Erotic photography is a style of art photography of an erotic, sexually suggestive and even sexually provocative nature. Though the subjects of erotic photography are usually completely or mostly unclothed, that is not a requirement. Erotic photography should be distinguished from pornographic photography, which is of a sexually explicit nature.
Unlike pornography, the sexual content in erotic photography is more likely to be implied than made obvious. It will be left to the viewer to interpret what sexual context, if any, is either lying behind or being conveyed by the image…and if so, to what extent it defines or qualifies that image as a communicative artifact.
This subtleness, or even ambiguity, of sexual context will not be found in pornographic images. By challenging the viewer to question the degree and extent of any sexual interpretation, erotic photography can be said to be more suggestive or provocative in nature than explicit.
For example, in the photograph on the left the presence of a riding whip and helmet add sexual charge to what might be an otherwise conventional nude study of a woman. It is not clear why she has equipped herself in that manner; a sexual context behind her nudity is however suggested by the presence of these articles. In the photograph on the right, there is an impression of suppressed or building sexual arousal in the male subject. However, the image avoids the explicitness of a full erection.
The erotic photographer may make use of certain photographic techniques that either enhance sexual innuendo or, conversely, reduce any explicitness. These techniques can include averted gaze on the part of a model, thus distancing the subject from the viewer, and extensive use of light and shade, such as the chiaroscuro effect.
The initial appearance of picture postcards raised some legal issues that can be seen as precursors to later controversies over the internet. Picture postcards allowed and encouraged many individuals to send images across national borders, and the legal availability of a postcard image in one country did not guarantee that the card would be considered “proper” in the destination country, or in the intermediate countries that the card would have to pass through. Some countries refused to handle postcards containing sexual references (in seaside postcards) or images of full or partial nudity (for instance, in images of classical statuary or paintings).
