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Interview With Hybrid Photo by Cary Ami aka Hybrid Photo is fast becoming one of my favorite photographers. What inspired you to pick up a camera? Simply put – boredom! J I got my first SLR (film) camera in 1992. I had no clue where to begin but out of sheer boredom I began reading and taking pix. Birds, cats, and dogs really anything that got in the way of my lens was fair game. Then towards the end of the 90’s was when the first “digital” cameras hit the consumer market. Working for Staples Office Superstore as a computer technician it was my job to test out and be able to explain to the customers how to use these new gadgets…thus becoming a total gadget freak in the process. I ended up getting involved and addicted to paintball and one thing led to another that led to my first DSLR. My addiction to photography grows daily and my husband and my best friend (international dark arts / alternative /Goth model and actress Kindra RavenMoon) can tell you I get quite bitchy when I don’t pick up my camera and shoot at least once every 24hrs :P
It’s quite a job keeping track of all the places my photos have been published. Current count (this number grows on a daily basis) is well over 150 career publications of photos in different genres. The most have been in paintball (three different international paintball magazines as a staff writer/photographer) and in the dark art / Goth / fetish / alternative world (three books and numerous print and internet magazines)
What particular challenges do you face with erotic photography as opposed to other genres? Hmm…challenges? I really don’t know about that here in Sweden since the culture is quite open sexually. We don’t have censorship here, so it’s quite normal to see a woman’s bare chest on the front page of one of the bigger newspapers. It is something that actually socially acceptable, there are a few minor exceptions here and there (Sweden is a melting pot of various cultures such as those from the middle east and former eastern bloc countries whose beliefs prohibit the viewing of a woman’s bare skin in any form.)
I received a HUGE shock when I first moved from the USA to here and heard a song on the radio that wasn’t bleeped and saw a “study” comparison on breast augmentation and several set of bare breasts on the front page of one of the national newspapers. (Shall we mention the Baptist preacher in Topeka Kansas who says that god hates Sweden and threatened the King of Sweden??)
As far as challenges outside of Sweden would be censorship and people who see fetish/erotic photography as porn. There is a BIG difference between those two. Do you prefer to shoot with film or digital? Defiantly digital! I love to play with my pix to give them more life. My whole studio setup is digital from camera, studio lights, printer and large format printer. Looking forward to purchasing a new D700 or D3 so that I can shoot and my pix are directly saved to my computer or laptop.
How did you become interested in fetish/BDSM? Well I must lay the blame in two specific places –
1st – I was born strange and strange I will always be. I love the abnormal, unusual and the unacceptable. I despise the traditional ways of doing things no matter the challenge.
2nd – Due to my unusual lifestyle and attitude I was attracted to the style of my best friend Kindra RavenMoon. It was she who actually opened the doors to my morbid and twisted mind to let my imagination run wild. I guess you could say that she is my first and main muse J Growing up in a small Midwestern farm community talking about sex was somewhat taboo so I was quite naïve when it came to the subject of fetish/bdsm. The only times I related the subject was to what was the norm – porn related. Now after nearly five years in Sweden and shooting models that live the lifestyle I have learned that fetish/bdsm isn’t porn – it’s a way of sexual expression.
Do you enjoy fetishism/BDSM play in your personal life, and if so what are you into? Since photography is my lifeblood I can say that yes its part of my personal life in the fact that I shoot it, see it, read about it, and answer questions about it nearly every day. As for my PERSONAL personal life I’d have to say I’m still a newbie :P
Do you think pinup and fetish are becoming part of the mainstream culture? Pinup and fetish have always been a part of mainstream culture for the most part as a taboo subject that is depending on which part of the world you live on. Until recently pinup/fetish was an underground art but more and more climbing to the surface world. Corsets and PVC is becoming more of an everyday fashion accessory rather than something that would be found in a trunk hidden away as in years past. Pinup icons such as Betty Page, Mae West, Rita Hayworth, Hedy Lemar all paved the road to what we have now with models such as Dita Von Tesse, Jami Deadly, Sabrina Kelly, Veronica Valentine and to those like Kindra RavenMoon, Lady Nex Angelus, Eternal Darque, Toxica, Lilith Ave Satanas, and Tatiana Temptation that take fetish/Goth/alternative/BDSM to a whole new level
Are there any other creative mediums you work in? When I’m stressed or restless I tend to dabble in crafts. I like to sew (I have made a few outfits for Kindra now :P) and I make soy wax candles and scented oils to sell on city market days
What kind of music do you like? That’s a good question…I really can’t tell you what my favorite music is since I listen to everything under the sun EXCEPT country music…. Music with a beat keeps me going when I am out taking pix or sitting in front of the computer for hours on end. I'm really getting into the steampunk theme of things. I love Abney Park and Voltaire and Dr. Steel is a riot!
What do you like to do for fun? I’m doing it now I’ve always said that a job that isn’t fun isn’t worth having. I hang out with my husband Mats and our three cats: Adrian, Fabian and Sebastian as well as Kindra on a daily basis. We like to go out for walks and take pix. Kindra and I usually end up going “oh wow this would be a cool spot to do this kind of a shoot”. I love watching Dexter, True Blood, 2 ½ men on TV and films like Twilight (among other types of vampire and fantasy flicks) My main passion besides photography is reading. I love Laurell Hamiltions Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series plus Stephanie Myers Twilight saga. I collect artwork by R.K Post (mainly his Magic The Gathering cards), Victoria Francis, and Luis Royo. I have like over 50 McFarlane dragon figures on my walls and shelves. Oh and to top off my weirdness I collect cartoons and Disney films. Yep I’m weird. But in these times who isn’t?
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