Caroline S. All photos by Luis Mora, assisted by Mark Byk, Manny Trinh, and Melanie Johns. Producer: Jessica Tjeng (Zinc Production)
For the past 16 years, The Everything to Do with Sex Show has taken over a packed convention center in Toronto. Over the weekend, "North America's largest consumer romance show" brings with it hundreds of booths featuring everything from swingers clubs to adult film stars, cam girls, and sex toy distributors with bins full of discount dildos and novelty penis pasta. There are burlesque performers, latex fetish wear fashion shows, and blowjob workshops, as well as a bar where people can buy watered-down caesars as they watch a gimp in a Mexican wrestling mask get his nipples zapped with a cattle prod.
Events like these are usually photographed in a paparazzi, in-your-face style. But I wanted to do the opposite and connect with the people who are participating on both sides: the fans and the people working there.
Instead of digitally snapping away without asking permission, I documented the show using traditional portraiture. I wanted the portraits to seem intimate without being intrusive or explicit, compared to most of the photos you would see from such a sexually charged atmosphere.
The project shows the diversity of people who are interested in "sex" and "romance" across age, gender, and race.
See more of Luis Mora's work here and follow him on Instagram.
Tony Peters, fan
Gregory Dawson, model
Daisy Destin, porn actress
Sean Reily, dancer
Mizz Barbie Bitch, pro dom
Madame K
Sha Hig
Kirra Kiss, model
John Muir, fan
Mandi Bowen, model
Lethal Lady V, mistress
Caroline
Lucia Carbines, contortionist
Lexxi Brown, burlesque performer
Heather, stripper
Paul J Nurmi
Uncle D "The Canadian Assman"
Tall Magister
Misty Maurer
Fi Shark
Angie Heyward, Naked News anchor
Sir Tigress
Whitney Cole, model
Zsombor Burany, dancer
Lila Wolfe, mistress
Valerie Guet
Mariah Holland, model
Amanda R, model
Kara Lina, playmate
Lena Spanks, webcam girl
Cortana Blue, webcam girl
Michael Rice, fan
Kristina Jonanovic, playmate
Nigel Malcolm
Harvey
Vikki Lenola, actress
John Reischer
Heather Lewis
Lotus Lily