Scanner : photography

AZ Gov. Candidate Posts Topless Photo of His Roommate on Flickr

Brian Fairbanks — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:33:00 GMT

John Paul Mitchell, 30, teaches yoga and is studying for his doctorate at the University of Sedona. He is not your typical Republican candidate, particularly since he is running against a newly-ascended state leader, Jan Brewer, who took over for Democrat Janet Napolitano when Napolitano accepted a cabinet post. He also isn't your typical politician-- he maintains a Flickr account, which he updates with campaign and personal photos on the same page.

Normally, this would be no big deal... until a photo of a topless woman appeared on the page.

Mitchell claims that the photo, which was deleted before we could at least see it and tell you what it looked like, is of Mitchell's female roommate. The candidate, who has a girlfriend, says the flatmates share an account on the site and that she posted it and meant to make it private, but forgot to. Or something. It all sounds a bit suspicious-- too many lapses in judgment for that to happen. Obviously, it sounds like he took an illicit picture of his roommate, a woman he admits to sleeping with in the past, and posted it to what he thought was a private, blocked-off area of his Flickr account. Not saying she didn't consent, but that's possible.

In any case, he had to play damage control in the news media all day yesterday:

Why would she post topless photos to the Flickr account?

Because she has hundreds of photographs on there. She uploads pictures from family gatherings, to vacations, to self-taken pictures. What she does in the privacy of our home or elsewhere is her personal business.

Again, the picture was meant to be flagged as private and not viewable by the public.

Why do you have a shared account?

Because I initially set it up for my use, but later allowed her to use the Flickr account to have an online storage space for her photography.

Did you and the woman ever date or have a romantic relationship?

Yes, at one point, we were involved romantically. However, we made a mutual agreement that it was best we remain only friends. Our friendship is going on its sixth year and we consider each other best friends.

At this point, the woman has yet to speak out. One has to wonder what her take on all this is-- is she embarrassed into silence or being asked by the candidate not to comment, for fear of keeping the story going? Or is she secretly furious about the photo ending up on his Flickr account? His account, by the way, can be seen here.

Via AZ Central.

Related:

Candidate for Gov. of GA Admits to Having Sex... with a Mule

Politician Probably Should've Taken Down Scandalous Facebook Profile First

Hey Ireland: Good Luck Stopping Internet Porn

Nevada Governor's Sex Scandal May Top Eliot Spitzer's

Nearly-Naked Gisele Poses With a Bunch of Naked Black Men, Raises Questions of Race

Emily Farris — Wed, 06 May 2009 23:01:00 GMT

Norwegian fashion photographer Sølve Sundsbø recently shot a series with supermodel Gisele Bündchen surrounded by very buff, very naked black men. The contrast in skin tones is striking, but are we supposed to read more into it?

As one commenter over at Project Rungay said: "wow, those photos are fierce. can't tell if the guys are her slaves or if they're raping her. interesting race dialogue. the first photo is super sexy."

What do you think? Have a look and let us know in the comments section.

Related:

The Art of the Nude Supermodel

Video Of The Day: Because Sometimes Racism Is Funny!

Once You Go Black

[Racialicous via Jezebel]

The Art of the Nude Supermodel

Brian Fairbanks — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:22:00 GMT

Russell James is the supermodel's photographer. He has worked for Sports Illustrated, Vogue, and Marie Claire and photographed pretty much every "name" model on the planet, including Gisele Bundchen, seen above on the cover of James' new book.

The photographer is particularly known for his nude snaps, many of which you've seen time and again on Scanner...

The 300-page self-titled book is the result of ten years of great art from the former host of VH-1's The Shot. James himself was unavailable for comment at press time to comment, but we know from reading press about him in the past that he is currently documenting the Aborigines in Australia and directing televison commericals for Victoria's Secret and others.

Here's something to tide you over before your copy arrives. In order: Adriana Lima (her second photo here may not be in the book, but you won't mind), Heidi Klum, and Karolina Kurkova.

Related:

America's Next Topless Model Is... The Judge

Obama Crashes Carnival Party, Thanks to Naked Carnival Queen

Kate Moss Stocks Up On Beer, Strips For New York Magazine

Joe Biden's Daughter Caught in Cocaine Scandal?

Cindy Crawford: Still Naked At 43

Support a Scanner or Two

Colleen Kane — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:23:00 GMT

There are certainly beggars on the street who earn more in a day than Scanner Emily and I will today. And with that, a little begging: won't you vote for Scanner Emily's missed connection so she can win $200? She needs an average of 10 stars and right now she's up to 9. That one literally takes one second to do.

My favor takes more like 30 seconds, but the stakes are so much higher: if I get around 500 more votes in this photography contest by Friday, I'll be in the top 20, then will hopefully be selected to win $50K! The contest is called Name Your Dream Assignment, and here's mine: Main Street, Exiled: Disappearing Downtowns. You just have to sign in with a real email to prove you're not a robot, then click on PIC IT to vote.

Thanks lovies!

Related:

"My dog humped your leg. I wanted to."

I Still Want to Hump Your Leg

"Britain's Sexiest Teacher" In Hot Water After Steamy Photo Shoot

Brian Fairbanks — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:10:00 GMT

Natasha Gray, voted Britain's Sexiest Teacher in a phone survey following a television show seven years ago, is (finally) back in the news again for doing the only thing that could ever upset a British parent: not being able to live on a teacher's salary.

Apparently, some parents were worried about their children being taught by a woman who models in the near-nude... and here we thought Britain was more enlightened about the female form than their American counterparts...

Some kid who couldn't keep his or her mouth shut (who talks to their parents about what goes on at school anyway?) told his/her mom that Gray had lingerie photos up on iModel, a website for aspiring underwear champions. The woman wrote an anonymous letter to the school informing them of the photos, which she said was "disgusted" by the "inappropriate" spread.

"I assume the pupils have a good giggle about it but I find it rather crass."

Well, my dear, if teachers were banned from doing anything one single person finds offensive, the only thing they could do was sit absolutely still and keep their eyes closed. In other words, find something better do with your time, mom.

Meanwhile, "Tasha" has been told she will not be fired, but that the school hopes she knows that this will go down on her permanent record.

Via various English media sources and iModel.

Related:

Is Our Children Learning About Internet Porn?

Younger Men Say "Do Not Want" To Older Women?

English High School The World's Most Sexually Dangerous

Dick Arrested For Pulling Dick Move

Here's A Kind of Teacher Sex Story We've Never Seen Before...

Teacher In Lesbian Sex Scandal Story Not Helping

Keith Richards Shows Us His Other Appendage... No, Not the Guitar, Silly...

Brian Fairbanks — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 22:40:00 GMT

Last night, we attended the opening reception of the Not Fade Away Gallery in New York City, which is first hosting a treasure trove of unreleased photos of the Stones and Beatles in their early days. Uncensored behind-the-scenes photos of Ringo acting the fool, Brian Jones getting wasted on margaritas, and other general merriment dotted the gallery.

We spent a good hour there just waiting for promised special guest Keith Richards to arrive, but eventually gave up. Before we took off, we loaded up on Blue Point beer and snuck several unauthorized photos of the photos, including this one of Keith Richards peeing in what appears to be an outdoor sink...

Click here for the uncensored photo and a close-up.

Is this why he didn't show? Well, it's not like we can tell how big the rest of it is just from him starting to whip it out, but one can make certain assumptions.

Moving along, here are the other photos we snuck... including this great candid of an historic moment: Mick Jagger eyeing an (unopened) copy of Bob Dylan's Bringing It All Back Home, the album that many consider the first "rock" record...

Again apologies for the poor photography, but we had to be sneaky. If you want to visit the gallery, here's that information.

Related:

These Celebrities Fell In Love With The Camera At An Early Age

Top 10 Breakup Songs

Top 10 Sexiest Album Covers of All Time

PETA Wants to Covet Your Neighbor's Sexy Wife

Brian Fairbanks — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:31:00 GMT

Now through March 11th, PETA has resolved to keep its topless protesters off the streets and to avoid throwing white paint at the Olsen twits and other enemies of furballs.

Instead, they've launched a new online competition featuring the Sexiest Vegetarians Next Door. The winner of the four rounds of voting wins a free trip to Hawaii... so, apparently, none of the girls pictured here are from Hawaii...

Alexi from Astoria (Queens), NY

Giselle from Miami, FL

Amy from Port Angeles, WA

Brooke from Ogden, UT. At the top of this post is Sunny from North Hollywood, CA. These are just a sampling of the many female contestants you can vote for at this link. The male contestants, as if anyone clicking on this post would care, are here.

PETA, via Fleshbot. For you enviable Europeans, voting begins here.

Related:

PETA Takes On Foie Gras, Valentine's Day, Decency Laws

Amy Winehouse, Topless Again, Stars in Her Most Bizarre Adventure Yet

PeTA: Again With Thinking Sex Sells Unpopular Idea

Teen Boy and His Friends Busted for Sending Nude Photos

Brian Fairbanks — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:53:00 GMT

Picture this scenario: Your friend sends you a pornographic birthday card as a joke. When you look closely at the photo, you realize the nude model on the card is borderline jailbait, but you decide to simply toss the card and be done with it. The next thing you know, you're under arrest for possession of child pornography.

Think that's unfair? Then wait till you hear what happened to a group of underage boys who sent each other a photo of an underage girl...

According to the local news in Falmouth (is that pronounced "foul mouth?"), Massachusetts, a boy between twelve and fourteen years photographed his thirteen-year-old girlfriend in the nude. That's crime #1-- the police consider it child pornography, even thought, um, they're both children. (We've discussed this legal condundrum many times on Scanner, so let's move on.) Then, and here's the part we never understand, the boy sends the photo to all his friends, apparently never having heard of "junior high school," which mandates everyone shares everything with everyone. Of course, soon enough, tons of people had the photo and six boys are under arrest for possession of child porn. Some friend this kid was-- and we hope his girlfriend dumps his sorry ass for being a lame showoff and possibly ruining her life.

By the way, how sad is it that we're charging children with posession of child pornography? They're not perverts if they're the same age as the girls they're ogling...

Via WHDH.

While You Were Sleeping: The Fox News Child Porn Bust

Woman With the Best Perv Name Ever to Be Sentenced For, Well, Being a Perv

"A Distinctly New York Kind Of Love" in Pictures

Emily Farris — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 15:56:00 GMT

What do you get when you put two couples and two cameras in one tiny New York City bedroom? "Pillow Talk," the latest project from husband and wife photography team Tribble and Mancendio.

James Frank Tribble and Tracey Manciendo told the New York Times that each wielding a camera, they "'dance' around their subjects, putting them at ease with constant banter and movement. As Ms. Mancenido explains, 'In every shoot, without fail, the sitter is drawn to one of us, and we use that as best we can to capture what we see.'"

[New York Times: In the Bedrooms]

Related:

Weddings From Hell: A Photo Essay

Our Crazy RNC Photo Essay

Photo Essay: New Orleans Battles On

Scanner Readers Rescuing Vintage Nude Photos For You

Brian Fairbanks — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 18:37:00 GMT

Reader John DeFeo has been restoring vintage pinup photos for two years and he's decided to share some of his rescue efforts with you, his dearest friends...

Here's a sample before and after of the restorative power's of John's hand (or is it his Photoshop?)

Hot damn, indeed. John explains his process, during which each photo was

"blasted with a compressed air treatment, cured with a non-abrasive treatment called Vitafilm, scanned at 5400 dots-per-inch, and retouched to remove stray hairs, dirt, water stains, holes, scratches, and restored to original color..."

View the full collection here. Unrelated top photo via this link.

Related:

Top 5 Sex Scenes Set in the Great Outdoors

Who Is Katie Green And Why Is She Famous?

In Photo War, Patriots Cheerleaders Outdo Cleveland Cavs Cheerleaders

No, Wait, the Lithuanian Playboy Calendar Is What We Really Wanted

Our Favorite Leftover Photos of 2008

Brian Fairbanks — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:41:00 GMT

While hunting stories on the internet, we often stumble across a photograph that doesn't work as a story in itself. Case in point, this shot of a naked man fleeing the police in Japan, which we included in an utterly irrelevant post about the vicar with the potato stuck in his butthole.

Then there are photos which never get used for any story, yet we can't bear to delete them, so they sit all yearlong in the Nerve Photos folder on our desktop. Because, even this late in the game, we can't bear to dispose of them in the proper computer trash bin, here they are for your insatiable amusement:

Related:

No, Wait, the Lithuanian Playboy Calendar Is What We Really Wanted

Lingerie Football Linebacker Sues Ex For Leaking Her Nude Photos

Sasha Grey Completely Naked in New American Apparel Ad

A History of MIT Pranks, In Glorious Pictures...

Obama Was A Pimp: Or At Least the 80's Made Him Look That Way

Brian Fairbanks — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:13:00 GMT

If these were meant to be flattering, why would you leak them to the New York Post, a "newspaper" that despises Obama?

Wait a minute... Time Magazine named Obama Person of the Year, found these photos, and then instead of publishing themselves, let the Post have these before anyone else? For whatever reason they've been appropriated, we'll share them without comment:

These photos, by the way, were taken in 1980 by an acquaintance at Occidental College and locked in a safe-deposit box to ensure they were not used for political purposes during the election. More about the photographer and the photos here (warning: it's a New York Post article, the fuckers.)

Related:

Did Obama Sell Out The Gays?

While You Were Sleeping: Update on the Pole Dancing Video Game

Video From Crazy Kansas Churchies: Santa Claus a Fag, Rapist

While You Were Sleeping: George W. Bush Under Attack

64-Year-Old Woman's Nude Picture Sells For 10,000 Euros

Brian Fairbanks — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:55:00 GMT

An elderly woman has gone the full monty for no reward whatsoever, except to say, "Ha ha, I have more guts than any of you young ladies with your airbrushing and artfully-placed furs."

A New York photographer just sold this photo for a whopping 10,000 euros...

The photo below is the only copy we could track down. If anyone comes across an uncensored version, we'll post it here immediately.

Better yet is this self-proclaimed feminist's response to the local idiots in the press (although the ones supporting her aren't that much more helpful-- censoring the photo? You pansies.)

Speaking to the Herald about the painting earlier this week, Nell said: "I thought it was lovely. We're naked as nature intended."
When Herald columnist Terry Prone criticised the naked pose, Nell said: "It basically says 'look at me, I'm f**ked' but I think it is beautiful."

Nell said she agreed to be a model on the grounds that she was "showing the body for all its age." [Herald]

As our week wraps up here at Scanner, tonight we'll drink to you, Madame...

Related:

This Week In Gayness: Guy Attacked At Proposition 8 Protest

San Francisco Street Fair Would Make The Marquis de Sade Proud

90-Year-Old Woman Served Lunch By Half-Naked Man (And It's Her Make-A-Wish Wish, Too)

The Greatest Dive Bars: The Clermont Lounge

Sloppy Seconds: The Body Found Outside of Paula Abdul's Home

Emily Farris — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:05:00 GMT

American Apparel is back in this news, this time because an employee was fired after he refused to inflate figured on the company's balance sheet. [WSJ]

With the economy sucking your bank account dry, would you consider "donating" an egg for $8,000? [The Frisky]

Say what you will about those naughty Miley Cyrus pictures for Vanity Fair; Annie Leibovitz doesn't give a fuuuck. [Jezebel]

Us Weekly seems to be a little uncomfortable dealing with the fact that Lindsay Lohan called Barack Obama "colored." [Us]

The body of a suspected stalker was found dead in her car outside of Paula Abdul's Los Angeles home. [People]

[Image]

Some of the Hottest Women in the Country All Got Naked Together

Brian Fairbanks — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:12:00 GMT

For 40 smackers (in today's, you know, perfect economy), a copy of Timothy White's Hollywood Pinup could be yours. And, let us say, based on all available evidence, it would surely be worth your bottom dollar.

However, you would do almost as well just to see all the best photos from its steamy pages, after the jump...

Batting first is Angie Harmon, who we're pretty sure voted for John McCain yesterday. Luckily for her, she has other redeeming ass-pects to her personality...

Up next is the always jailbait-looking 23-year-old Michelle Trachtenberg:

Kate Hudson, you probably have a pretty decent personality, but how can we pay any attention to that when you pose for see-through ass shots?

You can see Susan Sarandon here and a nearly-butt-naked Rebecca DeMornay here. Meanwhile, we'll leave you with Mary-Kate Olsen... who normally we want nothing to do with. (We're in that minority of guys who think it's creepy to lust after the Olsen twins. Nonetheless, enjoy!)

Ah... now we get it.

While You Were Sleeping: The Naked Mannequin Orgy

Kate Winslet Takes it Off for Vanity Fair

20-Year-Old Teacher Strips For Her Students... On Video

Top 5 Sex Scenes From Comedies

Olga Kurylenko: "My Treasure Trove of Topless Photos Don't Count As Porn"

Gisele Bundchen Finds Another Excuse To Take Off Her Clothes

Brian Fairbanks — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 16:32:00 GMT

Thank God there's something else to talk about today.

These were for the 30th Anniversary issue of American Photo, whatever the Christ that is. Nobody cares about you American Photo, just give us your half-naked snaps of Gisele and move along...

Seriously, though, we do dig Gisele on a non-superficial level as well, and our speculation on her personality is confirmed by the photographer:

His favorite Gisele? "It would be the chill Gisele, which is just us hanging out on vacation, with her acting silly and laughing in front of the camera," Nino Muñoz says. "Although sexy Gisele in six-inch pumps isn't bad, either."

The above totally pointless photos via American Photo, of course.

Related:

While You Were Sleeping: The Last True Supermodel

Gisele Bundchen's Latest Nude Shoot May Be Her Finest Work Yet

Did You Vote? Then Babeland Would Like To Give You A Free Sex Toy...

Kate Winslet Takes it Off for Vanity Fair

Top 5 Sexiest Celebrity Costumes

Olga Kurylenko: "My Treasure Trove of Topless Photos Don't Count As Porn"

The World's Largest Flower Is A Giant Deformed Penis

Lindsay Price: "I'm Afraid To Pose Naked," Poses Naked Anyway

Brian Fairbanks — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:06:00 GMT

Lipstick Jungle, the redheaded stepchild* of Candace Bushnell (yeah, one of her other books), isn't back on the air until September. But NBC is already pushing hard for the Brooke Shields-led "comedy-drama" to become a breakout hit this fall...

...and they're backing it up with glorious, pointless nude photo shoots for its stars and supporting also-ran's. Chief among these is the Esquire photo shoot Lindsay Price did this month, for which she did an as-told-to story... about doing a nude photo shoot:

The week before the shoot, I worked out harder than I had in my entire life. I was anxious all week. The day of the shoot, I had fantasies of driving to Mexico to avoid doing it. I took the longest shower of my life, exfoliating, moisturizing, paying really close attention to where I shaved. I went to the set in my baggiest jeans and my most comfortable sweatshirt -- a really antisexy outfit.

The photographer and I worked out some poses while I was still wearing my robe. My heart started beating a mile a minute when he told me it was time to get started, because I knew I’d have to take off the robe. I just yanked it off and threw it to the side really quick. I’ve been skydiving, and this was so much scarier than jumping out of that plane.

Luckily for connoisseurs for the female form, Lindsay dropped any pretense of being scared and just bared it all. Covered up, of course-- this is Esquire, after all.

Lindsay wholeheartedly encourages others to strip away their inhibitions for the camera:

Since the shoot, I’ve started taking a good look at myself every time I get out of the shower. And I’m pleased. I definitely take a little longer getting dressed now.

Via Esquire.

Disclaimer*: This is not to disparage redheads. We have a special affinity for redheads. Please see sidebar photos for more.

Score! Photographer Pulls Off Public Nude Shoot Despite Police Invasion...

Brian Fairbanks — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:14:00 GMT

Semi-reclusive photographer and local legend "Harvey" (real name Harvey Drouillard) was all set to shoot 36 naked men and women as part of his 14th annual unsanctioned exhibit at the Ann Arbor Art Fairs when, for the first time ever, police officers swooped in and threatened to arrest anyone who dared to remove their clothes.

But Harvey is never one to let the fuzz get him down... or out... and so he snuck out of the chaos, a couple of participants in tow...

Dreslinski said they would keep police officers dispersed around the fairs in case Harvey tried to take his photos somewhere else, adding that they couldn't stop the photographer in past art fairs because Harvey acted covertly.
This year, Harvey publicized his planned location because he wanted to let "people really experience what really goes on in a shot.
"... My long-term goal is to show people that nudity is not a big deal," Harvey said. "In the U.S., people always try to bottle things and make things taboo."
The impromptu covert operation for nude art in Ann Arbor began an hour and a half after the first attempt broke up.
Harvey and the three models regrouped at Michael Wolfe's booth of metalwork on North University, a more discreet space where they could get naked without getting handcuffed.
"No kids, no cops," said Harvey, looking from side to side.

While we don't know what Harvey's three-model photo looks like (yet), here are two that have been attributed to him which may give you some idea:

Via The Detroit Free Press.

Photo Essay: Revenge of the Cheated

Brian Fairbanks — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:00:00 GMT

And no, that's not Scanner Emily's revenge billboard (she's even more creative than that-- although you gotta love the postscript on that one)...

After today's earlier story on a cheating politician, we wondered if there were any other boneheaded dudes who not only couldn't keep it in their pants but also got owned, publicly. Yep. Quite a few... quite a few...

That car was an ugly old Ford anyway... but this one...

...that's just fucking wrong.

Speaking of wrong, what do we think of publishing full fronto photos of the cheater in question on the internet, emphasizing their almost total lack of naughty bits?

Too late! (Don't worry, we cropped the face out here-- you know, for privacy.)

For more cathartic photos of cheaters feelin' the burn, Jackass style, check out 35 millimeter.

Nude Carla Bruni Photo Sells For 91 Grand; Cambodian Charity Refuses Profits

Bryan Christian — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:24:00 GMT

That nudie auction that we've been so excited about for, like, months finally happened on Thursday, and it, well... it was basically a success. That Brigitte Bardot shot we liked went for about $100,000 more than estimated, and the Michel Comte snap of French First Lady Carla Bruni (remember the dustup a few weeks back?) went for $91,000 --20 TIMES more than expected.

So what's the bad news? Well, a Cambodian children's hospital apparently didn't notice the word "nude" plastered all over every aspect of the auction, so they're refusing their share of the profits.

Dr [Beat] Richner told French publication Le Matin Dimanche that his decision was made out of respect for his patients and their mothers, and said accepting the money would have been perceived as an insult.

He also criticised the photographer for using his hospitals to gain publicity.

The money will now instead be donated to a Swiss research institute developing the recycling of used water into fresh drinking water in poor countries.

The classy thing, of course, would be for Madame First Lady to find a way to match the profits... Anyone else care to hold their breath for that one?

Sacré Blue! Our Favorite Nudie Auction Totally Pissed Off Le French!

Bryan Christian — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:10:00 GMT

Turns out that amazing auction of nudes at Christie's that we won't be attending next month was briefly an international incident. Pour quoi? Because French First Lady (and former Crush of the Week) Carla Bruni's got a nekkid portrait from a few years back in it -- and she found about the whole thing right around the same time she's on a goodwill tour in Christie's home country of England. Weirdly, Bruni didn't find the coincidence nearly as amusing as we did.

She had hoped her trip to Britain would establish her as a respectable consort for the president of France.
So Carla Bruni reacted with fury yesterday when British auctioneers chose the eve of the state visit to announce the sale of a full-frontal nude portrait of her.
The print, taken during her modelling days by photographer Michel Comte in 1993, will go under the hammer at Christie's in New York next month.

Experts say the renewed interest in her is likely to send its price up to £2,000.

OK, we sort of call bullshit because we've known about the auction for, like, weeks; it's just the hubbub that's new. Oh well. The trip's going great, so problem solved, right? The Brits and the French can just get back to being the best of friends and shit. Anyways... click through for the Full Bruni.

If We Had Millions of Dollars, We Would Have the Best Nudie Collection in the World

Bryan Christian — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 18:00:00 GMT

Yeah. We know what you're thinking: "Um,,, um,,, wow... um... holy... (drool)." We had the same thought.

Christie's in New York will soon be host to what we're thinking might be the greatest single collection of naked women since the Wu-Tang Clan toured Iceland. (You ain't heard those stories?) These are the basics:

-- The collection was owned by Gert Elfering and contains works by Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, Diane Arbus, Robert Mapplethorpe, Guy Bourdin, and Horst P. Horst.

-- Featured subjects include Gisele Bundchen, Kate Moss, Brigette Bardot, Lauren Hutton, and -- we're guessing -- a bunch of women in masks ('cause that's Helmut Newton's thing, right?)

-- The sale takes place April 10, at Christie's at Rockefeller Center, NYC and is expected to fetch $3 million or so.

-- When the dust settles, none of us will own any of these photos.

Great, got that out of the way. Let's get to the pics!

Click for hi-res versions, suitable for framing (if that's what you want to call it).

Moss, adopting a classic pose.

Let us all pause to reflect upon the powerhouse that is Lauren Hutton.

We find Bardot to be an enigmatic figure. This picture makes it even more so.

See what we mean about those masks?