Man…this sucks.  I’m getting a LOT done today and have a lot of great material to send in.  It’s funny…people have been telling me how much I’ve improved and changed, and for all intents and purposes, I never totally saw it until today.  My GOD, have I ever changed since the “pink rope” days, huh?  The photography needs one final “tweak” (which I think’ll happen today), but when I was editing pics today, I really saw the change in the style and my ability.

Hope this doesn’t sound too concieted, but damn, I am good…lol.

Ominous shadow…who’s coming to get sweet Shannon?

The “suck” part came in that I edited my last and apparantly final Shannon set.  Ah, me.  I think it’s not too bad of me to mention that there’s gals that I like working with more than others.  Don’t get me wrong…everyone I’ve worked with has been fantastic and there’s no love lost for each and every one, but Shannon was uber-special.

Shannon easliy had more energy and “drive” to her than most.  I once described her to a friend as “15 cans of Red Bull personified” and meant it.  That would definitely come out in her pics and translate well to boot.  Moreover, working with her would rub off on me a bit…I remember smiling for days after working with her, just remembering the bullshitting that went on during the shoot.  Shannon is a riot…total pip.

Shannon…”Now that’s what I call, “one tied up secretary.”

I say that this is my last set because the number I have for her is disconnected…I’ve lost touch with her.  That saddens me more than you can know, as I ADORE working with this young beauty.  I truly hope she gets in touch with either Dave or I…I miss her dearly!!

Shannon, honey, if you’re reading this…LET’S SET UP A SHOOT!!!  😉

Tolstoy

UPDATE: Nikki has opened a paysite all her own!!  I STRONGLY encourage all of you to walk on over and give it a look!!

http://nikkilovestrouble.com/

“Tolstoy” Tony

Nikki Sebastian

Ah, Nikki.

We first met thru “MySpace” back when it was more friendly to us fetish types.  2006, and I’m looking around for people to shoot with at my very first FetishCon…I came across Nikki’s profile and was quite happily stunned.  What a lovely young lady, thinks I, and send off a shoot request.

Nikki didn’t disappoint.

Nikki Sebastian in Bondage…WOW!!!

At that first FetCon, I met a LOT of wonderful people…hung out and partied with the best of them, but of everybody there, I think I “clicked” best with Nikki…we lensed out a lot of material in a short period of time.  Not just that, really…we became friends almost as soon as the shoot ended.  When I gave her a hug goodbye after what I considered  my most successful shoot of FetCon 2006, I knew I’d be seeing her again soon enough, the fact that we lived on opposite ends of the country didn’t mean all that much…

Nikki Sebastian in NYC Bondage

A few months later, I traveled to NYC and one of the first people I booked a shoot with was Nikki.  Not really sure if it was because I was running low on material of her, or if it was because I couldn’t wait to see one of my favorite people in the world again…one thing’s for sure, if I had visited and hadn’t told her, my butt would’a been applesauce the next time I saw her…lol.  Ah, it was great just to be around her again…hanging out, taking both great bondage and non-bondage shots…

Nikki Sebastian LOVES Trouble! 😉

NYC Bondage with Nikki Sebastian

Again, a FUN time!!   After that shoot, I didn’t get to see Nikki again until the next FetCon in 2007.  But in the interim, we were on IM’s together, e-mails…heck, she even sent me a Christmas card, pic enclosed of her bound up all nice and snug under the Christmas tree…lol.  We’ve definitely established a good working friendship.  Get this…I see her at FetCon 2007, across the floor…I call out her name and she comes running to me (in 5 inch heels yet!!), throws herself into a hug and just says, “HI!!”  Took this shot shortly after…

ROWR!!! Nikki Sebastian

Later at that convention, for the “Fan Photo Shoot” (on stage, a bunch of us riggers tie willing models for the fans to take snaps of…VERY fun!!), I tied Kimberly Marvel, and fellow rigger Moraxian (http://www.moraxian.us/front.htm) tied Nikki…Nikki squirmed away from Moraxian and dang near untied Kimberly!!!  We both made a vow to watch our damsels more closely (lol) and laughed our heads off, all four of us.  It was definitely a time to remember.

Well, she tells me she’s possibly gonna be in the area of Tucson in the fall…all things willing, I’ll be setting up a new shoot.  I’ll be sure to keep ya posted…

Tolstoy

Pantera.

WOW.  We met thru a model/photographer networking website and talked a bit.   Have to say I was really impressed with her from the get go…I booked a shoot with her without even thinking twice.  Our conversations there were enough to let me know I was dealing with a total professional.

She didn’t disappoint.  Soon as she arrived, we set about working…she and I seem to do this a lot.  I like her sense of style so much that I usually wind up shooting her in whatever she’s wearing when she arrives…

Pantera Noelle

That’s the first set that went up of her…practically the first shot I took of her…lol.  I met her during my “pink rope days” (I was using colored ropes, and less stringent bondage back then), and we had a LOT of fun and had a great shoot!  She was a little quiet (trust was being built up and such), but I was totally impressed with her, and we shot some fantastic stuff…

Green Rope. Feh.  Pantera Noelle in Bondage

I’m a sucker for gorgeous brunettes with cute feet…lol.  I might as well mention that I have a “minor” in foot fetish (I describe my fetishes in the way most describe their education…a Major in “Bondage”, and a minor in “foot fetish”…lol), and Pantera definitely has one of the cutest pair out there.  She’s a total package tho…one very cute and sexy lady.

Anyhow…our first shoot went well.  we had some fun and really lensed out some really great stuff.  I was thankful to know her and chomping at the bit for our next shoot.  In the meantime, she was shooting with another photographer and told him about me…one of the greatest favors that anyone’s ever done for me.

She was also a regular featured model with Dave Annis.  Saying that means something, as the man is one of the tightest  (if not the tightest) ropeworkers out there…so that definitely reflects on her…she can take some heavy binding.  Anyway…she and Dave had a shoot on my birthday (which was about a month after my first shoot with her), and she told him about me…he called me, and the rest, as they say, is history.  This meeting caused a revolution in how I do what I do…the pink rope is all but gone, I’m using true lighting now instead fo flash photography, and I’m tying the models tighter than I EVER thought I would or could.  It’s still me doing the work, but compare the above pics to this one…

LOOKIT all that ROPE!! Pantera Noelle in Bondage

Or this…

SHEESH!! HEAVY Rope Bondage on Pantera Noelle

Yuppers, quite a change, no?  And definitely one for the better…I’m having more fun than I could’ve imagined, and the quality of both the rigging and the look of the photos and video has increased hundredfold.   And I owe it all to this very lovely lady…if I haven’t said it lately, Pantera…THANK YOU!!!

The three of us (Pantera, Dave and I) have become very close friends…you know you’re in good friendship with someone if you wind up together at a Denny’s at 3 in the  morning…lol.  We’ve “bonded” (OUCH!!  BAD pun!!) as photographer and model…she’s not just a model to me; I consider her a close friend as well.

Me and Pantera Noelle, mid-tie

Tolstoy

Somehow…I just knew.  I don’t know how, but I just KNEW.

Stacie and I met casually enough…a mutual friend (Kimberly Marvel…learn more here: http://kimberlymarvel.blogspot.com/ ) was about to shoot with a friend of mine (Chuck, the Monk of Mayhem…you can find some of his work here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/monkofmayhemphotography/ ) at my place, and Kimberly brought Stacie along for the ride (and to meet me for possible future shoots, I suppose).   I was flabbergasted…not only was she undeniably cute as all get out, but her personality just ROCKED!  She’s definitely got one of the funnier personalities of the models I know with a great sense of humor.  She stayed for a while…got an idea of what it was all about…and as she left, told me to give her a call when I was ready for a shoot.

Time passes.  I have some other shoots with some other models…finally, it comes to Stacie’s turn.  I love first shoots with new models…we’re learning about each other and what we can both bring to the table…and Stacie brought a LOT:

Stacie Snow in “secretary” bondage

I think that’s the pic that got the most reaction….and rightfully so.  Actually, it’s been ages since I had a first shoot with a “new-to-me” model that caused such a firestorm of reaction from the fans (Shannon was the last time).

The shoot went well…but I think Stacie and I really “clicked” when I did the first elbow tie.  I asked her to put her back to me so I could see how close her elbows would get.  She kinda sighed and said, “They don’t touch,” in an almost defeated kinda way.   “Well…let’s try and see what comes of it…we’ll be careful,” I replied.  I tied the ropes off and was amazed…her first try at it and they were less than an inch from touching…any model can tell you how amazing that is.   After making sure that she’d be ok in the position, I took this shot:

Elbows allllllllmost together!  Stacie Snow

I took it mainly to show her how well she was doing, but liked it so much, it wound up being added to the pic update when I finally sent it into the site.  She was AMAZED when I showed her this…it really shows in this “Behind The Scenes” shot of me showing her the above pic…

The caption says it all…

Check the surprised look on her face…she really didn’t think that she could do the pose, and here she was doing it, succeeding at it, and going far with it!  I could tell that she was happy with herself and how the shoot was going…and that I had found a real gem!

The rest of the shoot went off without a hitch…she did some AMAZING work with me…some of the best stuff I’d ever lensed.  It’s rare that I want to shoot models back to back (meaning, book them for another shoot before shooting with someone else in between), but I did with Stacie.  Don’t know what it is…her sparkling personality, wit, charm…or that she just ties up so dang well…

OMG!!! Stacie Snow in TIGHT TucsonTied Bondage

It’s rare that someone inspires me to do this kinda caliber of work…Stacie definitely qualifies as a “muse” in my shooting career…and somebody that I hope to be shooting with for a long, long time!!

Tolstoy

Been thinking about Vivian Ireene Pierce a LOT of late…maybe it’s the “blog gods” telling me to relate my experience of working with her to you all.  Here we go…

I’ve been a fan of Viv’s since I first saw her on RopExpert…I mean, what’s not to love?  Redhead, gorgeous, long legs…ah, yes, indeed, I’m a fan.  I first met her at FetCon (a convention held once yearly in Tampa, Florida where you can go and meet and even work with bondage and fetish models) in 2006.  Lordy, I was soooooooo shy back then…I’m surprised I even had the nerve to approach/talk to her!  She was very nice and extremely friendly…I was immeadiatly taken aback by it all.  I was thrilled to have finally met one of my fave models in the flesh…what a moment!

Me in all my geeky glory, hanging with Vivian Ireene Pierce

A little less than a year later, I contacted her about a shoot.  She did the proper “model due diligence”, meaning, she talked with several of my friends and other models I’d shot with (i.e.: checked my references…everything came up good) and we went back and forth a bit about the dates available until finally settling on one.  She was going to be in Vegas, so would drive down to Tucson to shoot with me.  OY, was I ever in Heaven…I was gonna shoot with one of my all-time favorite models…nothing could possibly go wrong.

Oh, yeah?

Somebody kick “Murphy’s” ass for me please…I came smack dab into “Murphy’s Law” (“Anything that can go wrong WILL go wrong”)  while she was driving in.  Me, in my usual naive way, thought I could get her a room at a local hotel near the freeway the same night of her arrival.  BUT…the annual “Gem and Mineral Show” was happening at the SAME TIME she and I were set to shoot, and hotel space was at a minimum, if not non-existent, in town.  How fucking DARE they have an annual gem and mineral show the same time I was gonna shoot with Viv…I mean, come ON, Tucson…PRIORITIES, please!! (lol)

I was soooooooo busted…Lord only knows why I didn’t think to reserve a room sooner.  I bit the bullet and called her while she was driving in…and she was OK with spending the night at my place.  I think Viv was the very first model I’ve hosted at my place (future staying-overs on my couch would include: Kimberly Marvel, Kordelia Devonshire and Samantha Grace)…thank GOD my references checked out, I guess.  If worse had come to worse, a local model of mine, Angel, had offered her place up as well for the traveling gal to bunk at (nice to have a back-up plan, I guess).

I waited just off the freeway for her to arrive…and when she did, she saw me and said, “Oh, it’s YOU!” and fell into a big hug with me.  She REMEMBERED me!!  Flattering, that!  She told me she was even more fine with staying over now that she really knew who I was…she remembered me from FetCon as being respectful and shy…and most importantly, harmless.  We drove our cars back to my place and began shooting.

Yes, this Vivian Ireene Pierce shot is from the “pink rope” days…DEAL!!!

Viv is fan-tas-tic at her job…she can become the “helpless damsel” at the drop of a hat.  A couple of times she gave me such great “damsel” looks, I almost dove in to “save” her…when ironically enough, I was the “villain” I’d be saving her from…lol.

Vivian Ireene Pierce in Bondage…just, WOW

Since we got a late start, we shot until 4 am.  No lie…the shoot officially wrapped at 4 am.  We got about 5 hours sleep (me in the bed in my bedroom, her on the bed inside my sleeper-couch in the living room…minds outta the gutters, pervs…lol), then we gassed up her car and I showed her the best way back to the freeway.

I HAVE to set up another shoot with her now that I’m doing better looking bondage…  Anyway, we still talk a great deal of the time…and on every holiday (Christmas, New Years, etc) I get a “Holiday Text” from her, just checking in and saying “hi”.  Bless that gal’s heart…I really adore her.

Tolstoy