO don't take myself seriously!
Sez G: You have three tattoos of bows, on your neck, tailbone and inner wrist. What does the bow mean to you?
Lisa Boyle: I'm a little gift. (KIDDING) I've just always loved bows and my favorite color is pink and they make me happy. I love tattoos. I think they are sexy. Oh yeah, I have a new one on my arm and also older bows on my ankle and toe.
Sez G: You've appeared in many movies (Midnight Tease, The
Nutty Professor, Showgirls, Lost Highway, Face/Off, Lucky Numbers),
music videos (Aerosmith, Warren G.) and television shows. It looks like
you haven't done any acting in several years. Do you have any appearances
planned or have you decided to stop acting?
Lisa Boyle: Yeah, the acting thing was fun for a while... like I
said, if you live in LA and are a fairly pretty girl, people think you should
act. I bought into that. I had fun and got a lot of experience, but my passion
is definitely photography. No contest.
I was typecast (I understand why) as the sexy bimbo chick, and while that's
all good for a while, it gets old. I was SO sick of getting those roles,
and I wanted to move on. But no one saw me as anything different. Life has
to move forward, not stay stagnant. If I could get some really cool roles,
that would be great, but I don't like it enough to work that hard in acting
class, go to all of those auditions that I DON'T want to go to...and to
waste time basically doing something I'm not totally passionate about. Life
is too short.
Sez G: What's next for you?
Lisa Boyle: Well, I am getting published in a book entitled Erotic Photography Now by Taschen, one of my favorite publishing companies. I was SO honored to be accepted into this book. There are some amazing photographers I will be in the company of. I also have my own book coming out with the publishing company Baby Tattoo Books.
I am shooting for Tera Patrick's calendar tomorrow! I have been painting on my photographs and had a few art shows. I loved that. It's so great to get to be totally in control of your creative vision.
We are completely revamping my site and adding LOTS of great new things. That should be done soon. I'm shooting tons of new girls all the time. I have been published in many mags including Playboy, which is great.
I have a lot of really cool opportunities right now that I don't want to jinx! [grins] My ultimate goal here is to shoot ad campaigns, like Guess, for example, or American Apparel. I think their ads are SOOO hot!! Yes, I aim high! I feel that kind of work would be a perfect fit for me.
You're just the woman for the job, Lisa! To learn more about Lisa Boyle, visit LisaBoylePhotography.com and LisaBoyle.com.
Lisa Boyle - by Sez G.
