Thora & Meira

This shoot is my first one in a dominatrix's dungeon- Mistress Thora Nang's. While dungeons have long interested me, and I've had access to some in the past, I've avoided shooting in them. They usually seem too contemporary or cheesy to me. Not to mention that I would not have the same control or comfort that I have in my own studio. The benefit, though, is that everything is right there- it's like being a kid in a candy store. Which is an understatement in Mistress Thora's dungeon! She has an incredible selection of equipment, apparatus and furnishings. It actually causes sensory overload- I have no idea what to try out next. I'll definitely be back there to shoot again...

Lee

This tie was fairly traditional Kinkabu, although the use of cheap twine definitely was not. Kinkabu usually employs quality jute rope (or hemp rope). I tend to be more concerned with my own aesthetics rather than being proper. I think that the twine gives a wonderfully rough look- practically falling apart as I apply it. It's difficult to work with, and it's not comfortable- but I none the less want to try some more of this. It really digs into the skin and leaves nice marks, too...

Jade Vixen

I've always, as far back as I can remember, taken pictures of marks left by clothing. These marks fascinate me because they seem to be like ghosts that soon fade away. The pictures of them were always simply documents, though, as opposed to having the same importance of whatever else I was shooting. Consequently, I was really dropping the ball on subject matter that could of had the potential strength of anything else I photograph. Lately I've been spending much more time shooting these intriguing textures, not to mention tying corsets and ropes ever more tighter to achieve better marks...

Meira

These images are documenting a practical matter- washing the icing off from the icing shoot, which I've previously posted. A very nonchalant fifteen minute shoot that was more goofing around and chatting (along with Izzy), rather than shooting. I often get better shots with Meira just being casual, as opposed to thinking about it too much.

Little One

These two images of Little One represent an example of something that I've been working on during the past couple of years. I've been going back to older images and completely starting over from scratch, and finding new ways to finish them. That is the beauty (and possibly the frustration) of the potential of negatives- whether film or digital. The possibilities of what a technically good negative can be turned into are endless. In the past, my modus operandi was to retain good solid blacks, make sure that the lightest areas were not blown out- and then let everything else fall in between. This was a logical way to work in the darkroom with film, with some burning & dodging here and there to help. Using layers in Photoshop, though, allows me to exploit areas of detail that would have been impossible or at least extremely difficult in the darkroom. Rather than exploiting the possibilities of distorting or retouching images, I'm finding that instead, I can create levels of detail that inherently exist, but were way beyond my reach in the darkroom. That is to say that I'm not making detail up, but merely excavating it very carefully, much the way an archaeologist carefully excavates a dig with fine brushes and other tools. After all, that's exactly what Photoshop is anyway- a very powerful tool. Of course, all tools can be used either heavy-handedly or with fine precision. I've discovered that using fine precision is allowing me to make images that are hyper-real, instead of becoming hyper fake.

Speaking of detail, the images that I post here are actually scaled-down versions in order to be viewed easily on the blog- if the image is clicked on, a larger and more detailed version can be seen...

Laura

The following quote is from a NY Times article that I read today:
"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 Laura, from a shoot about eight months ago.

Samantha

This is from six months ago. I hate shooting in the summer. My studio is like a combination brick oven/greenhouse with the mixture of bricks that gets constant sun during the day and large windows in between. Although I amp up the air conditioning before shooting, it is quickly negated by the hot lights. Fans, which create wonderful goosebumps in winter, are simply just a little relief in summer. Another reason that I used to disliked shooting in summer was tan lines- I used to hate them, but recently I've come to embrace them. I still do not care for tans in general, but very pale skin contrasted with a dark tan line creates a feeling of something that you shouldn't see- a visual treat. Next summer I need to find a couple of models with some serious tan lines. I guess that this posting is a call out...

Lee

2nd shoot with Lee, and I've finally figured out that this is the combination of texture & lighting that I've been searching for and wish to pursue. Hopefully most models will not mind the scratching and resulting welts, not to mention bruises that are necessary for it. Most already show up with interesting bruises and bite marks already. I've always employed fans (in winter, preferably) to achieve a tightness of skin and goosebumps- most do not particularly care for that, but suffer through it- for the art. Of all the ways that I can think of to torture people, apparently fans in my cold warehouse studio are the most evil. In fact, just last week was the first person who said that they actually enjoy being cold and getting goosebumps. Ironically, I think that the scratching and bruising are going to go over much better than the fans in winter...

Syn

These are a few images from my first shoot with Syn, which I believe is just a warm up shoot. I say that because, well, here is an inventory list she sent me regarding what she will bring to the next shoot:
In addition to 2 pantyhose cocoons in black, and a huge amount of pantyhose in various colors and thigh highs and fishnets in various colors I have: 1 box large Nitrile gloves, black, 1 box medium Nitrile gloves, black, purple rabbit fur flogger, fuzzy handcuffs, black, Purple bondage tape, Black bondage tape, Black Vet wrap, Wrist cuffs- fake leather, 2 pair, Wrist cuffs- real leather, Cupping set with 12 cups, Hitachi wand, Hitachi Trinity head w/ clitoral, vaginal, anal probes, Hitachi head - knobbed (beads), Prostate/Gspot Stimulator, Jennings Dental Gag, Collins Speculum, Regular Speculum, Mens pleasure wand xl, 2 Jelly Anal Beads, Ball Gag, Blind Fold, Wartenburg wheel, Snake bite Kit, Anal Plug vibrator, Small anal plug, medium anal plug, Pyrex Dildo, Pyrex beaded (knobbed) dildo, White paraffin candles (wax play), Strap on Harness, Rubber Cock rings, Jelly dong, Jelly double ended dildo, Vaginal/Anal dual vibrator (u shaped), G spot butterfly vibe, Waterproof rabbit, Large Rabbit with rotating beads, Glo in the dark dildo with removable ribs, another rabbit, Head Honcho sleave, Blue vibrating bullet, 5 Function neon green bullet, Orange glo in the dark bullet, Clothespins galore!, Liquid latex in various colors, Massage oil candles, Massage oil, Hot rocks, Massage heart. I should be getting more wax play candles... I am waiting for them to ship. I also have the reject bin and the hilarious bin. Rejects: ribbed vibe (supposed to be bendable, but isn't), flesh colored vibe, small black vibe, water proof bullet. Hilarious because they are huge! HUGE black dong, huge Colt Driller dildo with spikes!

Lee

These images are from my first shoot with Lee- I'm actually waiting for her to arrive for a second shoot as I type this. Well, there's the doorbell... hence my shortest entry yet. Pictures are worth a thousand words, anyway.

Meira & Icing

These are a few out takes from the end of a shoot involving some fantastical makeup to portray an Ice Queen. The finishing touch was a collar made of vanilla icing. So Meira ate all of the icing at the end of the shoot, and here are the results. I really love these fun shoots- I think that I should do this type of thing more often.

PXE

Apparently people are actually reading my posts. I really thought that I would just be writing here to get it all out for myself- placing my thoughts and intuitions into concrete words. It's interesting to look at the stats and notice that I'm found via "thumb sucking fetish" & "eroticism in a window" being Googled. Although I assumed (and sometimes knew) that my images were being lifted (sometimes deviously), it's also interesting to be able to see where they are going by looking at the stats. Some examples of this are people who write blogs based on erotic photography that they find & lift- almost always with credit and links back to me. So consequently I can read what somebody who has a inherent interest in work like mine and others like me has to say. I'm liking this blog thing, while still trying to resist spending too much time on it.

Window Series

I've already represented quite a few images from the window series, but here are a few out takes that I have not yet posted. The first image is definitely a rare example of humor in my work. I wish I could pull  humor off more often, but I only like it when it's genuine- and preferably, at least slightly twisted. Those guys were standing there respectfully and gratefully for about twenty minutes, without any hooting or hollering. Only in Chinatown. I love the diversity of audiences that I get looking up at the window. Most  people are completely oblivious to the show that's a stone's throw away, and just walk on by. Of those that do notice, some do a hilarious double take, some try and strike up a conversation, and others just quietly enjoy their luck. They are indeed lucky for the most part, I believe. I would much rather be them than me at that moment- how often do you get see something like that walking down the street? My favorite was the old Chinese lady that stood there shaking her head in mock condemnation- how offended could she be if she  decided to stick around forever, rather than leave?

The second image garnered the opposite reaction compared to the first one. They were trying to be too cool for school, only occasionally looking up, despite being there for about fifteen minutes. I found that really interesting, even though it's not as amusing as the guys looking up.

Also of interesting note is that most of my models tend to be a little disappointed about the lack of attention that they get in the window, despite their best efforts. Most of my models are serious exhibitionists. I always let the one or two that don't want the attention know that they will mostly be ignored, and even they seem surprised that, indeed, they were ignored. The exhibitionists are so happy, though, when they get that just right audience...

Lola

There are many reasons that I get hired for erotic shoots, which is why it has become a very nice addition to my business. Often a woman does a shoot as a gift for her boyfriend or husband, or vice versa. Occasions for this can be a wedding, anniversary, birthday or Valentine's day. Just as often, women hire me just as a gift to themselves- they might not even have a boyfriend or husband. Reasons for this include to boost self-esteem, images for posterity (since they won't always look this good), or just to have a new & different experience. An erotic shoot is like a day at the spa- relaxing & fun.

Not everyone is aware that dominatrixes, escorts and strippers also hire me for erotic promotional images- either for their websites or advertising. Escorts and strippers who hire me typically just need very formulaic, straightforward (although glamorous) images with lingerie and then nudes. Sometimes, though, they ask if we can do something more interesting since they have seen some of my more erotic work. Or they come back another time to do a more erotic shoot. Lola is one of those who wanted to do something more interesting as well...

Meira

Mer is one of my closest friends, and she is probably my favorite person to shoot with. We've done every type of shoot together- pinup, fashion, portrait, abstract bodyscapes, as well as many erotic shoots. Shoots with her are always very laid back and usually without any agenda- pick up the camera and shoot. This shoot seems to be part of an emerging series featuring toys...

Jezz

This image of Jezz comes from an early suspension shoot. I was not particularly happy with the results of the shoot in general because of the black background that I used. You couldn't necessarily tell that the person was actually suspended, since they disappeared into the black. I've since employed a white background that is separately lit with fresnel spots, which gives a greater sense of depth and spatiality. I did, however, really like this close up of her face with a hand made rope gag. It's always nice if you can get a little gem out of what is otherwise a failure- albeit a trial & error failure that I learned from.

Sarah

Sarah is someone that I just met a few weeks ago, and we have already done a couple of shoots together. These images are from our first shoot. The initial plan was to simply do one of my turn of the century set ups. This series is like the old timey boardwalk photographs, except that they more resemble actual vintage images, rather than being campy or hokey. I find it interesting there is such a fine line between being genuine versus stereotypical. It's like what David St. Hubbins says in Spinal Tap- "it's such a fine line between stupid an' clever". I also like to turn it up to eleven. But I digress. Sarah turned out to be very open to the work that I've been concentrating on lately, not to mention that she is quite the muse. I hope to work with her more often in the near future. I'll post some images from our second shoot (which went very well) as soon as I finish them...

Jane

Jane is a model who was being photographed in my studio by Donna, a model/photographer/friend. I decided to casually and quickly take a few shots of her myself. The result was one of my favorite portraits. It is off the cuff, yet somewhat raw, genuine and erotic. For some reason, it really speaks to me.

Katy

Scars, especially self inflicted ones, are something that I've avoided photographing for a long time. It's not because I was squeamish or shocked by them, but because I did not want to portray them like a sideshow attraction. I wanted to portray them more as an elegant and/or interesting document. Consequently, I've been incorporating them into bodyscapes where they are simply part of the rest of the texture going on. Or even one step better, they just happen to make an appearance in an image that is not necessarily about them...

Li & Carl

Photographing Li and Carl was one of the first really explicit girl/guy shoots that I've done, and it is still one the the most intense. While I've since done shoots that are perhaps more explicit, this set the benchmark for me on the type of intensity that I'm looking for lately. I often give a little direction as to what I think will work before shooting, but I don't recall saying anything to them before shooting- I just picked up the camera and started looking for angles. Well, I guess that I sometimes tend to perhaps make doing these shoots sound simpler than it is. I am constantly moving lights around. I'm also constantly thinking of making sure that these images are raw and uncensored, while striving to be anti-porn at the same time. Not that I have anything against porn, but it is what it is- it's a definitive formula for a practical use. I'm always trying to go against the formula and beyond to rise above and create something more genuine, to let people see more possibilities in sexual imagery. There are plenty of amateur photographers trying to pass off what is essentially porn as fine art- especially with the advent of digital cameras. One can even walk into an art gallery and see erotic work that is essentially, or basically porn being poorly passed off as art. I want to get a visceral reaction from viewers, change perceptions, or ultimately have someone say that my images are like nothing that they've seen before.