Coming back from a difficult work trip on the war torn Syrian border with Lebanon, it was time to apply myself to a more relaxing photography adventure. While talking to my good friend Aaron Schumm in New York City, I mentioned that there was a real possibility of acquiring a pair of VIP press passes for the Adult Video News awards in Las Vegas (AVN awards), the porn industry’s Grammy awards. I had to find a way to make sure my friend got a pass as well. After weeks of negotiations with the AVN press office I finally convinced them that he was my new writer.
We both flew to Las Vegas, checked into the Aria hotel, and promptly went to the Hard Rock café where all the events were taking place. We soon picked up our passes which allowed us to enter all private shows,walk the red carpet, and go to the awards..
The porn industry is a very serious affair, a multi billion-dollar money machine which has the unique particularity of attracting cash, whether the economy is strong or weak. Thousands of men, some with their wives or girlfriends, converge each year to Las Vegas for the awards to get a chance to meet their favorite porn star and fulfill their dream. The long lines of men eager to talk to one of their live fantasies is impressive: most carry a picture of the star they worship waiting for it to be signed, and if lucky get a nice warm hug. It is a time to keep the clientele happy. Naughtiness is in the air, as I capture with my two D300 Nikon this flock of men from Middle America wandering around starring at a star working the poll dressed with nothing more than a thong, while others focus on a large bed where four actresses are pretending to have sex. After a few hours of shooting such scenes, I realize that this is not the way to go for me; I need to do something different, something more substantial.
It was not until the next day, during the red carpet and the award shows that I was going to get my break. My friend and I go through all the security to enter a massive room where hundred from the press are waiting to shoot the passing stars and producers on the red carpet. These types of shots are both boring and dull to the eye, I therefore changed my focus to something more real and feminine. dropped my wide-angle lens to start using a 35mn 1.4 to capture the more discrete side of these women known for their sexual prowess. For a few hours I press the shutter of my Nikon searching for the woman inside these sex professionals , while making sure they don’t notice my camera . Only then did I start to be happy with my work, looking for the feminine side of these women .
By late evening the awards finally started, delivering close to 100 awards to actors in the industry. Again, I tried something different by shooting the ranks of sits facing the stage. The entire porn industry is present, a few thousand people gathered like a big family congratulating themselves . I focused once more on the brief moment when one of the actress has a moment lost in time, sad perharps wondering what her life might have been if, she had chosen a different career.
Jonathan Alpeyrie
