"Thinking XXX looks at the lives of adult film stars through the lens of renowned photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders. "While X-rated actors once lived in the show-biz shadows, today's top porn stars have become celebrities in their own right, their work and lives followed by an ever-increasing fan base.
"Acclaimed portrait photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders presents a behind-the-scenes look at the making of his new book of adult film star portraits, combining candid insights from a diverse collection of porn stars with reflections on sexuality from cultural observers, authors and artists.
"In 2002, after 25 years photographing art-world personalities, celebrities and world leaders, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders tackled a new subject: adult film stars. The resulting Bulfinch Press book, ‘XXX: 30 Porn-Star Portraits,’ features paired portraits, one clothed and one nude, of a cross-section of straight and gay actors, from porn legends to rising stars. These photos are interspersed with 15 essays on the intersection of pornography, sexuality and culture from a wide range of notable writers, who contribute to the ongoing dialogue about the ‘pornification’ of modern culture.
"Thinking XXX includes footage of the photographer using a large-format portrait camera to create the shots in his book, as well as conversations with the actors, who discuss how they began their careers, how being a porn star has changed their lives, and how they feel about sex and the industry. In addition, authors, artists and cultural observers - such as Karen Finley, Nancy Friday, Richard Johnson, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, Michael Musto, Whitley Strieber, Gore Vidal, John Waters and Faye Wattleton - offer far-ranging, provocative perspectives on porn today, yesterday and tomorrow."
