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Sample images from
Kiss of Fire
by Barbara Nitke |
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TDV: I have read several brief biographical
offerings about you in event programs and have spoken with you
in greater detail about
Barbara
Nitke the photographer. What about Barbara Nitke the person? Where
were you born and how was life growing up?
Barbara: I was born in Lynchburg Virginia, and grew up in Virginia
and Alaska. My family moved around a lot because my dad worked
as an
air traffic control operation and my mom was a meteorologist. We
always lived near airports, for obvious reasons. I think moving
around as a child was a great thing for me because it taught me
to adapt to different environments.
TDV: Some may not know this but you actually transitioned from
the adult porn industry into BDSM/Leather, when and how did you
come
to be
involved in the adult industry?
Barbara: My ex-husband, Herb
Nitke, was the producer of the original Devil in Miss Jones, a
famous porn movie from the early 1970’s.
So I was always around the business. In the early eighties I
took up photography and got my first job on the set of Devil
in Miss Jones, part II, which was made by a friend of Herb’s.
The director of that movie liked my work and started hiring me
to work on his productions.
TDV: What do you think the biggest misconception is concerning
the adult porn industry?
Barbara: I think everything about the porn industry
would change if we lived in a society that honored sex as a positive
activity. A
lot of damage is done to the people who work in porn because
they’re thought of as shameful, fallen people. They’re
well educated, interesting people who have chosen a different
type of lifestyle than most.
TDV: Some of us would consider this
kind of job to be in the top five desired jobs to have (Ok, I’m
speaking for myself), was it work, fun or both and were there
any memories that stand out
and you wish to share?
Barbara: Well, there were so many fun times and zany
moments. I hope to get my book about behind the scenes of porn
published one
of these days. It was such a crazy yet wonderful environment!
Most men think they would love to perform sex for a living, but
I would have to say it’s a very tough job for those few
who are physically able to do it. They have to maintain erections
for hours on end with a bored crew watching, produce cum shots
on cue, and work very very long hours. It’s not as glamorous
as everybody thinks.
TDV: What do you consider to be the best porn film of all time?
Barbara: The
original Devil in Miss Jones, of course!
TDV: Let’s switch gears and talk
about the transition into BDSM and Leather, at what point did you
make
the transition and
why?
Barbara: I
went to work on fetish porn videos in New York in the early nineties.
That was my introduction to SM, which was really not
much of an introduction if you’ve ever watched any commercial
fetish porn! I worked on about 200 of those videos and met a
lot of cool people. Eventually Rick Savage brought me to a meeting
of the Eulenspiegel Society and I began to meet some of the people
who really do SM, as opposed to acting it.
I was really enchanted
with everybody and the way they were so loving and so fresh!
TDV: n order to create questions, I
sit here with your book to my side and a computer playing a slide
show of your photographs.
You have your own style and it draws me into the scenes you are
shooting, should this be called a “style” or is it
a vision?
Barbara: Aw shucks! I purposely designed a style for the images
in Kiss of Fire because I wanted to create a romantic view of
sadomasochism.
The images are shot on black and white infrared film which gives
the skin tones a certain glow. I wanted that look to make them
look a bit other worldly. Also, the images are a bit grainy and
soft. That’s also on purpose to take the edge off of situations
that could look kind of hard on regular film.
TDV: Do you look for certain kinds of scenes to shoot at events
or do you think every scene is worthy of photographing? Can you
see erotica in blood play or cutting scenes as you may find in
impact or bondage scenes?
Barbara: I don’t look for certain types of scenes to photograph – it’s
the people that interest me. What I want to photograph is the
connection between the people, their love for each other, or
their state of being lost in lust at any rate. Last year at Leather
Retreat when you were playing with a beautiful young lady in
the dungeon very late one night, what drew me to the scene was
the energy between the two of you. You were just really hot together.
It wouldn’t have mattered to me what kind of scene you
were doing.
TDV: Going back to memories, do you have any scenes that you
have shot that stand out when you look back?
Barbara: They all stand out in their
own way. I’ve never had a
bad experience photographing a scene. (Knock wood.) I am very
honored that so many people have allowed me into their intimate
lives in this way.
TDV: Events are some of the best memories I have and when
I see you at events, you are “working”, do you enjoy
events even thought you have a job to do? Do you have a favorite
event?
Barbara: I LOVE camp!!! And even though I am working all the time, and
sometimes complaining about all the work, I really love it. I
am so lucky to get to have the job I have at all these events!!!
TDV: Kiss Of Fire is a wonderful collection of your work and
is doing good I assume? We have briefly spoken about your next
offering,
can you give us some idea of when we can expect to see it and
maybe tell us a little about it in advance?
Barbara: I have a literary agent
who is waiting to see my new proposal for American Ecstasy – the
behind the scenes of porn book. But even if she was able to sell
it right away, it would take
a couple of years before you’ll see it in a bookstore.
After I get finished with that, I’ll be thinking about
a second book of scene photos. Don’t hold your breath though
because it all takes forever!
TDV: Kiss of Fire is a collection of your black and white photography,
do you favor black and white over color photography?
Barbara: I’ve been shooting color for the last five years, and
it’s
way different. I’m working on printing the images for a
show in New York this coming November, and it’s interesting.
It’s nice to see skin tones again. The black and white
infrared film I was using suppresses the color red, so I could
never shoot blood scenes before. I love the vibrancy of color,
but I also love the classic look of black and white film. Ah,
so many choices...
TDV: You are a very outspoken advocate for our rights and freedoms,
where does this fire in your veins come from?
Barbara: My ex-husband was arrested on three different occasions for
obscenity so I’ve seen first hand what the justice department
can do when they’ve got it in for you. So it’s that,
but also I just deeply believe that it’s wrong to judge
other people. We’re here to try and understand each other.
It has always infuriated me when one group of people thinks they
have the right to tell others how to live their lives.
TDV: Speaking of rights and freedoms,
you are presently involved in a lawsuit against United States Attorney
General John Ashcroft
and the United States of America, you are the plaintiff along
with The National Coalistion for Sexual Freedom, can
you enlighten us as to the reason for this lawsuit and why you
became involved?
Barbara: We are challenging a very bad law (the Communications
Decency Act) which seeks to restrict our freedom to put what
we want
on our websites and homepages on the internet. I think it’s
essential for everybody to stand up for their rights. The most
vocal people out there are the Christian radical right. If we
don’t stand up to them and oppose their attempts at legislating
everybody’s lives we are all going to living by their rules.
This is a frightening idea to me. Can you imagine living under
the Taliban? I’m not convinced that the Concerned Women
of America types are all that different.
TDV: I interviewed Susan Wright of NCSF (Dom’s View, July
2004) and asked her “The NCSF is involved in a lawsuit against
John Ashcroft, how is that going and what outcome would satisfy
you and NCSF?” I would like to offer you the same question.
Barbara: The lawsuit is going really well. We will be in court at the
end of October and I think we have a very strong case. We
want
to have the CDA declared unconstitutional. Personally I would
like to have the concept of “obscenity” permanently
deleted from all future laws, but our lawyer John Wirenius tells
me that’s a little too ambitious. You can learn more about
the lawsuit at www.ncsfreedom.org or and www.wireniusreport.net.
TDV: We have spoken about your disdain for the US Code, Part
1,Chapter 110, Section 2257, which requires people who produce
books, videos
ect.., to label said productions with the whereabouts of the
documentation concerning the age of the models taking part in
said productions, is this covered in the present lawsuit and
do you place blame on any one incident for this code being put
into effect?
Barbara: That whole ridiculous law was put on the books because
of Traci Lords. She was underage when she went to work in the
porn industry.
I don’t know her, but as I understand it she and her stepfather
planned this as a publicity stunt from the beginning. As soon
as she was 18 she announced to the press that she had starred
in all those adult movies. She got millions of dollars worth
of free publicity and that incident was used as the reason to
create this absurd law.
It’s a felony not to comply with this law, which requires
that I have copies of the drivers licenses of everyone I photograph
on file and ready to be inspected by authorities any time they
want. I believe this invades the privacy of the people I photograph
and I resent it.
TDV: I have known you for a few years now and
I have to ask, if you had to be a Domme, Top, Switch, submissive,
slave or bottom, which would it be?
Barbara: Well – I would be the wonderful voyeur that I am, of
course. But if I really had to pick something, of course it would
be switch. |
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