Black Panties – Michael Vasquez Art

Black & white image, glass block wall, topless,black panties, blond leaning against wall.

Esperanza came into my photographic life when she was 22 years of age. She was a little firecracker of a young woman just entering her prime. So full of herself, willing to play, had that confidence only youth can bring. After that first shoot she came back to my apartment to have a bite to eat, and to talk more. She was the wife of a friend of a friend of mine, trying to find what she wanted out of life. Later as we did more shoots we went out for lunch after. She’d take my arm going into which ever restaurant we had decided to go to. All male eyes, and not a few female eyes were riveted on her, I felt so special to be the man who had her on his arm.

Color image, cute blond, winter wear, standing in front of a silo, last of winter greenery.

She was among the first women to tell me that shooting gave her all the benefits of an affair without all the compilations. She’d try different personalities to see what they looked like to others. It was fascinating to watch her as she changed from one personality to another. Like most of my models, she came without eating anything so she’d keep that slim profile. But when that alarm sounded, we had to get her fed ASP.

Black & White image, topless, long haired blond, in front of bedroom window, staring out window, wearing a white sarong.

Even after I moved to New York City, I’d let her know when I was coming into town, we’d setup a shoot. I’d try new lighting setups I’d seen in my work with other photographers on commercial shoots. Because she loved to play, we’d try different things…, but she was hesitant to shoot completely nude. I did get a few shots of her in the all together, but her heart wasn’t into it. To this day I don’t understand her reasoning as she always had a terrific figure made for photography. But I accepted her wishes, warned her when she was showing more than she want seen.

Color image, black panties, tight shot of black panties.

I feel that it is important to work with the models limits, not to cop those shots the model is unaware of. In return she has the confidence in our works to give me carte blanche in using the images we have shot. I also feel that its the right way to go, to have that trust that you honor in all my dealing with my models.

From a young age I realized that I was attracted not to necessarily the pretties girls, but the cooler ones who never fit a mold. I wanted to try and capture an image of them at this moment in time and to generate interest in who they were at this moment of their lives. Of course once they said yes I had to talk and listen to them so they’d relax, share with me part of their lives. Very hard to do as an eighteen year old male with raging hormones, but once I mastered this trick the knowledge I received was priceless.

That is the bases for my photography, my art if you will. I want you to know my girls, what it is that makes them tick, to carve out a space for them to be them. To invite you into their lives and minds at this particular time and place. The fact that they are unclothed should matter as a afterthought and not the primary emotion. A final word on the term “my girls”, its not meant in a paternal fashion nor does it imply any sort of ownership. These young women trust me to do right by them and I am very protective of their rights.

So we invite you to view these images and to make polite comments on the images you see. Thank you.