S.A.M Series – Inside Holly Randall
(note: some of the external links in this article are NSFW) In the early 1990’s Holly Randall was your typical fresh-faced sun-kissed Californian blonde teenager who loved to ride horses competitively, but like most kids her age she had more than one passion growing up.
When she was 12 years old Holly started taking photography classes, and at 15 embarked on a burgeoning career path, one that would define her future – photographing model’s portfolios, including that of her younger sister, then a Ford model. It’s ironic and prophetic that Holly’s eventual success came from doing something that always came natural from an early age.
Around that same time, in 1992, her mom – famed Penthouse photographer Suze Randall – was shooting my June 1993 Penthouse centerfold and cover for the magazine, in her Santa Monica studio. I spent several days with Suze and her crew creating my layout, and she was an erotic force of shutterbug nature. So it’s really no surprise to me that she handed the baton to the anchor in the family, Holly – the next generation of Randall to cross the photography finish line in first place.
The eldest daughter of the legendary Suze Randall and fiction writer Humphry Knipe (aka famous erotic director Victor Nye), Holly was indoctrinated into porn royalty from the get-go. After studying for 1-½ years at Brooks Institute of Photography in her early20’s, she quickly rose up through the adult industry ranks. At first Holly assisted her mom and ran her award winning website Suze.net, then she started shooting and directing exclusive content for it, and eventually launched her own production company, Holly Randall Productions, along with her premium membership website, HollyRandall.com.
She has left an indelible imprint on an industry formerly dominated by men, but ironically pioneered by women like her mother. Following in her mom’s footsteps, Holly’s won several prestigious awards for her work and contributions to field of erotica. She was named one of the most influential women in the adult industry by AVN Magazine in 2013, her website HollyRandall.com won the 2014 Xbiz “Best Photo Site” award, and the 2014 Rise Awards for “Site of the Year”.
Holly’s shot the cover of almost every major mens magazine including Czech Maxim, Bizarre, Penthouse, Hustler and Club. Her clients include Playboy, Penthouse, Adam & Eve, Digital Playground, Brazzers, Twistys, Adult DVD Empire, and many others. She is a photographic contributor to the popular Quiver sex guidebooks, she’s also written several columns, and has published two photo books.
If you are a Playboy TV subscriber you’d immediately recognize Holly from her popular reality series, Adult Film School, in it’s third season on the network. She hosts the show, and coaches amateur filmmakers and real-life couples on how to make a their sex tape fantasies come to life.
Recently Holly launched a crowd-funding campaign to raise money to help finance her new original YouTube Series called, Inside The Pornstar, which will feature in-depth interviews with your favorite adult stars. This series will demystify the public’s perception of what a porn star is really like, and showcase her down-to-earth personality, and acute business savvy.
Holly is offering unique one-of-a-kind incentive rewards – for as low as $10.00, and as high as $6,000.00 you can own a piece of Holly’s project – or attend one of her shoots for a day. The prizes include Inside The Pornstar branded ceramic travel mugs and mouse pads, personalized glossy photos of various adult superstars she has shot, as well as gorgeous calendars, and limited edition Holly Randall coffee table books.
After asking Holly to answer 8 questions for my S.A.M Series, I think the best way for this reunion of sorts to come full circle – for me anyway, would be for Holly to shoot me for my Penthouse magazine comeback. As the old saying goes, “Like mother, like daughter” – so I know I’d be in good hands.
Plus, I am 50 years old and the Penthouse brand is celebrating its 50th year! I think that’d be the shoot of the (half) century, juuust sayin’… 😉
Your mom, the legendary glamour photographer Suze Randall, shot my June 1993 centerfold and cover for Penthouse magazine. I always felt that she had the best lighting out of all the Penthouse photographers. Her photos were warm, saturated, golden and made a girl look beautiful. You assisted her early on in your career, how did her influence affect your photographic style? Did she pass down any cool trade secrets that you can share?
I would definitely say that I learned (almost) everything I know from my mother. I definitely learned her lighting style, and I apply the basic principles to pretty much everything I shoot, though I do like to experiment and try different lighting sources, so I’m probably a little more adventurous than she was with my light. One trick I can give you is to always try to give your model at least one backlight or hair light, because it’ll make the model stand out from the background. You want your model to pop in the scene.
What inspired you to follow in your mother’s career footsteps? Was erotic photography always your passion and goal?
I started taking photography classes when I was 12 years old, because I had an extra elective in school. I’d always been fascinated with photography but I didn’t realize it was actually something I wanted to take up as a hobby until I started taking classes. That’s when I knew I was hooked. Obviously at the age of 12 I wasn’t thinking that I was going to follow in my mother’s footsteps and do erotic photography, but when I was 20 I started helping them out in the office part time while going to school, and I realized that it was a good fit for me.
You are considered the best known of the new generation of glamour nude photographers. How does your photographic eye differ from that of your peers? What qualities do you think separates your art from others?
Well first of all, thank you for the compliment. 🙂 I do think that as a female sometimes I have more of a keen eye for details like hair, makeup, wardrobe, location, etc… I’m also a little neurotic so flaws in the scene make me crazy… blemishes on the skin, a crooked pillow on the bed, a string hanging from the bottom of a skirt… I’ll zero in on these things because I’ve trained my eye to look for flaws so that I can fix them. I also take into consideration a lot of things when I book and plan my shoots— the model and what kind of style I think will suit her, what partner she might have the most chemistry with, where they would look best shooting, what the weather is going to be like, etc. I’m fanatical about planning, I tend to think, “Worst case scenario” so I can be prepared for it… you should see all the crap I bring to set, it’s ridiculous. I keep things like razors, bug spray, sunscreen, aspirin, tampons, anti-allergy pills…. anything we could possibly need, I’ve got it. Preparedness I think is your best weapon.
What are your favorite types of jobs to shoot, and who are your favorite subjects to capture?
My favorite types of shoots are soft core solo girl shoots, only because since I’m not focusing in on the genitals or sex acts, we can really focus on the art of the female form, and I can usually get a little more artistic in those cases, because it’s less about sex and more about erotic art. Don’t get me wrong, a good boy/girl scene between two performers with chemistry can be a lot of fun (I recently shot Dani Daniels and Ramon together and had a blast), a lot of the time it honestly depends on the model. If she’s got good energy, I feed off of it, and vice versa.
You’ve been hosting Playboy TV’s series, Adult Film School, for several seasons. What are the most rewarding aspects of helping couples make their sex tape fantasies come true?
The look on a couple’s face when they see their transformation in the mirror… the look on their face when they see their final professional sex tape on the screen… I work with professionals all the time who are used to seeing themselves made up and playing different roles and characters, but for these amateurs it’s truly a once in a lifetime experience and it’s so great to be a part of that.
What are your top 3 tips for amateurs to make a great home porno?
Use window light! Meaning, put the camera between you and the window, so you are using the window light as a big natural light source. It’s the most flattering light. Secondly, put your camera on a tripod or rest it somewhere on a nightstand, so you don’t get just jerky POV all the time. And last; do something fun and engaging. Do a little role playing or dress up— if that’s too much for you, maybe start off with some oil and a sexy massage… anything to get you in the mood so don’t get stage fright!
You’ve currently launched a crowd-funding project to back an original YouTube series you created called, Inside the Porn Star. What inspired you? What message are you looking to get across?
I really wanted to demystify the porn star and show the general public what these girls are really like… most of the women I work with are strong, powerful, funny and smart people who see porn as a viable career and take their job quite seriously… we are real people and we are a lot of fun!
Where would you like to see yourself in 10 years? What goals do you have that you have not achieved yet?
I would like to see myself pretty much where I am now, working a lot and loving my job. Of course, I wouldn’t mind making more money, but who wouldn’t? But I don’t have much cause for complaint; I’m a lucky girl with the most interesting job in the world!
Photos Courtesy Playboy TV
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