Suspensions

Over the past couple of years, I have been doing suspensions in my studio in collaboration with Ian. He is very experienced with rope bondage and suspension. In the BDSM world, "full suspension" refers to suspending a person's entire body off the floor with the aid of ropes, chains, or cables. A typical full suspension is an advanced and somewhat risky form of rope bondage. It involves the use of elaborate knots, and many practitioners use modular rope segments that can be quickly released in case the subject experiences a loss of circulation, unwanted pain, or loses consciousness, etc. This is one of the reasons that Ian does the suspensions. Besides that I'm not really experienced enough to do suspensions, it wouldn't be wise for me to be oblivious to someone's safety while I'm photographing them. Most of the rope work that is photographed on the floor, however, are things that I have done myself.

One of the reasons that I began an interest in doing a series on suspensions is that, both in books and surfing the net, it is very hard to find many well-made photographs of suspensions. It's not difficult to find well-done rope work, but the combination of great rope work and images seems to be greatly lacking. So it seemed to be something really worth taking on. After this portfolio builds and expands (I'd like to move the setting outside in trees, for example), I'd like to perhaps get a book published on it.

Iris & Devorah

Two new girls...

Key

While I usually post new work, these go back quite a bit- five years. I had forgotten about them. They're not as overtly erotic as my newer work- I think that they have a nice, slow burn...

Japanese Hand-made Doll

So pretty...

Devorah

I'm very happy about this first shoot with Devorah. I've been trying the point of view like the first image for a while now, and I think that this might be the most successful so far. More images of Devorah to come, especially of a shoot with her friend Iris...

Lucy

Time for some pretty pictures.

Sonia

These are very recent images from a shoot with Sonia, a very versatilely talented musician. A classically trained cellist, she often records music inspired by dreamy soundtracks. Her most recent effort, though, is a hip hop album that she is just finishing up. For these shots, I was trying out my third bathroom studio- and I thought that I'd try something different, considering this bathroom has a tub. I always wanted to do some Ophelia inspired imagery- long one of my favorite visual allegories. I assumed that it would probably wind up looking cheesy, but I'm actually very happy with these- which definitely has a lot to do with Sonia being quite the muse.

Lucy & Nathalia

It always seems to be easy to get two girls to do a shoot together- I can't recall ever getting a decline after suggesting it. It's actually much harder to get a guy to do a shoot with the girlfriend or wife. The woman is typically game- it tends to be the guy who is apprehensive. Guys tend to not like having their performance documented. I actually had a few shoots not materialize because the guy got cold feet. It was something that was a bit frustrating at first- getting guy/girl shoots was something that I really wanted to add to my portfolio for a couple of reasons. One reason was aesthetic- I wanted some balance, since I thought that a lot of girl/girl looked unbalanced. The most important reason was that I knew that once either a woman and/or couple viewed my portfolio, and saw some images like that, then they would be inspired to try it as well. Which is exactly what happened. People don't always know what they want until they see it. Not everyone has the imagination to envision possibilities, nor do they necessarily want to be the first to try something new. But when they see a good example of how it will turn out- it definitely breaks the ice. That's how I wound up doing so much erotic photography in general. It's a domino effect. When people see my work, they often get a very visceral reaction- "Oh, I want to be involved in that!".

Kel

The following quote is from a NY Times article that I read recently:
"No organ is more promiscuous than the eye, and no appetite more insatiable than the hunger to look. These truths go a long way toward explaining the preoccupations of a culture whose interest in imagery is defining."
I could easily have a lot to say about what I feel regarding this quote. It is probably best to just leave it here on it's own, though, since the reason I like it so much is that it sums up many vague thoughts that I have- and so well in just a couple of sentences...

The following images are of Kel, from a recent shoot.

Lucy & Nathalia

Here is a Helmut Newton influenced image from a recent shoot with Lucy and Nathalia.

Natalie

I like how these two images are so similar, yet so different at the same time. In the first, I focused on the face, which is friendly and inviting. On the second I'm focusing on the rope and breasts, and there is wonderful tension happening. While I definitely like the second image better,  I none the less find the comparison really interesting.

Meira

Some more Mer, some more windows. I love the diversity of characters that occasionally appear in the window. The fact that there can be two separate scenes happening simultaneously- the characters down on the street, and the model inside- and that they often have nothing to do with each other, really amuses me.

Sarah

It's been a while since I've last shot with Sarah- we need to shoot again soon...

Diane F

I've probably done too many images like this- eyes closed, close up on the face. They're like mandalas to me- I just keep doing them every shoot, until I get it right. In that case, maybe I haven't done enough of them, and perhaps I'll never get it right... This one is a personal favorite, though.

Autumn

Autumn has my favorite kind of eyes to photograph. In a portrait they are soulful and expressive. In erotic images they are bedroom eyes- sleepy, yet they draw you in. From the very beginning eyes have been the main focal point in my photographs of people, and that has never changed. I can always help someone's eyes connect to the camera better with a few tricks, but there is only so much that I can do. In the end, either someone's eyes connect to the camera or they don't. That is why it is only every so often that I create a portrait where the eyes simply get a intense visceral reaction from most viewers. It's a constant frustration, but when I get it, it's such a joy. I don't care for cliches (does anybody?), but "the eyes are a window into the soul" none the less applies to many of my images. The eyes are the best non-verbal indicator of our emotional and intellectual state of mind. I don't even know if I believe in humans having actual souls (I've met a few that definitely do not), but that doesn't matter. Photographs are an illusion, and if the illusion of seeing into the soul is there, then that illusion is what matters to me.

Izzy

Slightly older favorites of Izzy that I've never posted...

Adrian Louise

Adrian Louise is someone that I just recently started working with. I have not really taken on anybody new in the past year, and I tend to be apprehensive about doing so. This is because I'm very happy working with the few muses that I now work with, and who never let me down. Well, Adrian Louise is awesome! I've worked with her twice now, and plan to keep working with her!

Christine

I love when someone welts up from scratches so easily...

Maggie

My version of The Scream.

Jade Vixen

I've really been interested in reflections lately, this one being nicely abstracted. I'm sure that most people are not even looking at that, yet alone interested...

Tanya Dakin

This is an old one, from back when it was so easy to shoot at Eastern State Penitentiary. You could just wander around and do nudes anywhere you wanted, and no one bothered you. Now it's impossible to do nudes there, and they confine you to one place. Thinking about it is like a golden period that you wish you could revisit...

Meira

Mer moved to Chicago earlier this month, so I will only be able to shoot with her during her occasional visits back to Philly. Sadness.

Tali DeMar

A couple of new ones of Tali DeMar...

Dessa

I'm not even sure myself how I managed to get the angles and spatiality. It probably has more to do with Katelyn- a great model makes my job easy.  It makes me smile when I look at it.

Lucy

I bought this penis candle online from the Lucky Mojo Curio Co. about a year ago, but I had been waiting for the right person to use it with. Lucy is terrified of fire, so she is probably the perfect person!

Heff

I hate good taste. It's the worst thing that could happen to a creative person.

~Helmut Newton