Spending a year with the world-class stars of Brazzers

When it comes to provocative subject matters, Rosie Marks is an expert. Okay, so she shoots campaigns for the likes of Miu Miu, Martine Rose and Kiko Kostadinov. She gets commissioned by glossy mags and the New York Times to photograph celebs. But when the fashion world goes to sleep, Rosie turns her camera onto communities who dabble in the extreme.

She’s taken dynamic, saturated portraits of Tokyo’s BDSM community, freaky musicians and groups of women who experiment with cosmetic enhancements. In 2019, Rosie posted an ad on Gumtree, offering free photography services to anyone who wanted them. The catch? Both parties could use or publish the pictures in any capacity. You get the gist – Rosie is refreshingly, consistently up for it.

It should come as no surprise, then, that her latest project sees her peel back the curtain on porn site Brazzers in her new photobook, Raw Talent for which she collaborated with writer Esra Soraya Padgett. Over the course of a year, Rosie followed adult stars and crew members in their quest to create ​“porn magic”, to capture ​“the grit, emotion and creative spirit behind the glossy facade of the pleasure business,” as Esra puts it.

Hi Rosie and Esra! How did the idea for Raw Talent come about?

Rosie: In general my photography is observational and voyeuristic, so I was naturally drawn to show things just as they are. As the project progressed I [wanted to lean] into the idiosyncrasies of Brazzers, the humour and tropes… And then there were offshoots that I found interesting, like the extras and ​“sextras” – performers who are not main talent but may peripherally engage in the sexual action of the scene – on a set. How did these people get here? What is the trajectory from sextra to main performer?

Why do you think we’re so fascinated with porn?

Esra: Porn is a shadow world, and I think we’re always entranced by our shadows. There’s a prevailing taboo around porn that keeps it in the shadows, and therefore, makes it even more fascinating. But beyond that, who isn’t fascinated with sex?

Where did you shoot the book?

R: Most of the book was shot in LA and The Valley, where the performers live. When we went to Venus Berlin, a large porn convention, we all stayed in the same hotel. Otherwise it was mostly meeting on set.

How did you choose which performers to focus on?

R: Brazzers have ​“contract stars” who were the main focus to begin with. Then it was anyone who came through the door on set, cast and crew alike.

Did you spend their off-time with them too?

R: I wanted to explore their lives outside of the industry, especially those who had something else going on, like a hobby or another career. For example Mick Blue is also a race car driver, a scuba diving master and a mainstream actor with a recurring role on General Hospital. So we went to photograph him in his garage preparing his car for a race. Abella Danger is retired from the industry and studies at the University of Miami. She was crowned the sweetheart of a fraternity, so we spent some time with her there.

When did you first come across Brazzers?

R: I probably heard about it first in the Butterfly Effect podcast by Jon Ronson. But I really learnt about the ethos of Brazzers and what they do while researching for this book.

Is there anything special about Brazzers in particular compared to other porn sites? Why is it an aspirational site for performers?

E: Brazzers is funny. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, it’s dumb, it’s silly. But at the same time it’s very high quality, and has set an ethical standard for the industry in a number of ways. All the videos used to begin with the phrase ​“the world’s best porn site” and that sentiment is carried through the industry. It’s the elite, and shooting with Brazzers, or being a contract star, solidifies your status as part of that elite. There’s a feeling that once you’ve shot with them, you’ve made it, you’re a porn star.

What do you think it takes to be a Brazzers star?

R: They have star quality, like an actor might. They have an ability to lose themselves in a scene and embody the character however bizarre the scenario is, while making sure they look good and all the angles are right. It’s more complicated than it looks.

E: A combination of character, wit, media savvy, ability and looks. But that being said, how those characteristics come together to form ​“star quality” is really something ineffable. I think it’s one of the things that makes Brazzers really special – it’s not a cookie cutter approach, all their stars are very different from each other, but what they share is that glint of star power.

Were there any porn plots you found particularly entertaining?

E: A major highlight was the jury duty blowbang. This one starred Cherie Deville, and it starts out in court after she was arrested for stealing a pineapple. She’s found guilty, and has a fit when she finds out she has to spend a night in jail, because she’s never gone 24 hours without sex before. So she basically goes on a rampage and has an orgy with everyone on the jury. It was kind of an unexpected twist, because I had assumed from the set up she was going to try to bribe the jury to help the outcome of her case. But no, she just wanted to get as much sex in as she could before getting locked up.

R: One of my favourites was when I was on set in the UK. There was something funny to me about turning up to a manor house in Margate to shoot porn. Maybe it’s just because I’m English. The shoot was called Whoreding, possibly a play on the reality TV show Hoarders. The girl had a huge collection of dildos and would leave them lying around the house to the dismay of her housemate, who was being interviewed on the ​“show” and wanted to find a solution. The cameraman, Danny D, is entranced by this girl and her dildo collection, and holds back from the rest of the crew to ​“capture some B roll”. I don’t need to describe the rest.

In the book, porn star Ryan Reid says ​“porn heals you”. What do you make of that?

E: I think what she means is that for people like her, being in this industry gives them something they needed – something they may not have been able to find anywhere in the world, or in their life before porn. What she’s expressing is common in the sense that many performers, especially the ones who really succeed, come to porn like a calling. It’s something they were meant to do, and being aligned with what one is meant to do often has a healing effect.