Sinful Sunday Weekly Round-up Week 458

I know it feels like January is dragging on forever but it is nearly done and so the prompt weekend is just over a week away!

This week it is my pleasure to welcome back the lovely Maria Merian to the round-up. You can find her on her own blog Maria Open’s Up and on Twitter @MSM1647

Maria’s Top 5 Pics of the Week

I was introduced to Sinful Sunday about five years ago and started posting my own photos here not too long after. I’m not exaggerating when I say that posting here, being part of this community, changed my life immensely for the better. What Molly has created, and what she and those who participate help sustain, is a place full of positivity, beauty, sexiness, and warmth. And don’t forget talent! I have learned so many amazing photo techniques, been turned on by tons of very hot words and images, and gotten loads of sex and relationship tips I didn’t even know I was searching for, all from this amazing community. I am so grateful for it and was honored to be asked to do the weekly round-up for Sinful Sunday 458.

Kilted Wookie

Picking five out of 46 was not easy! There were so many photos that resonated with me. But I have to say, when I saw this from Kilted Wookie, I knew it had to be on my list. The light is so gentle over the different planes and textures of his body.The color is so soft and subtle. It is just such a welcoming and inviting image. Looking at this, I feel peace and rest and like snuggling up with a cozy blanket and a warm man (er…cup of tea, I mean).

Rebel’s Notes

This photo from Marie just struck a chord with me instantly. In her post, she talks about knowing her own worth, knowing her own sexiness, in spite of sadness or hard times. There is something so powerful about that sentiment, often when I’m feeling sad or stressed, my confidence in myself is the first to go and seeing this photo and reading her words was inspiring. I love how flirtatious it is, while still being strong. I love the way her body is utterly the focus, the composition is incredible and the sense of motion captured is just amazing.

My Controlled Ascent

Kisungura is an artist. I am constantly blown away by her technique and creativity and this week’s photo is no exception. There is something otherworldly about this, like it is taken from a high fantasy novel about a beautiful witch with a magic crystal ball. The play of textures against each other, the fur, the glass, the warmth of her skin, is a delight for the senses. (Of course, as with many of her photos, I’m also trying to work out exactly how she achieved it).

Focused and Filthy

I love old Hollywood movies and this photo from Missy immediately brought to mind the beautiful black and white publicity photos of film noir movie stars of the 1920s and 30s. The lighting is both dramatic and soft and her skin looks like the smoothest marble. It really is a stunning image and the more I look at it, the more I fall in love with it. This is an art piece and would not be out of place framed and anchoring a museum collection.

Happy Come Lucky

If you follow me on Twitter, you may know that this image and the story of its creation moved me in a really powerful way. Honey is so incredibly beautiful and there are so many gorgeous photos of her attesting to that fact on her blog. I know Missy is a great photographer (see above and many other photos she has shared) and I know Haiku has been studying painting and is wondrous at it (I’ve been following some of what she’s shared on Twitter), but the combination of what these phenomenal women achieved together was just so pure and so lovely, I can’t even really describe it in words. Please read Honey’s post, the way she talks about how the making of this painting opened her up, the way she describes the community of women who created it is just heart-opening. In her post she says, “There was so much connection and understanding about what this was. A truth, an honesty, a vulnerability and a pact of support which made it safe to move into a new space of being.” Honestly, that statement really broke me apart. What an incredibly beautiful experience this must have been, for those phenomenal women and for us, seeing the fruits of that collaboration, that labor of love.

In addition to the huge amount of feelings this image and Honey’s words stirred in me, it’s a really, really lovely painting of a stunning woman, lit by the most gorgeous light. There is something truly, truly magical about it.