While most erotic photography sites put the emphasis on the photographers, MPL strives above all else to forge a connection between its models and its members. This means that the photographic styles are quite varied, ranging from artsy black and white to more standard color studio sets, from public urban flashing to idyllic outdoor nudity. Instead of feeling a connection to the photographer, you feel like you're getting to know the models themselves. MPL gives its members more than just images of its models; it provides the model, the fantasy, and the girl behind the fantasy.

MPL may emphasize its models over its photographers, but this does not mean that its photographers are not worth emphasizing. In fact, much of the photography is outstanding; and nearly all is excellent. MPL also puts a unique emphasis on its geographic locations, namely St. Petersburg, Budapest, and Prague. In some sets it seems as if the photographs are focused as much on the city as on the model. The pride with which the site presents the physical settings of its many outdoor urban shoots is unparalleled in the erotic photography world. In my opinion this heightens the reality of the photographs making them even more erotic.

The world of erotic photography paysites is so crowded that it is often hard to tell one site from another. MPL, however, rises above its competition, offering a brilliant combination of erotic, nude, and fine art photography. All its content is imbued with MPL's unparallelled recipe of eroticism, reality, fun and beauty. I have seen a lot of erotic photography sites both inside and out, and I can honestly say that only MPL has kept me coming back for more.

Quality over quantity: it may be a trite phrase, but it represents an important value that has been overlooked far too often as competition grows between the countless nude photography sites on the internet today. Sites brag of hundreds of thousands of images, but inside the member's area, one discovers that a vast number of them consists mainly of filler: nearly identical images, poor quality images, boring images- I have seen all of this in the collections of some of today's most popular sites. I am happy to say that someone seems to have remembered the old phrase, and undertaken to provide a new kind of photographic experience, one sorely missing from what has been available on the internet... until now.

I'm speaking of gODDESS, the site which is leading a new wave of smaller-scale nude photography collections which de-emphasize quantity and focus instead on the quality of the individual photograph and the coherency of the individual gallery. The man behind gODDESS, Mr. Field, comes to this project from a career as a model and photographer in the fashion world, where great care is taken in selecting and preparing an image for publication. This attention to detail is evident at gODDESS as well, and the photography is simply stunning. The models on the site are almost exclusively from the fashion world; many have been featured in campaigns by companies such as Calvin Klein. At gODDESS, the photographs have the quality of the CK ads, but none of the limitations: not only is nudity fair game, the photographer is free to explore all of his creative potential. The result? Fascinating photography with an ideal balance of artistic vision, erotic potency, and skillful execution.

Of course, the shortcoming of a site like gODDESS is size; unlike most other sites out there today, there is a possibility that a member may actually be able to view every image in the site's collection within a lifetime. Some would say that a paying member deserves a nearly infinite quantity of images. I think while immense quantity is to be expected from a porn site, but it is the wrong thing to look for in an art gallery. The quality of the work and the care put into its presentation should be much more important. There is a world of difference between a site like gODDESS and any mainstream porn paysite. Many photographs at gODDESS are so beautiful as to merit a second viewing. Most photographs at a porn site don't even deserve to be viewed once.

One practical note: membership to gODDESS is remarkably cheap by industry standards (only $19 a month instead of the standard $29.95). gODDESS is sure to set a new trend in the world of online nude photography, and I look forward to the time when gODDESS and sites like it enjoy fame and commercial success comparable to the mega-sites epitomized by Met-Art and it's ilk. It's the least this site deserves.

Hegre-Art is in many ways the opposite of MPL. It is focused on the photographer rather than the models, and Petter Hegre has a definite style which makes all his photographs recognizable. My favorite aspect of the site is how personal it is. Petter lets us get to know him as a photographer and as a person as well, through his inclusion of very well written behind the scenes reports. The countless nude photosets of his wife Luba are almost disturbingly intimate. They provide a small window into the personal lives of the photographer and model, in this case also husband and wife, which is very rare in the erotic photography world. As a photographer, I am consistently impressed with Hegre's skill in the use of color. He knows and takes advantage of the full potential of color photography, by making color itself one of the subjects of his photography. It is obvious that he thinks carefully about color during his shoots, and the results are quite impressive. Larger sites with more photographers, such as Met-Art, can easily beat out Hegre-Art in terms of variety and quantity, but as a personal portfolio of nude photography, Petter Hegre's site is difficult to beat.

Gallery Carre is perhaps the most specialized erotic photography site. It is the work of the photographer Didier Carre, whose photographs are mostly black and white studio shots with interesting light and composition. At first glance it might seem that this is just nude photography, but looking a little closer you notice that Carre is not shy to show every part of the female body. The fine art approach is not lost when the camera is focused on the girl's crotch, resulting in some of the most intimate and artistic images to be found anywhere. The only downside to such a specific style is that it has the potential for losing its power over time. However, if you love his style, the consistency is a good thing.

Met-Art is quite literally the mother of all erotic photography paysites. It was the first, it is still the biggest, and it has been copied countless times. Few other sites can boast 3 or more updates per day and several hundred thousand photographs. When it comes to style, Met-Art is all about glamour. The vast majority of the models on Met-Art are big-breasted glamour models. These girls are (with rare exceptions) not 'cute' or 'innocent-looking' or 'natural' or 'amateur'. They are sexy, glamourous, professional models. If this is what you're into, Met-Art is perfect- if, like me, you generally prefer the more natural, innocent aesthetic, Met-Art is not for you. However, Met-Art is just so incredibly enourmous, you can most likely find what you want in their collection. What I feel is missing from Met-Art is that elusive personal touch that I keep talking about. This may not be a bad thing, depending on your point of view, but I feel that as a result of its size, it feels somewhat mechanical and anonymous. You don't feel like you know the models (as you might in MPL Studios), and you don't feel like you know the photographer (as you do in Hegre Archives). However, on several occasions I have found sets on Met-Art that are just so good that I couldn't help but overlook that minor complaint. It's definitely a site to check out.