This is what a swinging picture looks like.

A comment attached to this post meant I had to answer with this post. The comment asked, if Lee Morgan was swinging music, what did a swinging photograph look like? At first I thought of ‘Grand Prix de Circuit de la Seine’ by Jacques Henri Lartigue, which is probably a better answer than the one I am about to provide. It’s certainly a better photograph, although mine’s fun too, so there.

This is a swinging picture:

Swingers convention, New Orleans, USA. Orgy room.

I suppose if you’re going to be picky, and I know you are because I can see it in your eyes, the above is not really a swinging picture, it’s a picture of swingers.

It is actually a picture of a small part of a 1500 strong group of swingers who took over an entire hotel on Bourbon Street in New Orleans ( What a street that is).

I had been commissioned to cover the 5 day event for UK Marie Claire. I’d found the story, and the mag thought it sounded ‘fun’, so off we went. When I say we, I mean the reporter and myself. Only thing was, the reporter was a woman, and happened to be my wife. So, 1500 swingers, 750 couples (only couples allowed), and one couple who were pretty sure they weren’t into swinging, and who had a job to do. That’ll be us then. So, 1502 people, 751 couples.

I’ve never been to a swingers convention before, nor since. It was uniquely fascinating. Swingers are a bloody good laugh, I’ll give them that…they certainly know how to party. I do know now, after being politely propositioned about a dozen times a day, and having seen things that made my eyes water, that neither my wife nor I are in the least interested in swinging. It’s a laugh to attend though ,and great to take pictures of, although very tricky when the mag you are shooting for will not publish anything remotely ‘naughty’.

We had been there 3 days before we were told where to find the ‘real’ action. Upstairs, third floor, after midnight. Pick your room, choose your fancy. Maybe the orgy room sir? Perhaps the sybian room? (look it up) The dark room? The massive cocks room? The dungeon? The straps room? The cradles room? The harnesses and trapezes room? And on and on…over 30 different rooms catering to every sexual peccadilloe imaginable. And I mean imaginable. All night long.

The pic above was shot in the orgy room, where up to 50 people at a time get it on together. Everyone in the above picture was happy to be photographed (don’t ask me why), but I couldn’t show owt naughty. So, all you can really see is sod all, but you get the idea. Not easy avoiding photographing certain body parts when 50 odd people are shagging and sucking each others brains out.

One thing amongst many that I found intriguing was the fact that it’s fine for the men to watch the women getting it on together, it’s actively encouraged in fact –  it’s expected that the men will shag many other women, natch, but it is absolutely not acceptable in any way, shape or form for a man to get it on with another man. Oh good god no. How dare I even ask such a thing. Disgraceful.

I still get emails now asking if I’d like to come on another convention, whether I’d like to come aboard a swingers cruise around the Carribbean etc etc. I’ve not responded, swinging’s not for me. One unwanted side effect of the above story was the fact that I then became known for a while as the photographer who ‘did’ sex stories. So, it was doggers soon after. Filthy they are. They make the swingers look like the nuns from the local convent, but that’s a story for another day.

Swingers in hot tub, New Orleans, USA. Swingers Convention.