Interview with Natasa Novak of Cimet May 6, 2003:

NN: Tell me about series that we can see in your gallery!

AW: I divided the galleries up by subject...firstly by segregating "adult" content (namely anything featuring fetish themes, sexual contact, or genitals), and then by subject matter. To be fair, if a shirtless man is not seen as nudity, then it should be the same for women, so I do have topless female images in my non age-restricted pages. Although I do not believe sexuality or the human body to be dirty, I try within reason to respect the sensitivities of the more conservative.
The Faery images are so popular in themselves that they really needed their own section. Gothic images (cemetary art,spooky imagery) appeal to the Goth subculture in particular, and have their own section. There is also a general Fantasy section for misc. images.
The History and Mythology sections I felt were important because they are the story of humanity, and the stories OF humanity, respectively. History and Mythology are integral influences on human fantasies.
I divided the erotica up into subject matter: women, men, opposite-sex couples, same-sex couples, and fetish. I would like to add a group section at some point as well. I thought it was very important to depict as many aspects and styles of sexuality as possible, with the respect and dignity they deserve.

NN: Are you using people who aren't models? If yes, why?

AW: None of my models are professional; most are either friends, or clients that want fantasy portraiture done for themselves, and don't mind donating their footage for use in my art. Many do get offered modeling assignments after being published by me, which is always nice for them.
As a professional photographer on assignment for a client, I might hire a specific model if the project called for it, but as an artist, I work with whatever is at hand and fits with what I'm doing.

NN: Tell me about these models. Maybe one of them, one who you remembered most.

AW: I have yet to meet a person that didn't have something uniquely beautiful about them. Many models sit 2 or 3 times for me, and the more raw footage they supply me, the more they tend to show up in my artwork. Some are shy, others completely at home under the lights, and very open to experimentation.
I try to aim for as much diversity as I can manage in regards to the models.

NN: What happened at the shoot? (A short anecdote!)

AW: Shoots tend to be a relaxed and friendly affair for me, and we on the set tend to laugh and joke around a lot. Naturally, funny things happen from time to time.
One shoot occurred in a cemetery on Mother's Day; an elderly couple encountered my 2 gothgirl models embracing over a nearby grave.
During another graveyard shoot, the model climbed to the top of a monument to embrace it for a "Pygmalion" type image, and was so startled to find spiders swarming out of the statue's ear and onto his hand that he nearly fell!

NN: What does "sensual" means to you?

AW: The word sensual means "of the senses", and that is what good art is all about, whether it be sculpture, a book, a movie, a song, or any type of creative endevour. Ideally, it should drag you into a different world for a while. That requires invoking as many of the 6 senses as possible!

NN: How is shooting male nudes different from female nudes?

AW: Men are either more shy or more relaxed then girls when it comes to nude shoots. Almost everyone I shoot ends up feeling comfortable and "not naked" after a few hours of working with me, when they realize that I don't see nudity as something necessarily sexually suggestive, and that I don't oogle them and make them uneasy.
I encourage both male and female models alike to bring with them a friend or partner to help them feel safe, and not to work with any photographer that has a problem with that.

NN: Is photographing what excites you or final photographs or something else?

AW: Creating something of beauty is what excites me, regardless of the medium. I think I find it easiest to express myself with images, though. Even when I was young and simply pencil-drawing-before I even owned a camera-I would usually draw from a photo. Photographic imagery is almost always the source of my artwork, which is why my business was named DarkRoom Designs.

NN: Do you ever have sex with your subjects? Never?

NN: Please add anything you wish more to say here!

AW: Beauty, love, pleasure, humor, and joy are all very important to me, and I try to reflect them in my work.
All creative energy is channelled, and the creator is merely a channel through which it flows. If you stop being humble, if you forget that, you'll lose it.