Ana Dias passion for photography started at a very early age. She even recalls the first photo she ever took, as an important and decisive moment in her life. She had a small analogic camera and she used her mom as a model. This was in 1989 and she was five years old. She found happiness in picturing her mother in perfect frame. This was only the beginning of a starlight career.
Ever since there was art, there was sexy art. Whether it was about the naked human body or sexual acts, art makers found great inspiration in these topics, which even today continue to provoke, excite, allure and intrigue. Sexy art could also be called erotic art, often coming incredibly close to becoming pornography, yet managing to maintain that one notion which separates it from this industry – it leaves plenty of room for imagination.
The photographer has been influenced by some of the most important photographers such as Helmut Newton, Ellen Von Unwerth and Tony Kelly. Being their vision on eroticism and sensuality what she is most interested in. The model always has the main role in the photo and their pictures are filled with glamour and subtle sexiness. The beauty of eroticism is also one of the predominant themes of her work, she feels deeply connected to these artists, admiring them deeply. The women she usually photographs are hand picked and carefully chosen. Ana Dias always looks for powerful women, with tons of attitude in front of the cameras, liking themselves, confident and that know exactly what they want. Physically, she looks for perfection through slim and sculpted bodies. Another theme Ana likes is taking photos when she travels, one of her passions. Monthly, the photographer travels to a different country.
She likes meeting new people and cultures, which is one of the good things of being a photographer. Her latest work has been the creation of a webshow for American Playboy called “PLAYBOY ABROAD: Adventures with Photographer Ana Dias” which is basically a diary of her life as a Playboy photographer. In each episode she used a different model, shot in a different city around the world. Ana talks about this experience as one of the best things that ever happened to her throughout her career. Portuguese photographer Ana Dias travels the world for Playboy creating colorful scenes, filling them with playful and lively characters, and bringing us back to the light eroticism of the ‘50s pin-up girls. This week, Ana took us to a beach in Sesimbra, Portugal where she introduced us to the stunning Polish model Caprice Castillo. The 23-year-old cellist says she loves working with Ana because the artist is “full of energy and smiles.” In February Ana was in Mexico to shoot mexican model Jackie Almeida for Playboy magazine. The model was truly amazed by the experience. happened very spontaneously as a facebook friend made them contact that there is this photographer that was looking for models in Mexico. 
The model lookes at Ana’s work, and she did not hesitate, because she loved the style of her pictures: everything with a very special, vintage touch that only a woman could capture. Throughout the trip Filipe Figueiredo has been filming their best moments. Pictures were taken in Tulum and the whole session lasted only for two hours. Ana manages to realise what she wants in a very transparent way, so for the models it is always very easy to find the poses, making them feel super comfortable. When talking about her set up for the shots, Ana usually works with a Canon 5D camera, although to her, this not very relevant for the end result, as the body of the camera is not so important for her. On the other hand she is a lot more picky when it comes to choosing the lenses. She particularly likes to work with lenses that are very luminous, as she loves natural light and tries to use it whenever she can. She only needs a sunny day, a beautiful model and a little bit of baby oil, to get the impressive result she is looking for. She has the image clear in her mind before she makes the shooting, and the results are always the best.
Each of the artist´s photos tells a story or makes you feel something special… something exiting or something fun! It is very important to her that the image is powerful and has a deep meaning. This is the main reason why Ana Dias only works with professional models, that know exactly what she´s looking for, and that can tell a story with their expressions. Enjoying particularly erotic photography, she always gets inspired by beauty, specially feminine beauty. For the author the feminine body is an amazing inspiration but, she looks deeper into the women, the attitude, the smile, the delicate and sensual pose are all things that excite her and are usually the starting points for her work.
Also, besides photography, she finds inspiration in other art forms. For example, the illustrations of the pin-up girls of the post-war period, namely the ones by Gil Elvgren have been part of her inspiration list through out the years. The relation of Ana with the viewer is very clear. With her work, Ana wants to make people feel good and smile. It is a very positive work and people can feel the good vibes when looking into it. Art is a constant source of original and creative expression, photography is no exception. This is something Dias has always in her mind, as she believes there is always room for surprising and creating new images that will please the viewer’s eye.
