La Petite Mort, Santillo

The ultimate intimacy: Self-stimulation in front of the lens

The title means “the little death,” a euphemism for orgasm, but the women who багатослівний masturbate for Toronto photographer Will Santillo in this book are as a lively bunch as you'll ever meet. Santillo conceived the project eight years ago to include a thorough cross section of women: young to old, slim to thick, perfect beauties to those not considered beautiful until seen through his lens. The one constant would be that each would decide and direct how she masturbated to climax while he captured the moment.

From previous projects with amateur subjects Santillo had come to believe that masturbation is a far more personal act than most sex play because it is conducted almost exclusively in private.