The Pleasure of Learning in Porn

The Pleasure of Learning in Porn

“The more you know, the more you realize you know nothing”

--Socrates

The other day I had the opportunity to sit with a legendary figure in porn as he edited a movie.  He pointed out certain choices he’d made for shots, and showed me different techniques he’d used to achieve specific effects.  As he did all of this he would shrug and say things like, “Well…you know…this part was a mistake,” or “I had to decide between doing it this way or doing it another way.”  Everything looked perfect to me, and perhaps I was a little too biased, as he was and still is my hero.  I was struck by how, even as he’d achieved probably the highest status one could hope to achieve in this industry, he still saw himself as learning.  He hasn’t lost the ability to wonder, or experiment, or take risks.  

I’ll never forget learning how to shoot sex.  I had just gotten the green light to shoot my first ever movie and went to Manuel Ferrara for advice.  There were dos and don’ts of shooting gonzo sex—certain angles that were most flattering, and certain cut points that made life easier for the editor.  Manuel had been shooting for a few years, and had just begun shooting for Evil Angel, so I trusted him to give me sound advice.  He told me to bring my camera into the bedroom, where he was bedridden with the flu.  I brought my camera into the room, and he pulled back the covers and grabbed our cat’s giant stuffed polar bear from the floor.  The bear’s name was JoJo, and he was basically a sex toy for our cat, which liked to drag the giant stuffed animal throughout the house and then periodically hump it.  One time Manuel and I dressed the bear in lingerie, but that’s another story.  Anyway, Manuel pulled JoJo off the floor and instructed me to turn my camera on.  He then gave me a tutorial, where he demonstrated sex positions with JoJo and told me where to best position my camera.  To this day I cannot shoot a reverse cowgirl without picturing Manuel humping a giant, stuffed polar bear.

Bear humping aside, Manuel gave me the most important piece of advice, which was “take your time to get what you need,” and “shoot what you like to see.”  After learning the fundamentals back in 2006, I’ve begun experimenting a bit with the way I shoot the sex, as well as my intros.  I am still a fan of the roving camera, and shooting without cuts whenever possible, but my focus has broadened somewhat.  Sometimes it’s fun to shoot against the light a little, and sometimes it’s fun to not white balance.  Sometimes I stay wide through most of the scene.  It all depends on the scene and mood.

 “You know how you’re not supposed to mix tungsten and daylight?” My legendary hero had said the other day.  “Do it if it makes sense for what you’re doing. “ I understood where he was going: be bold.  Make bold choices.  Keep learning. 

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No post is done with out some great pictures.

If you care to learn through my camera lens please check out my newest release from Sweetheart Video, Sinn Sage In - Lesbian Adventures Wet Panties Trib 3 and another I’m really proud of, Lesbians In Charge. I finally got to unleash the domineering energies of the ladies. It was so amazing to watch and hard for me not to join in.

For more on my new Sweetheart releases follow @milehighmovies and me @danavespoli.

XO