BDSM Photoshoots
Some Thoughts on BDSM Photoshoots
And the First Rope Shoot in the New Studio!
I mentioned the effects of "Fifty Shades of Gray" in a blog post about two and a half years ago. Since then, the demand for BDSM themed photoshoots has dramatically increased. As you can see from my portfolio, a good deal of my work has a BDSM theme. This comes as no surprise to my many friends in the Portland BDSM community, which I've been a part of for over two decades.
It's been interesting to see the changes in what women and couples wish to include in their kinky photoshoots. If you take a look at the 2014 blog post mentioned above, you'll note that it's a pretty soft version of BDSM. As time has passed, I'm getting more frequent requests for what you might call serious BDSM shoots. These often involve rope bondage and some degree of sensation play, which includes things like spanking, clamps and various impact toys.
It's almost always a woman who contacts me seeking a BDSM photoshoot. Sometimes she wants to pose with her man, sometimes she wants to shoot solo and give the images to her man as a gift.
My new studio has overhead hard points which were installed specifically for doing rope suspension play. This is generally known as Shibari or Kinbaku.
My own rope skills are minimal, so when a client requests a rope bondage photoshoot, I rely on a few friends who are talented rope experts or riggers, as I like to call them. They love what they do and will usually help out in exchange for gas money, a microbrew or some fancy Portland coffee.
Sometimes a client will request a BDSM shoot in a real dungeon, complete with crosses, spanking benches and other fine articles of sexy debauchery. In that case, my first option is to rent a sex-positive club in Portland called Catalyst, a Sex Positive Place.
I've organized a number of group photoshoot events at Catalyst, so I have a good understanding of how it can be used photographically. You can see some of my photos of this venue here.
Two of my kinky friends came to my new studio a few days ago to perform a fairly advanced rope suspension scene. It was the first rope shoot in the new studio, which is an auspicious occasion! As I mentioned above, the new studio has special hardpoints installed about 11 feet above the floor specifically for rope suspension.
On a funny side note, there are now rope bondage experts in Portland who specialize in the installation of safe hardpoints for suspension play. A lot more thinking goes into this task than you might expect, so don't try this at home unless you really know what you're doing. But I digress...
This couple had great chemistry and high level rope skills, it was an honor to watch and photograph them at play.
You can see a gallery of their photos here if you like. These 289 images are un-retouched so please excuse any small imperfections and send my friends a mental thank you for allowing me to share their intimate images with you.
I hope to have many more rope shoots in the new studio. If you are involved in Shibari/Kinbaku and would like to have some photos of you and your partner in action, please contact me and we can discuss the details. I believe the gallery mentioned above is a pretty typical representation of what you can expect to receive.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to the studio!