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Petra Joy is an innovative erotic photographer and filmmaker and one of the few female adult film producers in Europe. She is a pioneer of a new wave of female orientated erotic art and is widely published both here in the UK and abroad. In 2004 Petra was voted ‘Photographer of the Year 2004’ in the annual Erotic Awards.
German born Petra had her first camera when she was only six years old. As a teenager she spent many nights in a dark room, developing her artwork. She published photo reportages in many acclaimed magazines… In her twenties Petra decided on a career as a filmmaker and began working as a freelance TV producer and director for German television. For a decade she created over seventy documentaries of ‘Dear Sins’ an award winning, cutting-edge adult programme on German TV. Nowadays, rather than seeing her mission as being to inform and entertain, Petra wants to inspire and stimulate both men and women with her erotic visuals.
In the summer of 2003 she launched ‘Strawberry Seductress’, a personal service which offers individuals and couples tailor-made erotic photos. She has progressed the individual photo shoots into an art form from which her at first nervous and apprehensive clients emerge as confident self-assured individuals with an erotic portfolio they can be proud of. Petra explains her unusual and creative service:
“Each shoot I undertake is unique. Just as each person has individual tastes, erotic dreams, experiences and skills. I have no interest in making people look like glamour model clones, but rather focus on their faces which are a mirror of their individuality. I find I can take pictures of someone fully clothed and they can still be sexy because their eyes are say ‘I want you !’.”
In 2005 Petra published “Sexual Sushi” - her first erotic film. Her motivation was born from a frustration with commercially available porn:
“Sex sells. Intimacy, sensuality and creativity doesn’t. That’s why commercially successful porn does nothing for me: I want porn that stimulates the mind and feeds the soul. I want porn that is educational and inspirational. I want porn that is creative and kinky. And because I can not find it anywhere, I make my own. I am a visual creature and enjoy expressing myself through photos and films that are very different from mainstream glamour photography and porn films.”
 Petra believes that women are visual creatures, enjoying sensual images just as much as men do. But many women and increasingly so men as well seem to be bored and alienated by the endless parade of brightly lit and widely spread genitals that is common in commercial porn. The imagery of commercial porn has become so blatant that it is almost gynological and there is no mystery left. Petra explains:
“It is the mystery, the unknown that makes images sexy to me, so I chose to add layers, rather than taking them away….I use available light and shoot through materials that create textures. I work with props that express the fantasies of the individuals I photograph and film. Every image I shoot makes you think “I wonder what happens next? The images are meant to turn on the sex organ that is between your ears first and then later, travel down and turn you on between your legs. It is a deep and slow working sensual, rather than a fast and furious sexual stimulation.”
Petra continues to create erotic alternatives to the mainstream porn mass market: In January 2006 Petra published her book “Adult Movie Making For Couples” with Harper Collins in the States. The European Version was published later in the year with Harper in the UK. This book empowers women and couples to create their own unique erotica rather than just consuming assembly line style porn. It features Petra’s sensual photography and many practical tips on how to create outstanding erotic images and films.
Based on this book Petra created the workshop “How To Shoot Your Lover” that premiered at Berlin’s first Porn Film Festival where Petra was invited as a guest, representing women in porn.
In the summer of 2006 Petra produced, shot and directed her second erotic film “Female Fantasies” independently.
Female erotic fantasies are still rarely expressed in visual erotic art, so Petra decided to focus on them in her new film. “Female Fantasies” is based on erotic fantasies that were sent to Petra by her female photography clients and friends. The fantasies were captured on film with performers who are also real life lovers, rather than professional porn stars. True to her motto “Feeling it, not faking it”, her second erotic film is a visual feast of sensual pleasures.
 The fantasies featured in the film vary greatly and go far beyond the cliché of “romance and roses”. From being totally pampered by two men at once or a whole group of people to having sex with a stranger in a public place or tasting a woman for the first time - all of the inspirational scenarios in “Female Fantasies” focus on female pleasure rather than male satisfaction. Rather than repeating graphic shots of penetration and male ejaculation all over again, “Female Fantasies” celebrates seduction and sensuality. The film also touches on some of the great porn taboos such as male bisexuality and women using a strap-on dildo on men. “Female Fantasies” aims to sexually inspire, excite and liberate women.
In contrast to other female porn producers Petra does not compromise the content of her erotic films to fit into the hard-core mainstream market but continues with her unique style to create truly innovative porn. Petra believes in her creative concept of “porn for women” so much that she decided against the sponsorship of a big European porn producer, so that she was able to stay true to her artistic vision. Petra produced, directed and shot “Female Fantasies” independently. She took out a loan to finance the upmarket production herself under her independent label “Strawberry Seductress”.
“Female Fantasies” will be out in selected licensed sex shops in December 2006.
In 2007 Petra plans to write her autobiography about her experiences as an independent female director in the mainstream porn industry. Next in the pipeline are erotic educational films to inspire women and couples to experiment sexually so they can enjoy more sensual pleasures safely.
Petra’s mission is clear:
“I would like to inspire you to be creative, cross boundaries and let yourself be surprised when you have sex. I hope you will dare to be yourselves and celebrate your sexy uniqueness rather than copying what you see other people do on porn film over and over again. Experiment, keep and open mind and above all enjoy making your fantasies a reality!”
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