HOWARD HUANG S URBAN GIRLS

Sexy in the cityHoward Huang's anime-inspired glamour girlsWhen photographer Howard Huang began shopping his fashion book around NewYork in 2002 he had no idea he was about to become the master of urbanphotography. Back then, Huang, originating from Taiwan, thought "urbangirls" were just women who lived in the city, explaining, "English is mysecond language; I was still learning." Nonetheless, when the editor ofBlack Men magazine asked if he knew how to shoot sexy women he said,"Sure!" and set about staging the magazine's voluptuous singers, models,and actresses in fantasies inspired by his love of comic books and anime.His composite photos feature exotic locales, lush interiors, or theneon-washed nighttime streets of Manhattan. His shapely heroines, includingsinger Jacki-O, actress Vida Guerra, and reality TV stars Hoopz,Deelishis, and Risky Jones, escape on sleek motorcycles; rob banks withguns drawn and Halliburton cases spilling money; brandish swords likeJapanese assassins; conjure fire; hunt big game, and generally kick asswhile displaying their own generous posteriors in photos reminiscent ofvideo games. "The trick is to rework an image to enhance my vision, withoutdrawing attention to cheesy Photoshop special effects," says Huang, whostudied under advertising photography master Michel Tcherevkoff. The resultis a unique marriage of the new pictorialism with classic glamourphotography, and a look at the little known niche market ofAfrican-American and Latina bikini models, collectively known as "urbangirls."