When people are young, they let the years go by without worrying too much about it. But when their skin is touched by the cold hands of time, the years turn from a blessing into a curse. The moments they have left become precious, and they grasp them until the last second. Some questions only come with age, as if only maturity and the passing of the years can answer.
“Does love die with time, or does it become stronger? Is passion lost within the routine?” A man thinks to himself while he shaves his white beard with the razor his father gave him as a child. A woman goes up to the mirror and asks, “My body may wrinkl but doesn’t it deserve to enjoy sex too? Her naked body demands answers, for she hasn’t forgotten what it feels like to be touched by her lover.
The concept of time, love, and relationships have been addressed in multiple forms; however, only photography has succeeded in capturing all of these subjects. In a picture, time is frozen, and the feelings that are trapped in each a frame become so intense, we can almost touch them with the tips of our fingers.
Robi Rodriguez took a pause in his career as a fashion photographer in London, to explore what happens to the sex and love life of a couple after 40 years of marriage.
He was well aware of the power of photography, so as he pressed his shutter, he froze in time the passion shared between a couple: The Parkers. Their age does not stop them from enjoying the small pleasures of life. Husband and wife allowed Rodriguez to photograph their sexual encounters.
“I never thought sex could be so passionate after turning sixty. I kept pressing the shutter while they gently kissed. In the heat of the moment they started to take their clothes off. They were not ashamed, and yet, it looked as if this was the first time they’d seen each other naked. Their nudity showed the scars of their battle against time. The small wrinkles on their hands didn’t stop them from tracing their way to a source of pleasure. Their age only made them desire each other even more, because they knew the exact spot where the other would become ready to explode. She stood up from the bed, and took his hand to lead him in front of her. With his pants on his ankles, she knelt, she started kissing his penis, gently, but firmly, playing with the pace. He smiled, closed his eyes and enjoyed the gesture, like he would have done 40 years before.
After a while, the walls in the room contained the increasing moaning, when he was done, he placed his finger under her chin, leaning towards her, he kissed her as a ‘thank you.’ He then pushed her towards the bed. You could see the lust in his eyes, ready to tear her clothes apart. It was his turn to return the favor, when he knelt, his joints made a sound. In seconds his head disappeared between her thighs.
The house, which they’d bought 25 years ago, was a witness to the pleasure that came from the couple’s room. I pressed the shutter one more time in the exact moment her hands were grasping the sheets to keep herself on the bed, while her hips rose as a result of the orgasm.
I took pictures the whole time. The bodies, which I saw through the lens, were not young and delicate, like the ones I saw as a fashion photographer. I could sense something special between the intertwined bodies. Beyond the consummated passion and sex, I saw in their eyes a single statement: “They were two persons who loved each other, they were young souls trapped in fading bodies.” Rodriguez comments about the process behind this session.
The Birds is an introspection of the unrated lives of Anne, and Derek Parker. Through the work of Rodriguez, they invite us to explore their intimacy, and as a result, we become voyeurs. We see the a passionate relationship built on sex, tenderness, and respect. “This is a message of hope to the new generations. Anne and Derek confirm love exists,” Rodriguez states about the motivation behind his project.
After decades of sharing a life together, the couple has not been afraid to explore their sexual fetishes, fantasies, and desires. This time, they decided to fuse their passion with photography. Derek is an amateur photographer and Anne had posed for him hundreds of times before. When they were young, he did erotic portraits of his wife.
The couple met Rodríguez by accident on the street. They spent months agreeing the terms and conditions of their collaboration. Eventually, it was the wish to explore their sexuality which further convinced them to work with Rodríguez. Once the couple and photographer started to bond, it became easier for the Parkers to feel more comfortable with the situation. They accepted Robi as part of the family, even if he was going to capture their most intimate moments.
Robi Rodriguez’ work doesn’t focus on the madness of passionate sex, nor in the perfection of the bodies. His art speaks about the concept of love. Yes, there is passion, desire, and lust; but the person who sees these photos needs to observe how love puts itself above of all of those nouns.
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