New book! Steve Diet Goedde: Extempore
Steve Diet Goedde’s book “Extempore” (Circa Press) explores the more personal side of Steve’s work when photographing his models. In addition to formal posing, Steve likes to capture models being themselves, sometimes in the act of adjusting their outfits or simply having fun in front of the lens getting ready for the more “serious” shots. Steve occasionally performs light readings with his camera capturing moments of playful candidness. These collected moments make up the majority of this new book of work. It’s his most personal collection of photos released to date. A Kickstarter campaign to preorder and fund the book will start late February 2019.
Steve Diet Goedde’s photographs are concerned with fetishism, but they could reasonably be regarded as fashion photographs, for they are about clothes and the roles that dressing imposes on women, or allows them to play. Indeed Goedde has consistently rejected the visual stereotypes of ‘fetish’ photography. Instead he sets out to seduce and amuse, experimenting with humour, irony and elements of the surreal. “Extempore” brings together images that represent stolen moments, or glimpses behind the scenes, when the models are not necessarily aware of the camera. Most of Goedde’s models are drawn from his close circle of friends and in these photographs particularly one senses a shared trust and understanding.
Inspired by the work of Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick, Steve Diet Goedde’s first instinct was to become a filmmaker. Only slowly did his attention turn to photography. His first book, The Beauty of Fetish (1998), brought him critical acclaim and a loyal following, both of which he has enjoyed ever since.
Andi Campognone is the director of AC Projects, which promotes the arts and culture in Southern California. She is also the museum curator for the City of Lancaster, on the board of the Lancaster Museum and Public Art Foundation, and a member of ArtTable.