Jim Young photographing Lochai tying me upAtame. Tie me up.
An old movie favorite from Pedro Almodovar.
I don't get tied up often, even though I really like it. I don't let just anyone tie me up. It requires trust. Large amounts of trust. If you think posing nude for a photographer requires trust, you are right. Think about how vulnerable you make yourself, not just during a shoot, but also after, not knowing if the photographer will treat the images with respect and if the photographer will be thoughtful of your wishes in terms of where those images end up and how they will be used to represent you. I really hope photographers who shoot nudes understand the amount of trust the model places on them. It's a precious gift, and I really hope they will always value that.
Getting tied up for a photographer requires even more trust. Trust that the photographer won't abuse this position of power and control over the model. Trust that you will be in good hands. That's why I only allow myself in that position with very few people I know and value. Johnny Flamethrower, Eric Cain and Lochai. That's it. These three are professional, talented, and just really great people to know. They also live the life style, they truly understand what bondage is about, which is equally important to me in terms of getting involved in a collaboration for this type of work. They know what they are doing, which is important for the model's safety, not just physically (rope can cut the circulation if not done right) as well as emotionally (some models have a very strong emotional response to being tied up - the photographer needs to know how to properly respond to that).
I first met Lochai a few years ago. I noticed his images on the Secret Magazine Yahoo group, and I fell in love with his style of rope work and photography. I think his work was the first fetish photography work I ever noticed, and it really drew me in. I contacted him, purchased one of his prints (Beach Bound, which later on ended up winning the 2007 Erotic Signature Best Photograph award), and we loosely stayed in touch until we finally had an opportunity to work together in February 2007. When we first met in person, I was impressed with his genuine kindness and warm personality (and bt's cat just LOVED him, which, to me, is always a good sign when an animal really likes a person), and I was more than glad to have the opportunity to shoot with him. Getting tied up by him truly was an amazing experience. It's difficult to explain to someone who doesn't "get" the concept of bondage - but it all boils down to letting go of control, which can be a liberating experience - even if it is "just" for a photograph. I left this shoot wanting to do it again some day.
Lochai photographing Jim Young photographing meWhen I went to Miami last weekend, I was not expecting to see Lochai there. It was a wonderful surprise, being able to spend some time with him, and meet Janice, his lovely wife. It also presented the opportunity to feel the rope again from, in my opinion, the master of shibari. And I'm glad we found an opportunity to this...
A few images from the Lochai/Jim Young collaboration.
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Please check out the interviews posted on the Detroit Jam Session blog. They are most certainly worth checking out!
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Thank you everybody for all the positive feedback we've been receiving on this blog. Both on here, through comments, as well as off line.
I just received this note from Neil A / Alien photography:
By the way, I recently read your blog and I absolutely love it. I really wish I had been aware of such creative people so close by before now. It's refreshing to find people that seem happy to be alive and are determined to make the most of it.
I think Neil hit the nail on the head here. A positive outlook on life is everything - you can not allow for one bad experience, one bad image, one bad day to bring you down - so we continue to focus on the good, the positive and a wonderful supportive network of artsy friends.
9 comments:
That's amazing and beautiful. I think I might feel a bit . . . claustrophobic? if someone tied me up.
"I really hope photographers who shoot nudes understand the amount of trust the model places on them. It's a precious gift, and I really hope they will always value that."
Well said and so important, destroying a models trust doesn't just effect the person who may be compromising a model, it sets the tone in that models mind that they can not trust anyone and so we all lose.
Your so right to say that we can not let a bad experience affect our outlook, to stay positive, but these are not mere pictures, these images we create tap into our psyche to reveal so much more about ourselves, and being naked to the world is the most
vulnerable state we can be in. So one bad experience is way to many, as it is not so easily erased. We move on, but the damage is done.
So when making decisions on how we photograph our precious models, please think through the consequences, respect the models wishes, paying a model does not give you the right to do whatever you want, before,during or after a shoot.
This is such a small community locally but it has International reach, screw up with a model and we will all hear about it. And you will be the biggest loser of all.
We live in harrowing times none of us needs any more stress.
Peace & Love
Very well said on all accounts.
Whenever I teach either rope or bondage I always start out with "If you break your toys, you don't get to play with them again"
Treat your models with more respect than you treat yourself & they will come back to you. Do anything less & they will drive others away from you.
I have tied & photographed many models, not so many more than once. You my dear I will always be welcome in my ropes & lens...
I cannot shoot bondage. When I am tied up, I expect to be spanked, and photographers are too polite to indulge.
Hehe. Model Humor.
Everyone is different and I suspect that even among artists who shoot bondage, the motivation varies. It is not necessary for photographer, model and viewer to all have the same view of the same photo. I do enjoy the challenge of understanding another's viewpoint. People are complex and I don't like to assume too much, but then again, we are all human and have a lot in common.
Funny how you can read somthing at just the right moment in time...I was just considering this kind of shoot.
Change makes us confront the great unknown. It introduces different things into our lives. Different places. Different ideas. Different people. It's all hard to accept at times, and change can often be a little scary. But if there's one fact that I've learned...it's that nothing has ever grown without changing.
~Bob Riley
Thanks, Iris, for the insight into this type of work.
Fetish/bondage type work is most certainly not for everyone. But then again, nude work is not for everyone either.
But for either type of work, I think it's important the model knows what she's getting into, and who she can trust.
I was never a boyscout. Took sailing one year at summercamp, but still can't remember the 20 style knots I had to learn. The art in roping a model comes from the detail in the knots presented. I'm amazed when I see how much effort goes into a photo with all the loops and crossovers and... if you look past the victim or damsel in distress aspect for a second, and see the skill that the photographer created, you will see an art medium to these shots that well surpass the photograph itself.
The type of bondage photography that Iris shoots doesn't really have the same "look" as many other styles. To be honest I don't always see a damsel in distress and I don't always see a sexual aspect. I'm not sure what I'm seeing, except an artistic figure and artistic knots.
I really love these. I don't love most of the bondage photos I see, but you work with the best people, and your images are always erotic and classy.
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