Ropework

There is a plethora of props that find their way in to the photos I shoot. Everything from chairs to sheer fabrics, step ladders to masks. But this entry isn't about any of those props, because none of those props compose their own subgenre of photography. This is about rope.

Sometimes, when asked to shoot bondage, I tell people that that's not the type of content that I shoot. While it is true that I don't shoot damsel-in-distress, or overtly sexual bondage work, it isn't exactly true to claim that I don't shoot bondage, ever, period, end of story. In fact, I think that rope is really really neat. You can do some awfully beautiful things with it, and I am enamored the aesthetic of it. Bondage modeling is something that has been of interest to me ever since I started getting naked for art.

In spite of my long-standing interest in it, it took me quite awhile to get around to shooting any such themes. At last, two years after I started modeling, I shot this with my good friend, Arren Parker. It is exactly the type of imagery I'd hoped to create, and I'd say that it was well worth the wait. The emphasis isn't on "ZOMG, look, she's all TIED UP, isn't that HOT!", but falls instead on on the form, the light, the shadows. It's a figure study, with rope. I've found relatively few such images, though I always keep an eye out for such work.

And while I could claim that figure studies with rope are the only type of bondage that I'm interested in shooting, that would be a lie, too. For many of the reasons that I like shooting urban nudes, I'll admit- I like shooting suspensions in unlikely places. So while in Seattle this past March, Arren and I set out once more with rope bag and camera. And we created this.

I've shot with rope a handful of other times with a few different photographers, but these two images really nail the type of bondage photography that I love. In truth, I'm too much of a control freak to pursue shooting ropework on a more regular basis. While I'm delighted to help others execute their vision with many types of art nudes, this is one area where I'm really just interested in executing my vision. So I'll continue to shoot it here and there with people who I know and trust in a personal and professional capacity. And in the meantime, I will always be available to help others manifest their artistic vision with chairs or fabric, stepladders or masks.