The following is the first of a series of interviews launched for Fetish Portraiture photography week in Project Educate 2008.

~artirritant are an expressive and talented duo of artists and fetish is only a tiny part of their oeuvre.

Basics and Background

Name and location?
IMUNME: François-Maxime Ayotte, Laval, Quebec
ISO: Valérie Bibeau, Laval, Quebec

How long have you been practicing photography?
IMUNME: Since October 2006

Do you have any formal training in the arts?
IMUNME: None whatsoever

What cameras are your personal must-haves on a shoot?
IMUNME: Canon 30D

How did you come to embrace the genres you prefer to work in?
IMUNME: Trial and error

Art and sexuality

What initially drew you to fetish-related subject in art?
IMUNME: Iso

How do you personally define fetish fine art versus pornographic imagery? How do you feel about the controversy overlaid on this style of photography?
ISO: To me, fetish fine art is mostly focused on the look and inspires sexually without getting explicit and hardcore as the pornographic imagery does. I think that if you're not into fetish art, you won't understand the difference and mistake anything fetish related for plain pornography. A lot of people refer to pornography as soon as there is nudity implied so how can we expect they would understand the fetish dimension?

Do you find influence from other mediums?
ISO: Music can make a concept pop out of my head.

What kind of in-camera manipulations do you perform to glam up your portraits?
IMUNME: Manual settings, boosted up contrast

What suggestions would you give other photographers about harnessing light to create a desired mood in their imagery?
IMUNME: Make a lot a tests.

Words of wisdom

What advice do you have for beginning photographers?
IMUNME: There shouldn't be any competition in art. If you like your work, that's all that matters.

What advice would you give to professional photographers in a rut?
IMUNME: I don't even consider myself as professional. How can I possibly give any advice?

What advice would you, at present, give yourself 5 years ago if you could reach back in time?
IMUNME: Start doing photography right now.

What do you hope people find in your art? Or, what do you hope they definitely don't find in it?
IMUNME: Something more that just the urge to masturbate.

What inspires you most? How do you translate that to your fetish (or nude, or expressive, or other types of glamorous portrait) photography?
ISO: Music and dreams. We love duality so we try to mix opposite subjects into a weird concept.

Ego

Who is your favorite deviantART photographer and why?
ISO: There are too many amazing artists on DA to name only one!

What is your favorite image of your own, so far? Why?

ISO: FOLLE FÊTE featuring model Miss Agonie. I think this serie is hilarious and sad at the same time!

Is fetish a lifestyle for you or an expressive art form? Why?
ISO: Expressive artform since it's only a tiny part of our overall work.

Favorite ice cream flavor?
ISO: Green tea!

If you could be any other person, who would it be and why?
IMUNME: Me. I have nothing to envy in anyone else.

Do you have your own fetish or infatuation, and if so does it influence your concept brainstorming?
ISO: Definitely anything related to medical. It does influence my concepts sometimes but I try to not only stick to that.

Anything else you'd like to say?
ISO: Merci et au revoir!




#thevaginamafia is the dAmn headquarters for fetish portraiture week. Be sure to drop by this week to meet the artists interviewed in this series, myself, and many other photographers of varied types here on deviantART!