real life

These photographers take pictures of ordinary couples having sex. (NSFW)

What do other people look like when they’re having sex? Ordinary people, that is.

We all know what it looks like when the screen fades to black on Hollywood actors. We have an idea of what sex looks like in porn. (Spoiler alert: it’s usually not like reality at all.)

But unless you’ve got a neighbour who takes issue with closing the blinds, most of us don’t know what ordinary people’s sex lives look like. Until now.

There are a couple in the US whose full time job is to take pictures of ordinary, everyday, non-celebrity people having sex. Constance and Eric are professional erotic photographers, and their mission statement is to “show that beauty and sexuality are self-defined and should not rely on external influences.”

On their website, the couple lament that the question of “what is sexy?” is defined in modern society by magazine, media and advertising; noting that “visual media has all but been saturated in terms of gloss, blatant, sexual imagery”.

Their work is a mixture of fine art and photography – and mostly abstract.

In an interview with Nerve magazine, Constance points put that:

The ideal beauty in the commercial world is incredibly narrow.  I think it was really in response to this restricted definition of sexy that gave us the idea to start this project.  We want to show that beauty and sexuality are self-defined and should not rely on external influences.

So how do they find people who are willing to be photographed – not only naked – but having sex? Actually, couples approach them, and ask to be photographed. Their subjects are also their clients.

In another interview, the couple told Huffington Post that the best thing about the job is “showing people how beautiful they are together is amazing! We are basically surrounded in this warm atmosphere of love and that’s the thing we most look forward to.”