Saturday, March 26, 2011

Li

Li is a medical doctor with whom I've shot many times. She is one of my favorite people to shoot with, which could have something to do with the fact that she has a fetish for being photographed. She actually gets off on being photographed, and although this could be said of quite a few women that I've photographed, with Li it is very intense and definitely different. She enjoys working with other photographers as well, and while she says I'm her favorite, I'm never under any illusion other than it is the camera providing the connection. When the camera goes down it is like an on/off switch. That's part of what fetishes are- object related. When that object is no longer there, neither is the fetish. None the less, I have to admit it is fascinating to control someone like a puppet on a string with a camera.  Li has several unique fetishes like that. Another is uniforms- the more formal, the more intense it is for her. A Marine decorated with lots of medals does a lot more for her than a Army private with none. Lots of people have reactions like that to clothing, but with Li it is intense beyond description. I find it curious that playing dress up and/or role playing would do nothing for her- it has to be genuine. She also has a Playboy bunny fetish. Her ultimate fantasy is to be a Playboy bunny- she says she would give up being a doctor to be one! Of course she owns a bunny outfit, but the interesting thing is that it is vintage from the 60's. With her own nameplate. She is quite particular like that...
















Friday, March 25, 2011

Katy

Katy is a rockabilly girl who is obsessed with Henry Miller. It’s something that we have in common, among other things. Pinup images are a genre that I've focused on in the past and continue to occasionally create. There have not been any of my pinup pics represented here since it is a style that is so very different from this work. I'm definitely still channeling Bettie Page, though! Katy, of course, has many tattoos- certainly not very pinup. In the past, I’ve always strove to be dead on as far as re-creating the looks of yesteryear. I feel as though I've been hitting a stride lately in developing my own distinct style. Now I've been trying to incorporate that when doing the pinups, portraits and Hollywood glamour photographs.












Thursday, March 24, 2011

Izzy

This is one of my personal favorites. I was thinking of a Fellini film when I shot it, and it still reminds me of Fellini film as an image. I have to admit that there is not much humor in my work, with the exception of my portfolio of dolls & toys. This one cracks me up, though. That has a lot to do with Izzy, who never takes things too seriously, and is always a blast to work with. btw, she was shaking her tits at pedestrians below, before & after the shot- which was even funnier than the image itself...





Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Sara

Sara is a professional model, and these images are from one particular shoot we did. Although they may not look different from other images of mine, I have to say that working with her is much different than working with most people. She doesn't need any direction, and I don't need to say anything. With others (especially someone who has never been photographed before), I am able to get images that look very good, but it can be very hard work. Sarah has a way of moving around that is exquisite to watch, and easy to photograph...

  












Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Jade Vixen

Jade Vixen is a very well known dominatrix, who is also an old and dear friend. Some of my most memorable images were created with her, although they have usually been fashion or vintage looking images rather than raw and erotic. There are several good reasons for this, despite that she has a very edgy and uninhibited persona. For one thing she typically tends to be in control and dominant (or wants to portray that in her images), whereas my erotic images tend to portray a submissive with some wild abandon. She also has an exquisite collection of vintage clothes- so we've usually gravitated towards showing them off.













Thursday, February 24, 2011

Meira & Nick

Well, I think it's official- I believe that I've photographed Meira more times & in more situations than anyone else that I've worked with in the past. This is the second shoot with her and Nick. I don't think that I've ever had a bad shoot with her, and I'm still looking forward to many more. Shoots with her couldn't be more laid back.  In fact, we sometimes smoke up beforehand- something that I rarely do, since I definitely prefer to be in full control of my facilities when I'm shooting. Sloppiness is probably not a bad thing to introduce into my work. I like the unpredictability of it- but I'm not willing to go there with someone new, and especially not if I'm getting paid to do a job. I have been experimenting more with paid work, though- and people seem to be digging it. Me, too.




















Monday, February 7, 2011

Mistress Thora

More explorations of texture. I'm not looking forward to winter ending, as goose pimples will be much harder to come by.















Monday, January 31, 2011

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...















Monday, January 17, 2011

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...




Wednesday, January 12, 2011

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...







Monday, January 10, 2011

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.









Tuesday, January 4, 2011

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...








Saturday, January 1, 2011

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.







Thursday, December 30, 2010

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...











Wednesday, December 29, 2010

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...















Tuesday, December 28, 2010

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!

















Wednesday, December 22, 2010

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.

























Monday, December 20, 2010

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.