Sex: Portraits of Passion Book

I am not sure how I got it, but I received a copy of this book back around 1999 when it first came out and I remembered how dated it seemed even then. I guess in part because Savannah (the girl on the cover, and who Gittler humblebrags about having sex with) had shot herself 5 years prior to the publishing of the book, and all the other photos are from around 1991-1994. Since this was before digital photography, the photos are more raw, and haven't been manipulated. You see things like pockmarked faces under thick makeup and the "chewed up" (his words) look of the scarred nipples from bad boobjobs. It's really depressing to flip through, and moreso when you read his description of their appearance, their apartments, how worn out and tired they seem, and things like how after a raunchy stripclub stage show, there were "literally two $1 bills" crumpled up next to the woman.

At least two of the people in the book became HIV+ not long publication, including Marc Wallice, who knew he was infected, but hid his status and subsequently infected several women. Another 2-3 committed suicide (not including Savannah) and the rest were already nearing the end of their careers. It's sad, but in a pathetic way, not in a cautionary tale way. Gittler came off as two-faced. He seems to know, or at least suspect how damaged and lonely they are, and writes demeaning things about them, but also wants to fuck them and photograph them, for free, and once he has no more use for the people he photographed, he tossed them away. It's just a lousy book in every regard.