PHOTOGRAPHER PAUL JOHNSON’S ARCHIVE IS LOOKING FOR A NEW HOME!

PAUL JOHNSON: LEGENDARY EROTIC PHOTOGRAPHER

Paul Johnson is a legend. Well… He should be. Paul was born to be a “pornographer” and he’s proud of that fact. With a career from the late 60’s through the mid 80’s, Paul was there when it all began. His first works were freelance shots sold to nudie mags of the era. Johnson then landed a job at Jaybird magazine where he shot several covers and interiors. As publishers were continually pushing the legalities of the adult industry, Paul was tasked with shooting what are believed to be the first explicit hardcore photos published for the mass market in the Academy Press publication, Sex in Marriage.

Johnson remained busy, shooting endlessly and due to his connections, often would be the first to photograph many new comers into the industry, including Rene Bond and Nina Hartley, who would both become legends of the golden age of adult films.

In the mid-70’s, Paul had the idea to create a single scenario hardcore publication, something which had never been done before. Gathering beautiful models (sometimes amateurs or real-life couples, sometimes known performers from the adult industry), Johnson placed them in romantic and playful stories at beautiful locations. He self-financed the complete creation of Opera Night as an attempt to gauge publisher interest, but was told that a full color glossy publication like this was much too expensive to produce. Finally, finding the right publisher with the funds and interest, Paul was asked to produce two publications per month. Shortly afterwards, the order increased to four per month. Another publisher wanted in on the success, requesting four each month as well. With this near immediate demand, Paul knew he had a bargaining chip and cashed it in, negotiating the right to keep all of his outtakes, something unheard of in the industry.

Paul had the winning formula and quickly became his own competition. Of course, with any success, others will attempt to imitate, yet Paul’s work had a look and feel of its own and those familiar with his style can always pick out his work. While the industry would often use the sleaziest magazine titles possible, Paul’s work remained elegant, beautiful and incredibly erotic, placing him in a class of his own. When he realized he was paying male models to live out his own sexual fantasies, Paul created the Let’s Pretend series, placing himself as the male model in each scenario and with this, is believe to be the first person to use POV (point of view) shots in pornography.

Paul was an institution unto himself and created a niche that remained successful. Although he never had any interest in moving into adult films, he photographed many of the era’s greatest stars: Seka, Juliet “Aunt Peg” Anderson (a close friend who also worked frequently as his assistant), Serena, Sue Nero, Annette Haven, Tawny Pearl, Sharon Kane, Lisa Loring, Jessie St. James, Brooke West, Mai Lin, Lili Marlene, Lysa Thatcher, Desiree West, Laurien Dominque, Linda Wong, Cris Cassidy, Connie Peterson, Dorothy LeMay, Jamie Gillis, Paul Thomas, Herschel Savage, Jon Martin, Billy Dee, Mike Horner, Don Fernando, Richard Pacheco, Ken Scudder, Joey Silvera, John Seeman, Mike Ranger, and many, many more.

Due to the AIDS epidemic of the mid-1980’s, Paul largely retired from photography. During his time in the business, Paul shot thousands of incredible photographs and built a very impressive body of work.

The golden age of erotica has experienced a renewed interest that continues to build. From HBO’s successful series, The Deuce, to high profile documentaries on legendary films like Deep Throat (which recently experienced several successful 50^th anniversary screenings around the world), to academic acceptance and discussion. The nostalgia factor is high for works such as these as some fans are tired of living room cell phone videos churned out by the tens of thousands daily. Many are looking back to an era in erotica when there was style, substance and imagination. An era where work like Paul’s is now celebrated.

Paul is looking for a new home for his life’s work. Johnson’s incredibly extensive personal archives include:

• nearly 600 individual magazines (many of which he shot and created from cover to cover)
• a collection of books featuring many of his photographs
• over 40,000 digital image files (high resolution scans of magazines, outtakes, etc.)
• 605 rolls of B&W negatives (12 shots per role – over 7,000 images)
• Approximately 24,800 (largely color) transparencies
• Bulk quantities of 2 DVD releases (can be purchased separately in bulk as well)
• Full rights provided to all outtakes, of which Paul Johnson owns exclusive rights
• Camera equipment used for these shoots also available

Interested parties please contact: paul@paulsfantasy.com

For more information on the incredible career of Paul Johnson (and several personal blog posts) please visit Paul’s website

More details and photos in this packet (expand for full view):