You need look no further than recent debate over women’s reproductive rights for proof that America remains a pretty puritanical society. But you could also argue that in spite of what the “grey-faced men” with “$2 haircuts” might prefer, sexuality has never been as publicly discussed as it is today. With his series The Fetlife, which we spotted on Feature Shoot, Brooklyn-based photographer Danny Ghitis is hoping to broaden the conversation beyond the traditional male/female roles that we typically see represented in the media.
Ghitis makes an interesting choice by shooting his subjects in their homes, lending his portraits a more intimate, and at the same time, more everyday, feel. “Plenty of documentaries show scenes of sexual deviants at play in dungeons and swinger’s clubs, but my intention is to connect the audience to people with different sexual appetites on neutral ground,” he says. “There may be inherent exoticism in the way some fetishists look, but only because they exist outside of what we perceive as the norm.” Click through for a selection of images from the ongoing series, and visit the Brooklyn-based photographer’s website to check out even more of his work.
Zoe1984, a polyamorous bisexual student interested in the sexual power struggle. Photo credit: Danny Ghitis
Dire Wolf, dominant leader of a werewolf pack. Photo credit: Danny Ghitis
CassandraMoon and Contele, husband and wife involved in theater and into role-play. Photo credit: Danny Ghitis
Swinginglana, bixexual kinkster, both dominant and submissive. Photo credit: Danny Ghitis
TheBaroness, pansexual dominant diva, latex expert and fashion designer. Photo credit: Danny Ghitis
RileyKilo, transgender age-player. Photo credit: Danny Ghitis
Erinhoudini, transgender polyamorous rope mistress and anti-escape artist. Photo credit: Danny Ghitis
TheTerribleGirl, submissive into rape role-play. Photo credit: Danny Ghitis
Lana, a computer programmer in a long-term straight relationship, who also pole dances and likes to have men over for humiliation sessions. Photo credit: Danny Ghitis
ZentaiMan206, straight cosplay enthusiast. Photo credit: Danny Ghitis
Slut Tammy, cross-dressing bisexual alter ego. Photo credit: Danny Ghitis