Jun 3, 2014 6:00 AM PDT    Text size: 

LOS ANGELES — Veteran industry photographer Christine Kessler took her own life on May 29, friends said.

A public memorial service is being planned.

A photographer with 20-plus years of experience who was highly regarded in the fetish community, Kessler specialized in erotic, fetish-themed images.  

Her work had been published in magazines such as Bizarre, Penthouse, Skin Two, Hustler's Taboo, and Interview, among numerous others. She published an erotic fashion photography book called "Pervy Girls" in 2007. Kessler's images also have appeared in books such as "Taschen's Erotic Art Now," "Women By Women" and "Plaything" by Penny Birch, among more than a dozen others.

In addition, Kessler did extensive commercial photography for several fetish clients, as well as contributed to websites such as GodsGirls.com, Danni.com, Zivity.com and Matrix Content. 

Numerous friends, colleagues and models remembered Kessler in social media posts this past weekend.

"You will be missed but your photography will live on forever," Master Liam Lockran posted on Twitter.

Photographer Joshua Darling remarked, "She was such an inspiration to me as I was breaking into photography."

Fellow photographer Kitty Wood said via Twitter, "You were the reason I first picked up a camera, and you always took the time to talk to me and help me."

Red Ezra added, "She was very talented and respected fetish photographer amongst the community."