LOS ANGELES — Tired of driving? Pull into the “Porn Star Motel,” industry vet Red Ezra’s fine art photobook, which features top adult starlets in the buff, straddling vintage lamps and working backdrops of wood paneling and questionable mattresses.
A director for top-shelf studios like Vivid, Wicked and New Sensations, Red Ezra, also known as David Lockard, said he began the project, which is currently crowdfunding, several years ago as a means to exercise full creative control and express his passion for still photography.
Ezra writes on his Indiegogo page, “I wanted to do a personal project that I could control everything, (sets, lighting, wardrobe, props, etc.) and avoid all the distractions. Photography was a way for me to be creative and experiment on my craft without all the stress and responsibility that a big movie production requires.”
When the economy took a downturn and piracy began ravaging the adult DVD industry for the worse, Ezra put all production, including “Porn Star Motel,” on hold. Now he is hoping to raise $18,500 to finally finish what he started.
Ezra has already shot a bevy of leading (and now-retired) models, including Jessica Drake, Sasha Grey, Joanna Angel, Asia Carrera, Aiden Starr, Belladonna, Julia Ann, Kylie Ireland, Crissy Moran, Katie Morgan, Angela Ryan, Charlie Laine, Wanda Curtis and many more, who he says have really made the book what it is. “The models inspire me as a photographer and artist to make beautiful pictures, and that's it,” Ezra told XBIZ, “The photos represent a time in our lives that is crazy, sexy and fun.” In anticipation of funding, from Indiegogo or elsewhere, Ezra has already confirmed the additional participation of Brittany Andrews, Dyanna Lauren and Janine Lindemulder.
Taken together, the images have a cohesive, kitschy feel (think cigarettes, rotary telephones, garter belts, newspapers strewn about the floor, Christmas lights and a recurring 70’s-era lamp). They feature porn stars and fetish models with full-frontal nudity (including open leg shots), female couples erotica (non-explicit) and fetish themes (foot, latex, Shibari rope bondage and hosiery).
The campaign for “Porn Star Motel” officially launched yesterday and will run until Sept. 21. Individuals who contribute will receive neat perks like postcards, digital wallpaper, autographed prints by Ezra and/or by the models featured in the project, large-format nude prints, and collectible props and/or wardrobe used in the making of the project.
Ezra says that, no matter how much money he does or doesn’t raise, he doesn’t intend to compromise his artistic integrity. “If you look at it like I'm a painter, let's say I'm a street artist, and I'm spray painting a new piece on some perfect killer wall that everyone will see,” he told XBIZ. “I had a plan all worked out when I started and it was coming together great, but I got chased off before I was able to finish it. The goal is to finish it the right way, no matter what the outcome of this campaign is. With the help of the press, blogs and word of mouth, I hope to find the ‘crowd’ that wants to see this project be successful.”
For more info, or to contribute to the campaign, click here.
