Dear visitor,

Due to DA's censorship and policies regarding erotic content (detailed explanation here), this profile is no longer active. If you want to see my work, please head over to:

www.chaospiral-studios.net

Thanks!

Well, it's happened again.

Some weeks ago, MySpace randomly deleted some of my photos on account of them being "inappropiate" for minors (which is funny for a site whose audience is mainly teenage girls showing their asses off). Some days later, Flickr forced me to "flag" most of my shots as "restricted", which meant that only registered users could see them, thus rendering my gallery useless for showing my work. And now, as if introducing automatic "mature" tags for everything fetish and nude wasn't enough, DA has deleted my latest shot (check it out here if you want) for being "pornographic".

And what is "pornography" for the wise minds behind DA, you ask? Well, things like masturbation, intercourse, erections or sex toys. Yup, you read that right. Any photo or piece of writing that depicts any of those elements is AUTOMATICALLY considered pornographic, no matter the intention of its creator, its artistic merit or its aesthetic value. Post a photo of a dildo, it's pornography. Period. Post a beautiful shot of a couple making love, and they will consider it to be at the same level as the grossest shots you can find at any "adult" paysite.

I'm fed up with all this. I'm fed up with everything sexual being considered "offensive". I'm fed up with the ultraconservative morality that permeates everything nowadays (is it 2008? Really?). I'm fed up with sites like Flickr or DA (the "D" stands for "DEVIANT", remember???) dropping their pants down at the slightest complaint, pissing on artists and their work just because some wimp felt offended by, oh my god, SEX.

But most of all, what I'm really fed up with is with having to have my work judged according to the lowest common denominator.

I had been thinking about this for some time, but now my mind's totally made up: I'm closing all my sites except, of course, Chaospiral Studios and, for the moment, Coroflot. I already deleted everything from MySpace, and Flickr and DA will go in a week. I will not tolerate this anymore. I don't need comments or faves. I have my own site, where I'm not subjected to the whims of assholes, and that's all I need to showcase my photos. Every new shot I release is posted to my blog at Chaospiral Studios, so with a simple feed agregator (rss reader) you can stay up to date with my latest news.

Of course, this means I will be deleting all my prints too. These hypocrites have no problem with taking 50% of everything I make selling through their site while at the same time censoring me. Well, I'm having no more of that either. Screw you, I'm taking my money elsewhere.

It's been a pleasure, my friends. But it's time to move on and leave this playground. See you around.

My first printed compilation, "Black Magick, the photography of Fernando Manchado", is available now on Blurb.com! [link] 40 pages, hardcover + flaps, 20x25 cm. (8x10 in.), beautifully printed thick semi-matte paper.

Compiling more than 40 of my very best shots for a ridiculous € 29,90, this is a must for all of you who wanted to have something you could hold in your hands but didn't want to purchase individual prints. Here's something that you can show off proudly on your coffe table!

Want to show your support and heartfelt commitment to your favourite starving artist? Then order your copy now! [link]

Warning: there is nothing from the "Rebis" deck in this compilation, as I will be publishing it soon as an independent volume. If you're interested, watch out for future announcements!

I don't write here very often, but this time the occasion deserves it... *Keiyoru has created a series of b&w fetish photographs inspired by my own fetish series, and they are dammed good! I feel very honoured by her tribute and the least I can do is make you all check her out!

I know I say this a lot, but the best thing of creating art is the moment when your creation inspires someone to produce another work of art in turn. Thanks a lot, *Keiyoru, you have added meaning and purpose to my work...

"you're silent, concentrated on the music.
you smoke,
listening to the tape
in the dark.

we'll talk about this two years from now
over coffee
over tea
over a friend's funeral."

These lines are from Racoon171's 'Untitled'. Check her out for a rainy Sunday evening's read... Hope you are as pleasantly surprised by her poetry as I was...