The Saucy Tarts developed from Toronto's Queen Street area in 2003, relaying the cancan with charm and cheekiness across many local contexts. From cabarets, art hubs and private parties, they’ve collaborated with artists, burlesque dancers and sideshow performers, and the troupe will appear in Art Litwell’s short film Vive Le Cancan.

George Pitts was the director of photography of Vibe magazine and went on to be the director of photography of Life magazine from 2004 to 2007. With his chain wallet and many rings, he is full of rigorous energy, and he teaches courses about the photographic representation of sexuality at Parsons The New School for Design in New York City.

With five collections already to his credit, self-taught photographer Dave Naz has gained a reputation for his erotic work. From his first book, Lust Circus, to L.A. Bondage, he's also gone on to shoot adult films like L.A. Lust, with very unique soundtracks.

Victoria-based journalist and activist Jody Paterson [above], along with educator and retired sex worker Lauren Casey, sought to change the nature of the sex trade in Canada with the first healthy, safe, co-op brothel. The documentary The Brothel Project follows these dynamic women as they teamed with Harvi and Mia from indie escort agency VIP.

Photographer Evan Baden explores the world of technology and its implications on youth. With his series "Technically Intimate" he recreates images of young women who have posted suggestive images online. What does he think of the rise of such behaviour? Here we share some of the images from the series that were recently featured at the Contact Festival.

New York filmmaker and photographer Richard Kern has been pushing boundaries for many years now, being a major player in the creation of the underground aesthetic known as Cinema of Transgression. The edgy artist continues to push boundaries with his risqué photography books like Soft and Looker.

Richard Kern is an erotic filmmaker and photographer in New York. The evolution of his photography has surfaced over nine monographs, including the rousing New York Girls to the recent Looker. It was great to meet him when he was in Toronto recently, making a rare appearance with a retrospective exhibition of his work from the early years of his emboldened career.

Maybe you can track the modern cougar back to Mrs. Robinson in the Hollywood classic The Graduate. Either way, we're glad the cougar has become a mainstay on the big screen, and in tribute to author Myna Wallin's latest book, Confessions of a Reluctant Cougar, we wrote up a list of our favourites to make this picture gallery that packs a growl!

George Pitts first developed as a photographer while at Vibe and Life magazines, but in recent years he has focused on erotic portraiture and especially on a new book for Taschen about mature women. "I am indebted to the various women who have come forward to be photographed.

Sylvie Blum doesn't call herself an erotic photographer, instead she insists that "the naked body is a natural thing," but there's some undeniable sexual energy to her beautiful images, whether intentional or not.