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Bad ass erotic photographer
Eddie Ostrowski doesn't like the wheeling and dealing of LA, but he tolerates
it for the good of his mean lookin' art. He worships Satan, or maybe he's
just kidding. Either way, it's probably a good idea not to fuck with him.
We nicely asked him some questions and lived to tell the tale.
Sez G: Why did you leave San Francisco and are you still based
in LA? How do you think LA works with you in terms of attitude and creative
fodder?
Eddie Ostrowski: Yeah I'm still based in LA… well, really in Eagle
Rock which is a section on Northeast LA. I say this because Eagle Rock really
is nothing like the rest of LA. The traffic doesn't suck out here and you
can park on the street in front of stores you want to visit. The rest of
LA, like Hollywood, Silver Lake, Los Feliz, it is kind of a cluster fuck.
I'm not down with that at all.
When I lived in the Bay Area I lived in San Jose and
not the city. If I lived in SF I prolly wouldn't have moved. Oakland is
a great place too. I'd like to give a shout out to all my Bay Area peeps
right now.
LA is a wasteland. It's a desert, and people try and make it something it
really isn't. I don't like the entertainment industry and all the bullshit
that goes on with it. Living in LA for 3 or 4 years has opened my eyes to
a lot of the fucking lame shit the media does to get your attention and
sell you whatever bullshit they want you to buy. Living in LA has taught
me two things though…One, if you aren't talking about how great your shit
is no one is going to do it for you. And two, everything is about money
in this town.
EZ: You've mellowed out a lot from your punk rock and extreme sports
days. Tell me about your transition into nudie pics.
EO: I wouldn't say I've mellowed. I like to say I'm just a lot smoother
now. The first nude pic I took was of a girlfriend of mine while she was
taking a bath. It was one of those post coitus moments and I had my camera
handy. I liked the result and started making more. I continued because it's
a way for me to see girls naked. It's kind of a cool gig.
EZ: You seem drawn to the darker, grittier side of reality, like
shooting motels and cigarettes. What about darkness calls to you?
EO: I don't know anymore. There seems to be a lot of people making
dark art today. When I started making photos back in the 80's I was influenced
by artist like Joel Peter-Witkin, Francesca Woodman, Starn Brothers, Robert
Rauschenberg, Derek Riggs, Francis Bacon and Nan Goldin.
I also smoked a lot of weed and listened to a ton
of Metal back in the 80's. It was kinda what we did in the South Bay back
then. Shit, I still think it's part of the culture even to this day. Also
I worship Satan in my spare time. At this moment I like to say what's up
to all the brothers and sisters keeping the dreams of Dr. Anton LaVey alive
and well. Hail Satan.
EZ: Well, that would explain the draw to darkness. There's no better
influence! How much computer retouching do you generally do?
EO: I use the diffuse glow filters on my porn images, I mean "erotic
art images," but not much else. The diffuse glow filter basically helps
with skin blemishes and general skin issues on the models. Other then that
I don't do a lot retouching.
As far my "Dark Art" stuff, none of it is retouched. When I do work like
that, it's done by destroying my negatives, scratching them or whatever.
Also I put my prints through hell using photo bleach, charcoal, paint, and
a bunch of other junk to make them look mean.
EZ: Damn, are they mean! But you also include a lot of cool soft-focus
and blurry shots in your portfolio. How did this look develop for you and
are these shots intentional or discovered after the fact?
EO: Yeah, that's the kind of thing I'm into. It goes like this: any
dumbass can set-up some strobes and shoot boring straight-forward pics of
some chick with her boobs hanging out. Personally I like to see something
interesting in the photos I make. I know the mainstream doesn't get it,
but who cares about them away. So yeah, I do it on purpose.
EZ: What kind of relationship do you have with your models?
EO: When I'm shooting them, they are the most
beautiful woman in the world. But after that, I really don't have much contact
with them. Unless of course I've totally lamed out and forgot to send them
their pics. I would like to think they had good things to say about me,
but I don't really know. What have you heard?
EZ: Me? Oh, um, nothing…yeah, nothing. Ahem... Anyway, you also do
collage and assemblage. How did you get into it? Do you ever photograph
with the intention of using it in collage, or does it develop more organically?
EO: It goes back to how much the Starn brothers and Rauschenberg
influenced me. I started out as a painter way back in the day and was drawn
photography as an extension of my art. So combining paint and photography
was just a logical progression for me. I believe in letting my art tell
me what it wants to be.
EZ: What's ErotiCandy?
EO: ErotiCandy is an online erotic ezine that's been around since
the time of the dinosaurs. I started it to showcase the artists I found
online who I thought where super cool and interesting. I realized that while
showcasing some cool artists I could make money showing porn too. So I started
linking to porn sites which was the beginning of the end.
I've learned a lot about the porn industry, and to be honest, its luster
has been lost for me. Still though, it is one of the better online erotic
sites out there today.
EZ: What's the future hold for you?
EO: I'm starting work on a documentary about erotic photography which
should be fun. I want to make a Rock Opera some day too.
Rock on, Eddie! You can learn more about Eddie Ostrowski at www.eddieguy.com.
Eddie Ostrowski - by Sez G.
