Photographer captures ‘normal’ Brits who use social media for swinging, bondage, dogging and cross-dressing
His subjects include nurses, teachers, lawyers and firemen who he says form Britain's 'sexual vanguard'
A PHOTOGRAPHER has dedicated two years of his life to taking portraits of people with sex fetishes - to offer a rare glimpse into the lives of the couples and individuals.
Joshua T Gibbons has shared the pictures, which are all of people aged 18-35, on his website the Sex Site - and some of his subjects are lawyers, nurses, firemen, bartenders, artists and teachers.
The people involved in the project - who are from London, Brighton, Poole and Bournemouth - use social media sites to meet others who want to engage in swinging, bondage, dogging and cross-dressing.
But Joshua has deliberately left out key details - to allow viewers to guess what their sexual preferences are.
Joshua told the Sun Online: "As a documentary photographer, I am always looking for communities that I feel are under or misrepresented in mainstream culture and media.
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"Having come across sexually orientated social media platforms and subsequently researching them for some time, I quickly learnt that the people making use of these platforms were not happy about the negative stereotypes that are associated with their community.
"I set out to make a project that could challenge some of these stereotypes and create a dialogue about the condition of sexual culture in Britain and how the Internet is shaping it."
The rise of social media means it's easier than ever for people with sexual fetishes to find others with similar interests.
He added: "With social media and the Internet permeating almost every facet of our daily lives, it was really only a matter of time before it would begin play a part in the sexual culture of Britain."
Joshua spent between six and nine months simply tracking down people who were happy to be involved in his project.
He said at the times it felt like "searching for a needle in a haystack", due to the secretive nature of the world of sexual fetishes.
"Sexuality is a well-protected element of all of our private lives so I understood that it was never going to be easy to make this series," Joshua added.
"They are just average, everyday people with bills to pay and mouths to feed.
"They are doctors, lawyers, teachers, fireman, bar tenders, artists and bus drivers... (who) were keen to support a project that would help to break down some of the negative stereotypes associated with their sexual lifestyle.
"Allowing a photographer into your home in the context of doing a project about sexuality is a hugely personal thing, therefore I would regard all of the participants to be extremely brave and progressively minded.
";They are a group that is at the forefront of a positive cultural shift in the sexuality of Britain."