amypowers

James, you're a wild man. I love your daring.
I think a little blur is good because it makes us look at the image as a whole and not just at a naked woman on a leash. That being said, I would like, maybe, a little more sharpness. There is a distorted look to Gwen's head that I cannot figure out - some kind of light refraction?
But I think the comp is great, not too bulls eye at all.

Tom,
Interesting take, with the rotation. Thanks for your perspective. I enjoy seeing other people's ideas...
Ken, I understand that along with Kristen, you don't like the picture. I can only reiterate that I don't expect everyone to like it or understand this type of erotica. Fetishes are both specific and intense, and to people who don't share them they make no sense. But they are quite important to those who experience them. And thats the reason for this picture: its important to her, and its important to me to take pictures of people being real.

Beautiful tones and very rich looking......

wow, very sharp-edged, I like this...

Thanks, Carl...

 

BTW, Ms O'Brien, if you look at the image info, you'll see that this is a digital image. So your suggestion doesn't apply...

Really great, Tom, I like this version...As has been stated, I think the difference between the intimate pose and the light tones really grab the eye. Good work!

Thnaks, everyone, for the feedback...re: his legs...in the negative you can see a bit more of his legs, however when I scanned the neg I darkened the a bit image overall. I haven't decided if I like it better darker, like this, or a bit lighter...

Note: this was actually shot on Delta 400...I didn't feel like going through the "Add a Film" rig-a-ma-role.

Note: this was actually shot on Delta 400...I didn't feel like going through the "Add a Film" rig-a-ma-role.

Very nice, I like the delicate grain.

Good colors, and I like the diagonal line of it. A shade too much blur for my taste, but really quite nice otherwise.

Thanks for your comments, Critter...You may inspire me to scan and post a close up shot of her face - I just printed one that has the most beautiful, dreamy, blissed-out expression. Endorphin highs are so photogenic...

Kristen,

 

I hear that you find this photo distasteful. Not everything I shoot is going to appeal to everyone. And I certainly expect some heat over this series.

 

But this shot is beautiful to me. The model is a friend of mine, and what you see is a significant and real part of her sexuality. She is a beautiful, smart, strong woman. And she likes bondage. She does not consider it violence - neither do I.

 

Part of why I shot this is because I know that the difference between consensual sex and rape is all about intention and consent. Likewise, the difference between this photo, and a photo of someone being abused, is in the feelings of the person(s) involved.

 

 

Whoo-hoo....Wow, Seven, you really got it, didn't you? Don't take it on, just keep shooting. Its a good piece of work, and I think its cool that you can see the art in little things. Congrats on POW. Now pray you never get chosen again!

"I am curious what kind of mirrors you were using and what angle you set up with. I know this may sound like a stupid question but I am wondering where the camera is with respect to the image and how you managed to keep the camera out of the image. Also although I like the photo I think the scan lines somewhat detract from the photo. I know this was a digital photo but I am not sure where the lines that criss-cross the photo came from. "

In reverse order: the lines are a uploading/compression issue that are not present on the original. Its a digital image so "scan lines" aren't coming into play here. The lines first appeared when I uploaded the picture. (I could delete and reupload the image, but then I'd lose the comments.) So its a web problem, not a photographic one.

I have explained about the set up for this in my response to earlier comments, but here it is again: Its two long mirrors set into a V-shape. My feet are at the narrow end of the V, the camera is set slightly outside the V. I'll even upload a little drawing, although its not to scale or anything...The long white lines are the two mirrors, of course. The camera is set very low - I had to invert the arm, so that the camera was actually upside down - and close enough to me so that I could reach out to and push the shutter while in the pose, although I still used the timer delay to get my arm and head in place. Thanks for your comments...

Well, I don't mind suggestions...but surely you see that if I did as you say, it would be a whole different picture. Cropping out the pipe is a possibility, but the other person's face, and Jaelle's expression, are essential elements of what this picture is saying to me. They create tension and make this something other than a simple portrait. Thats my opinion, anyway. But, as I said, I am also interested in other people's as well...

"I think it would look better if it was not cropped quite so tight."

I agree with Eugene Brown, and with you, also. This is full frame, though. I just could not get the camera any higher...I clipped this explanation of the set-up from another photo in the series...

"....A bit of background...this picture was taken with me sitting on the island in the middle of my partner's kitchen. The lighting is a single household tungsten bulb in a recessed overhead fixture - the ceiling is about ten feet, and the island about three and a half feet high. I threw some black satin-y type material over the island.

Of course, my tripod isn't tall enough to get the angle I wanted, so I wound up putting it on a small stepladder and then tying the legs of the tripod to it! Pretty rickety and it definitely made me nervous, but...I could then prefocus, set the timer, and sort of hop from the ladder onto the island, try not to slide off, as the fabric on the marble counter was very slippery, and pose.

Altogether a somewhat Rube Goldberg experience in self-portraits. But I had done some stuff with a very narrow single down spotlight, and I wanted to try a single overhead light that was farther away and broader to see what I got.

I also wanted to try deliberately overexposing, since I usually tend to go with darker, more underexposed images.

If I could change anything, I would use a matte fabric - the shine of the satin is distracting and the wrinkles don't work."

beautiful and unusual, I like the sense of movement.

Love it, very moody....

Thank you for your comments, Oliver, I like it when people tell me about the mental process they have when they look at my work.

Deborah and Jaelle are good friends of mine, and they are close to each other as well...They are alike in that they both are much stronger models when you don't pose or direct them too much.

My technique with them is: take them to photogenic places, usually dressed in some way that I think will be appropriate and/or visually interesting, and then just follow them around, shooting. They both love to explore, climb on/into/over things, and just play...

Sometimes I give them a direction - for this shot, they were playing on the tracks, focused on their push-pull balancing game, and I yelled "Hey, over here!". They both looked over at me, and I hit the shutter.

Jaelle's brand of modeling, in particular, can be a bit hair-raising at times - I have a number of shots I have taken of her where I am saying "Yes, thats cool, now come down from there. No, don't stand up. No, Jaelle, for God's sakes, come back here, that sign says Danger Do Not Enter!" Its enough to turn my hair grey.

But I am pleased by what I have gotten with them. I actually have a big backlog of shots I'd like to scan and upload, and I've been too busy to do it. So, stay tuned...

"Is this 4 mirrors that form a square? "

No, its two long mirrors set into a V-shape. My feet are at the narrow end of the V, the camera is set slightly outside the V.

Very, very nice....I really love IR, and this a good shot. Congrats...

DO NOT crop it. Thats my opinion, anyway. Its great, very arresting.

Alex: Its a Nikon 24-120 zoom. I'm guessing I had it at 24 for this, I usually do for IR stuff.

Note: a red #25 filter was used with this shot, and all my IR shots, although I usually don't bother to remark it...