Richie Lopez is an impressively mustached, Dutch photographer who specializes in taking pictures of naked women and transsexuals with his Polaroid camera. His photos never fail to get me all frisky. I mean, look at them; they're instant pantie-soakers. Or a foolproof way of getting your meat flute to play its favorite tune—depending on your genital status, obviously.The guy is ridiculously hyperactive—he was bouncing all over the room when I met him—but I managed to tie him to a chair and write down all the stuff he told me about his sexy photos.
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VICE: Richie, there are a lot of women in your pictures. What's that about?
Richie Lopez: I think that goes way back to the fact that girls never used to notice me. I was always the smallest kid in class, I never wore any big name brands, and was pretty old when I lost my virginity. But I made sure I was surrounded by women by covering the walls of my room with Playboy and Penthouse centerfolds.Besides that, I just love women. They're the most amazing creatures—I couldn’t imagine a world without them. I would love to be surrounded by women all day. The feeling that they give me is just so GOOD! Mmm. OK. So, I guess photographing them was one way of being around them?
In a way, yeah. I used to work at a bank. All my colleagues talked about was the new Audi TT, their bonuses, and other things I don’t give a shit about. So I quit and decided to focus on photography, which, to me, is an adventure. The camera is a key, it opens a lot of doors. Like, I met this one girl in the street, asked her if she wanted to take some pictures with me. Ten minutes later, boom! She was sitting in my living room half-naked.Is it really that easy?
Normally you can’t just walk up to people in the street and ask them to tell you their life story, but you can with a camera. That’s the beauty of it, the freedom—the people you meet and the doors that open for you. Now that I think about it, I have no idea why I didn’t start photography 10 years ago. What are you trying to show us with your photos, besides naked people?
A part of myself. A fantasy that becomes a reality. Do you ever stop and wonder what the girl you’re looking at would look like in her underwear? Well, I actually go and talk to her and convince her to show me. I’m capturing a memory. Whenever I look back at the Polaroid, I relive the moment. That’s the reason I shoot Polaroids. I also love the imperfection of the Polaroid. Nobody is perfect, so why would you want to photograph someone in a perfect way?
Richie Lopez: I think that goes way back to the fact that girls never used to notice me. I was always the smallest kid in class, I never wore any big name brands, and was pretty old when I lost my virginity. But I made sure I was surrounded by women by covering the walls of my room with Playboy and Penthouse centerfolds.Besides that, I just love women. They're the most amazing creatures—I couldn’t imagine a world without them. I would love to be surrounded by women all day. The feeling that they give me is just so GOOD! Mmm. OK. So, I guess photographing them was one way of being around them?
In a way, yeah. I used to work at a bank. All my colleagues talked about was the new Audi TT, their bonuses, and other things I don’t give a shit about. So I quit and decided to focus on photography, which, to me, is an adventure. The camera is a key, it opens a lot of doors. Like, I met this one girl in the street, asked her if she wanted to take some pictures with me. Ten minutes later, boom! She was sitting in my living room half-naked.Is it really that easy?
Normally you can’t just walk up to people in the street and ask them to tell you their life story, but you can with a camera. That’s the beauty of it, the freedom—the people you meet and the doors that open for you. Now that I think about it, I have no idea why I didn’t start photography 10 years ago. What are you trying to show us with your photos, besides naked people?
A part of myself. A fantasy that becomes a reality. Do you ever stop and wonder what the girl you’re looking at would look like in her underwear? Well, I actually go and talk to her and convince her to show me. I’m capturing a memory. Whenever I look back at the Polaroid, I relive the moment. That’s the reason I shoot Polaroids. I also love the imperfection of the Polaroid. Nobody is perfect, so why would you want to photograph someone in a perfect way?
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What's a Richie Lopez shoot like?
I never want to anything to look staged. For me, it’s really important that the model is comfortable and is having a good time. That way, I know that I’ll be able to take good pictures of her. I hate going, “Go stand there and there.” She isn’t a puppet, she’s a human being. Of course, I do sometimes ask them to stand in front of a white wall, or whatever, because they really makes the tits stand out. Ah, that's a good lesson to take away from this. Lastly, care to tell me a little about your photographs of transsexuals?
Yeah, I took some pictures of this hooker and she hung one of them in front of the window she was working in. I was doing my daily rounds through the Red Light District in Amsterdam, when I saw the picture in the window, but the curtains were closed. I took a walk around the block until she finished off her costumer, and then went back to say hello. She told me the picture worked well for her, because now, when she was "busy," people could still see what she looked like. It was a marketing tool.Apparently her pimp thought the same. He wanted me to take more pictures of her as well as her "special" girlfriend, who was a chick with a dick. So, before I knew it, I was taking photos of this hooker and her transsexual friend. I ran into the pimp afterwards and he was like, “You’ve been good to my girls Richie, thank you." And I actually get paid for this shit. Best. Job. EVER. Thanks Richie!
I never want to anything to look staged. For me, it’s really important that the model is comfortable and is having a good time. That way, I know that I’ll be able to take good pictures of her. I hate going, “Go stand there and there.” She isn’t a puppet, she’s a human being. Of course, I do sometimes ask them to stand in front of a white wall, or whatever, because they really makes the tits stand out. Ah, that's a good lesson to take away from this. Lastly, care to tell me a little about your photographs of transsexuals?
Yeah, I took some pictures of this hooker and she hung one of them in front of the window she was working in. I was doing my daily rounds through the Red Light District in Amsterdam, when I saw the picture in the window, but the curtains were closed. I took a walk around the block until she finished off her costumer, and then went back to say hello. She told me the picture worked well for her, because now, when she was "busy," people could still see what she looked like. It was a marketing tool.Apparently her pimp thought the same. He wanted me to take more pictures of her as well as her "special" girlfriend, who was a chick with a dick. So, before I knew it, I was taking photos of this hooker and her transsexual friend. I ran into the pimp afterwards and he was like, “You’ve been good to my girls Richie, thank you." And I actually get paid for this shit. Best. Job. EVER. Thanks Richie!
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To launch the gallery click here.For more naked babes, try our series Shot by Kern, it's full of 'em.And if that's not enough for you, you greedy little perv, take a look at these:Seka, Raising Penises for Three GenerationsAn Interview with a Teenage Pornstar
