Some people think his work in nothing more than child pornography. The only thing I can say to them is, go on vacation, take a trip to Europe. Go to Germany, France, Greece, just any were outside the US and see that most people do not have this sick obsession on the naked body. They do not have "nude beaches" They just go to the beach some with cloths some with out. Our country has the largest % of sex crimes in the world. Why, be cause at a early age we tell our children that it is a sin to be with out cloths, we make every aspect of our bodies sexual in nature. Wake up people, being naked has nothing to do with sex.
He portrays them with the familiarity and intimacy of one who is almost family himself; and captures their characters as well as their forms. It is wonderful to watch how the girls and their families grow over time, how they change and develop. One wishes to know more about them as people, to understand the story behind the pictures.
His models, though nude, are more comfortable in that state than most people are clothed. There are no clothes, no outside trappings, to get in the way of the full expression of the person. The people he photographs are relaxed and peaceful.
His work is free of gimmicks, of artificial tension, of blatant eroticism. It is all about beauty and innocence.
He has received numerous accusations of child pornography and exploitation from narrow-minded and perverse individuals. One only needs to look at his work to dispel all notions of such. Only the most twisted and sick-minded person could find his work pornographic. As a Christian, I find it to be a wonderful expression of the beauty of God's greatest creation.
The tones of his images are mostly soft, low-contrast. The beach images reflect in sand and sea the same light gradations and textures visible on the bodies of those he photographs; the models seeming to become a part of their environment, but still standing out from the background. Others are more contrasty, both in tone and setting, complimenting rather than echoing the models.
The printing is exquisite. Having attended two gallery shows of Sturges' work, and seen the prints, I can say that the book, though it can't reproduce the richness of the tones of the silver prints, does admirably in approximating them. The quality of the binding is superb; and the introductory texts are well-worth reading.
A book that i highly recommend for all lovers of find photography.
