If you like erotic BDSM fiction, you might enjoy my novel.  It's free!

Dear Friends,

If you enjoy erotic fiction with a BDSM theme, please read on...

Being the old guy that I am (70), I can say that I've accomplished and experienced many interesting things. One of them was writing a pretty good erotic novel based on my own experiences in the Portland BDSM community. Actually, they called it the "SM scene" back in the 1990s when I first got started in that subculture.

After some wild years as a kinky single guy I got married and started spending more time at home. I decided to start writing about my many kinky adventures. My wife at the time was a skilled writer herself and offered some great suggestions. Eventually, our efforts resulted in a 66,000 word novel that I called "Submission in Seattle" after the movie Sleepless in Seattle. That was in 1998!

A few kinky friends, mostly female, who read it were blown away and they urged me to get it published.

I thought I had a publisher lined up, but they switched to strictly gay erotica before they got around to my novel. So after a while I published it on a website called BDSM Library. It became the highest rated story on the site and got around 250,000 views. Then I self published it on the Amazon system, but due to the way their algorithm works, it never took off. If you like the Kindle reading experience you can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Submission-in-Seattle-ebook/dp/B00FD8BWF6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379900198&sr=8-1&keywords=submission+in+seattle

I think I get around 30 cents for each purchase. :)

I have long wondered if the author of 50 Shades read my own novel back in the day.

A couple of months ago, a friend told me about a site called Literotica.com that publishes erotica for free viewing by adults. After about a month of effort, Submission in Seattle has finally been published where anyone over 18 can read it. If you like it, please leave a comment there on Literotica. Here is the link: https://www.literotica.com/s/submission-in-seattle-ch-01

If you have any kinky friends who might like BDSM fiction, please pass the link along.

Take Care,

Dr. Mike

Here is a photo I did for private clients that they graciously allowed me to share with you.

Pro Photoshoots for Dating Sites and Social Media
 

These days people use various social media and online dating platforms to meet potential intimate partners.  The images you post online are the first things that people see when they go to your profile.  As someone once said, you only get one chance to make a first impression.

I've enjoyed creating sexy images for clients who are active on many kinds of sites, including Facebook, Instagram, Fetlife, Adult Friend Finder, Alt.com, Ashley Madison, Swap Finder, Tinder and many others.  Each client has unique needs, but I will try to give a general overview of this field of photography, as I understand it after many years of practice.

If you think about it, women need very few dating photos, since they are usually inundated with messages from men.  Ideally, women would create minimal profiles and spend time contacting men who look interesting.  But that's not always how it works in reality.  Women have been conditioned to let men make the first move, and when their inbox is flooded with unappealing messages, many complain that men are pigs and give up on that particular platform.  

My philosophy on dating photos is that it's men who really need them!  That's why this blog post is going to be about photos for men.  

How do I help men create effective dating photos?  To start with, I interview the client to determine what I call their "dating business plan."  First I need to know the target audience.  For example, is the client looking for a long term monogamous partner, or is he a player who wants to slide through the urban scene and sample the charms of many ladies?

If he's a player, then explicit photos and images of cannibis use may be appropriate.   These tend to attract what could be called "party girls."  But for this post, I'm going to concentrate on the gentleman who is looking for a long term partner.  In my experience, these are often what people call high value men.  Admittedly, that view could be skewed by the fact that only some men can afford my rates, but let's ignore that and move on.
 

Men have a much harder job attracting attention online, so they need to be very purposeful with what they post, especially if they wish to attract a high value woman for a possible LTR.  We know that when these women are browsing through dating profile photos, they are most interested in a man's eyes, hands, arms, etc...  They are also looking for clues to his status, both financial and social.   The photo above shows my friend Dan, a high value single man.  He's a very sociable guy, who doesn't drink a lot, but likes chatting with people in bars.   I happen to like taking photos in bars, like the one above, so I asked him to volunteer for my bar photography project.

When high value men pay me to create good dating photos, I usually do a formal portrait first, which is often the image that women are most drawn to.   Then we do photos on location that show positive things about their lifestyle.  That could mean posing next to their vehicle, at the gym, on a hiking trail or doing their job.  One of the best options is to pose in a well fitted suit.  If they have a nice home or apartment, that can be worth doing an indoor photoshoot.   Women aren't looking for men who are couch potatoes or who live in their mother's basement.

These days you also have to be concerned with political symbolism.  There is so much polarization that a man should probably decide if he wants to appeal to women on the red team or the blue team.  

I'm often asked if I will create photos highlighting a dude's erect manhood.  There are scenarios where this is a good idea, but if a man is looking for an LTR, as opposed to one night stands, the last thing he should do is post images of his junk.

If you are ready to have pro photos to enhance your dating success, message me via the contact form at the top of the page!

Choosing a Male or Female Erotic Photographer

When a woman or couple begins to contemplate a sexy photoshoot, one of the first decisions they make is the gender of the photographer.   This is a very important question and it has three parts.

The first part concerns the comfort of the client(s).  Some women get very nervous being nude in front of a man, perhaps due to some event in her past.  Other women are more nervous being nude in front of a woman.  They feel that women are more critical and may be thinking unkind thoughts that they don't reveal.   

Men generally don't care that much, but some think a female photographer may help them feel sexier.  And some men prefer a male photographer, because they feel a man will be more accepting if they wish to act out a pornographic sexual fantasy.

The most important aspect of a successful boudoir or erotic photoshoot is being comfortable with your photographer, so this question can't be dismissed.  You should give it some thought and imagine what is best for you. 

The second part of this question is if a male or a female photographer is more likely to get you the kind of images you want.  This concept also applies to erotic couple's photoshoots.  If you browse several photographers' web sites, you can see that a photographer's style is influenced by their gender.  Here at Beyond Boudoir Photo, it's pretty obvious that I'm a male photographer.

Female photographers tend to gravitate toward standard commercial boudoir photography.  This style is mostly about the photoshoot experience.  The client is pampered, made up, and dressed in expensive looking lingerie.  It's much like spending the afternoon at a spa.  If the photographer is good at her job, the resulting images are a woman's fantasy of how she wants to see herself.  The goal is to make her look like a celebrity.  The photos are pretty tame and can easily be shared with friends and relatives.

Male photographers are more likely to bring out a woman's sexuality in a way that a man would appreciate.  This can mean more nudity and more suggestive poses.   Lingerie and makeup are useful, but they play a secondary role.   I like to describe the difference in styles as "lingerie catalog vs. men's magazine."  Some women seek out a male photographer because they feel they will get sexier images if they can flirt back and forth with the photographer and flirting with a woman doesn't work for them.  Male photographers are more comfortable complimenting a woman on her body, which encourages her to turn on the sexy energy.

The third part of this discussion applies especially to couples who want a photographer to come to their location and shoot professional photos of them engaged in adult activities.  There aren't many real, experienced, pro photographers who will do this at all and almost all of them are men.  I think this is largely because women are not comfortable walking into what is at least theoretically a risky situation for them.

Erotic Couple

Tip for women:  Let's say you want hot photos to excite your man, but you aren't comfortable posing nude with a male photographer you hardly know.  A great solution is to bring along a trusted girlfriend, that way you get the best of both options!
 

Another tip for women:  Many nude photographers actually shoot art nudes rather than erotic nude images.  A typical example will have a nude model posed in some unlikely place- an abandoned building, in a forest or even on a deserted city street.  The models are often not looking at the camera and are not in seductive poses.   While these can be very artistic and demonstrate the photographer's skill, they may not evoke sexual feelings in the viewer.

Obviously I have oversimplified this rather complex situation.  There is nothing to keep male photographers from shooting the commercial boudoir style images that are typically done by female photographers and in fact many do, since there is more money to be made in that genre.   Most men who do this have female partners and assistants who help create the pampered experience that goes with this style.

Now here's a tougher question:  Can female photographers shoot the more sexual images typically created by male photographers?  On a technical level, of course they can.  But from what I've seen, very few are comfortable or experienced with this style.  It's an interesting example of the complex psychology involved in erotic photography.

Why Private Erotic Photoshoots Often Don't Happen

And what you can do to make them succeed.

Rough and Writhing

If you are thinking about having me do a private shoot for you, and/or your partner, you should read this blog post.  I get a lot of inquiries from people who are thinking about having a private erotic photoshoot.  I've traded messages with so many potential clients that I can see the patterns that indicate if a shoot will happen or not.

Most shoots that actually take place are easy to arrange.  The person who contacts me knows what they want and they allow me to advise them on the best way to make it happen.  If they have special desires, they make that known early on.   

Unfortunately, a majority of those who contact me are not really ready to do an intimate, private shoot.  There are a few different reasons for that.

Some people just haven't given this much thought.  Before contacting me, spend some time thinking about what you really want.  If the shoot will involve your partner, make sure they are informed and on board with exactly what you want to do.  Trying to negotiate the details with them while trading messages with me is going to be frustrating.

Another issue I see frequently is that they haven't decided the primary goal of the shoot.  There are two main choices.   The first is to create amazing images that they will treasure now and in the future.  The second is to have a great erotic experience in front of the camera.   

It's very difficult to achieve both goals in the same shoot, but my experience allows me to come pretty close.  In order to do that, I need my client(s) to be completely honest with me.   I've learned to be very open and accepting about sexual issues, but many have a hard time with that.   Most people have been trained to keep their sexual desires and fantasies hidden, but a successful photoshoot requires you to be open with your naughty photographer.  

One issue I see a lot is that some people fantasize about being told what to do while in front of the camera.  For an old BDSM guy like me, that seems perfectly normal and I'm happy to play the dominant role.  To be honest, I'm pretty good at it.  The catch is that we are now talking about a BDSM scene and that requires negotiations.  No problem, I'm an experienced negotiator.  But wait!  For many people, asking for what they want tends to kill their fantasy!  A catch 22 situation for sure.

I've lost count of the potential clients who vanished when they realized their simple, vague, fantasy would lead them to a complex project that required them to consider their own motives and desires.  For those who are willing to work with me, an erotic shoot can be an amazing experience.

A surprisingly common request is when someone asks me to provide another person to do sexy things with them or their partner.  Unfortunately, that creates all sorts of legal issues that I don't want to deal with.  You definitely need to bring your own playmate(s) to a couple's erotic photoshoot!   And yes, I do check ID if someone looks young.  Nobody under 18 gets in front of my camera.

The last issue that can prevent a shoot from happening is the question of privacy.  I have a good privacy plan in place that involves me deleting the images from my hard drive after I send them to my client via Google Drive.  For most people that's adequate, but for high value clients it might make sense to simply hand them the memory card straight from the camera.  This eliminates opportunities for big tech and government monitoring systems to capture the images in transit.

I'm always willing to trade emails with potential clients who are willing to say what they want and answer questions honestly.  

Why No Road Trips in 2024?

For the last 5 years or so, I've been doing a few road trips a year to work with models in cities like Phoenix, Vegas, Seattle and a number of smaller cities as well.  The main reason behind these trips was to find models who would appeal to my many fans on Bentbox.  My secondary reason was to meet up with clients who wished to pay me for one of my famous private shoots.

The fans who buy my photos of models are located around the world and they have specific tastes.  They want to see pretty, fit, girls with mainstream hair, minimal tattoos and minimal piercings.  Here in the Portland area, most of the models are sporting an alternative look, sometimes to an extreme degree. 

By hitting the road, I was able to find quite a few suitable models in other cities.  I'd rent a nice Airbnb house and shoot for a few days with up to ten models.  I also enjoyed the road trips just for the fun of traveling alone by car.  For a while, I owned a great road trip car, but more often I rented a car.   Last year, I calculated the costs of travel and realized that I could travel by air to Phoenix for substantially less than the cost of renting a car and staying in hotels along the way.  The biggest downside of air travel is that it's not practical to bring as much lighting gear as I can cram into a car.

At the beginning of 2024, I did an analysis of how these trips affected my sales on Bentbox.   My conclusion was that they did not pay for themselves.   So I've been working on finding more suitable models here in the Portland area.

Model Mayhem, the platform that used to work so well, has fallen into decline.  Most of the models who are looking for work are now on Instagram or Facebook.  Fortunately, I've done pretty well making contact with local models and strippers on Instagram.  Some of the younger ones haven't had time to get tatted up, so they are perfect models for my fans.

My fans have also expressed an interest in MILFs and I've been able to find some older models who seem to embody the best qualities of that label.

Although I have a lovely and well equipped home studio, I get bored shooting there too much, so I've found some rental studios in the Portland area.  Recently I rented one called Beast Daylight Studio that is located in a former pickle factory!

I've actually cut back a bit on shooting with pro models.  I have a number of hobbies that I've been neglecting and the extra free time is being well spent.  I'm also more available for paying clients who want private shoots.

Next year I could start doing road trips again, but I'm just going to see how things go here in the Portland area this year.  If you've been thinking about contacting me for a photoshoot here, this would be a good year to do it!

Can You Teach Me Photography Skills?

Quite a few people have contacted me for assistance after they've purchased a nice camera they don't know how to use. Others have asked me to tell them which camera to buy that will allow them to create photos like mine.

I like the idea of passing along my knowledge. I've actually tried teaching photography skills to several people, but it has never worked out very well. The reason is that none have been willing to put in the necessary time and stick to an organized learning plan. When I started explaining the basic principles they'd need to learn, their eyes glazed over.  High level photography is a lot more complex than most people realize.  Maybe we are spoiled by plug and play technology that makes complex things appear easy.

Everyone I've tried to teach thinks I can show them a few tricks or hacks that will suddenly make them a good photographer. Sadly, it doesn't work that way. It takes years and hundreds of hours. It can also eat money, as you will want to buy more and more gear.

Learning to take good photos with a good interchangeable-lens camera is a lot like learning to play a musical instrument. It takes a lot of time and practice. It helps to be a little obsessed.

For most people, it's better to take pictures with their phones or low end consumer cameras that make all the technical decisions for you. If you have already purchased an expensive, interchangeable-lens camera, you can simply leave it set on "AUTO." It will produce images roughly similar to what you get with a phone, but you'll look like a serious photographer!

If you do have the drive to really learn photography and prefer self-directed learning, you can find everything you need to know on YouTube. Just remember to start with the basics before you try to learn pro-level techniques.

You can also find many video series for sale that will start at the beginning and take you through the whole process at your own speed. If you would do better with a teacher to keep you on the best learning path, I suggest an actual photography class at a community college or local photography organization.

Hopefully this little message will help someone avoid disappointment and wasted energy.

Take Care,

Dr. Mike