Andrew Einhorn: The Mr. Skin Interview

Is there a secret to getting a woman to take off her clothes and act sexy for the camera?
Getting women to take off their clothes is really totally different from women acting sexy for the camera. And getting them to take off their clothes is easy, because they've usually already agreed to shoot with me. Getting them to pose is the hardest part, especially since I try not to get girls who are professionals. I like the girl next door, off the street. Getting them to pose takes a lot though. It takes charm, the ability to schmooze, patience, comedy, kindness, and a bit of a persistency. All those things combined only lead to about one-in-ten saying they are seriously interested, and about half of those who agree end up falling through. Showing your work to them counts for a lot as well.

Acting sexy is really a result of being comfortable. When the girls are comfortable, they are more apt to let down their guard a little, which makes them sexy. I also think shooting a ton of pictures helps. The girls realize that posing doesn't count so much to me, and they therefore become more themselves. When they are themselves, they tend to be sexier.

The Playboy series is called Naked Happy Girls. Naked girls make men happy, but in what way does being naked make a girl happy?
Hmm. I'm not sure if you are talking about the models, or just women who see my books or show. Regardless, everyone is happy! The girls I photograph are usually happy because they are enjoying some freedom, and they feel beautiful. I'm not one to gush, but I do constantly remind them that they look great, or how they get their bodies in certain flattering positions, or I tell them the more they smile, the more I'll shoot. Conversely women who look at my books tend to love them, and they get very happy. They see that not all of the women are rail thin, they see that they are smiling and look comfortable in the photos, and they can see the women enjoying the comforts of their own home. I think they also like the ethnic diversity, as there is such a variety of skin color and body type in my books; not all blondes with big tits! Recently Sarah Silverman looked at both of my books and she couldn't stop raving about how cute all the girls were, and how natural they looked. There were a lot of smiles all around.

Who are your inspirations as a photographer? Are you standing on the shoulders of giants such as Richard Kern, who's photographed naked New York girls too?
Believe it or not, my inspirations to start were photojournalists, which is where I began most of my photography life. Many of the photographers from The Philadelphia Inquirer, where I had my start, were early mentors. After that, I got into fashion, and I liked Herb Ritts, Peter Lindbergh, Sante D'Orazio, and Ellen von Unwerth. But my favorite has to be Bruce Webber. His pictures were full of life, comfort, and sex appeal. I liked how he combined pictures of people, mixed with landscapes or urban culture. One of my favorite books to this day is a book he made called RIO. I have a lot of respect for Richard Kern, and I like his work, but I wouldn't call him an inspiration.

What are you looking for in the women who pose for you?
I'm looking for lots of things. First and foremost is ethnic diversity. I'm most attracted to women who are either from foreign countries or mixed in their ethnic background. I love Spanish, Asian, and Middle Eastern. Secondly I look for a sparkle. Women who smile a lot, or are animated in the way they carry themselves, are very appealing. Thirdly I'm interested in women who do something interesting, or those who have a passion for the things in life. If they are an artist of some kind, that's great too. If they have an eclectic apartment with lots of natural light, that's an added bonus.

Do you have a particular type--big tits, shapely ass, dirty talker, etc.?
Yeah, dirty, dirty filthy dirty talkers. Not really. Little and brown is my type. All through the Playboy show, I kept making reference to an atheist Filipino who likes ice hockey and doesn't smoke cigarettes as my dream girl. Not easy to find. Anything small and brown is nice though. I like Israeli, Colombian, Thai, Dominican, Indian, Japanese, etc. The only problem is, the gals I tend to be most attracted to come from cultures much different than mine. Physically I think a woman's ass is my favorite feature. A medium-to-small butt that is rounded and spankable is divine. I love nice hands and feet too. Boobs, I'm flexible. Big is nice but not mandatory. Usually the more non-WASPy a girl looks, the better the chance I'll like her. And again, those ethnic mixes are fantastic. Latin-Asian mixes are the best.

A lot of your models are what they call alternative, as in they have tattoos and piercings. Is that also your cup of tease?
Ironically I don't go out of my way to find gals with tattoos or piercings. It just so happens that in New York, and most metropolitan areas, young women tend to have tattoos or piercings--especially those who are a little more liberal, as they are the ones more apt to pose for me. I don't love or hate all this body armor. I do like small classy tattoos that don't command too much attention. Pierced cooches are intriguing, but I'm not a big fan of pierced tongues.

You've appeared naked in the background of some of your photographs; is that to make the girls feel more at ease?
Unlike most photographers, I like having my picture taken. I like both sides of the camera. I hope to put out a small book one day, or do a show, of photographs of me taken by the models. I like the process of sharing too. Giving the model the camera empowers them a little. It makes them realize what it's like to be on my side, and vice versa. Sometimes I tell the model she has to shoot thirty-eight frames so she's forced to direct me a little. Then you can find out what's in their mind, which might reveal how they would like to be seen as well. Being in a picture, or in the background, is just pure fun for me. I think it also shows the viewer that the photos they are looking at came from a long process. An event. A happening. A real give and take. Something that both people worked at, enjoyed, and created something artistically.

Have any of your photo shoots turned into something more intimate?
Of course. It wouldn't be life unless something happened once in a while. It's rare, though. Really. People assume that since they see the models all naked and frolicking that extra activity is taking place. Not true. But a comfortable atmosphere of fun and sharing is happening. There are also varying degrees of intimacy. I might kiss one gal, caress another, tickle another, spank another, give oral sex to another, or clear the bases with another. I tend to give more than I receive though.

You have two books: Naked Happy Girls: NYC, which is based on the Playboy series, and Bubble Bath Girls. What was the inspiration for that one?
You're close. It's more that the Playboy series was based on the first book, Naked Happy Girls. I had already completed Bubble Bath Girls before the Playboy series started. The inspiration for the bubble bath book really came from just doing a bubble bath shoot in my new apartment. It was so fun, and so easy--the model came to me--and so sexy, wet is nice, that I just thought it might make a great project, which would hopefully turn into a book. It was also a celebration of my new apartment. I had recently moved to a larger, brighter apartment than I had been in, and I was just so happy to use it as a studio and show it off to the world.

Do you have any intentions of making a movie?
I've always thought I would like to make one film. Just one. It would probably be more narrative and like a documentary--perhaps my life from one to forty. It would be something like a Neil Simon film, but a bit more psychedelic, sexy, and wacky.

How about growing up, do you recall the first time you saw a nude scene in a movie?
I sure don't. I do know that Bedknobs and Broomsticks was the first film I ever saw. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was soon after. Sounds like a porn film, no? Chitty, chitty bang, bang--that's funny. Here kitty, kitty. I'm pretty sure my first nude scene would have been a foreign film. At sixteen I saw The Tin Drum (Picture: 1), which had some nudity in it, and that started a slew of foreign films for me. I think that might have been the first one.

Is there a particular type of movie that you find especially sexy?
I don't think there is particularly one type of movie that I find sexy. Comedy can be sexy, as are dramas, thrillers, and even horror. I guess it's more about a particular scene. Some can be soft and sensual, other scenes more raw and visceral, or even a bit kooky. I think seduction is a beautiful thing. There are many films with people being seduced but I can't think of a particular one.

The Graduate (Picture: 1 - 2) ? Personally, I like A Clockwork Orange (Picture: 1 - 2 - 3) a lot. Some of those scenes were pretty naughty, but I like that too. Music and filmmaking play a role in what comes off as sexy too.

I did see a movie on TV about a year ago that had a very young Christian Slater in it, where he made love with a beautiful little brown gal, in what looked like a monastery. No joke. You can look it up [We don't have to, it's The Name of the Rose with Valentina Vargas (Picture: 1) -- Editor]. That scene was pretty hot, regardless of the fact that young Mr. Slater had shaved a circle in the back of his head. The girl was in nothing but a brown robe, which she slithered off. Foreign films aren't really a "type," but they usually have some sexy scenes--especially French films. Sirens was sexy, as you knew you were eventually going to see Elle MacPherson (Picture: 1) nude.

Speaking of Elle, what actresses do you find sexy?
I wish I were more up on pop culture. I suck with names, great with faces. I love Jessica Alba (Picture: 1). I love a young Penelope Cruz (Picture: 1). I was seriously in love with the gal who played the original Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Olivia Hussey (Picture: 1). I find Jennifer Beals (Picture: 1) pretty sexy, Brittany Murphy (Picture: 1) cute, and Alyssa Milano (Picture: 1) inviting. Salma Hayek (Picture: 1) is voluptuous, brown, and delicious. Any Bollywood actress I'll like. Ziyi Zhang (Picture: 1) is delishy. And who could forget Rae Dawn Chong (Picture: 1)?

Which actresses would you love to have pose for you, and are you pursuing them?
Oy vey. More names. Names. I'll take Jessica Alba for $500, Don. No seriously. I will. I'm not pursuing her though. I don't think any of the starlets I'm fond of would pose for me. I need to find them before they become royalty--unless Vanity Fair hires me as the new trendy nude photo boy who's disrobing all of Hollywood. That would be nice.

Finally, if you do shoot a movie and it does have a nude scene, which then makes its way onto Mr. Skin, how proud would that make you?
How can proud be prouder than proud? Only like a cloud can be a cloud. I don't think there is a hint of doubt, that firstly, my film would have a nude scene in it, and secondly, that it would make its way onto Mr. Skin. I can almost see the scene now: it's suspenseful, smart, sensual, scintillating, and sunny. Like me!