|
Interview by BoundAndGagged.net
 Do you have your own
website?
BondageShowcase.com
-- but I haven't really done anything creatively with it yet other than point it to my token site at
Damsel Theater. I also have a guestbook.
How did you happen to get into doing bondage work?
It was a mix of things. Like most people into bondage, I've been
fascinated by the image of helplessly bound women for most of my life.
Anything that you're passionate about is something that you eventually
want to do whether it's for fun or for a living. Finding models seemed
like such an impossible thing to do. It basically became something that
I wanted to do, but never really seemed like something that could ever
happen. It held as much reality as wanting to be a billionaire or
something equally impossible.
Then, a bunch of events happened that made the impossible become
possible. It was partly the fun of corresponding with Lorelei, a very
happy surprise when I wrote her about elements I liked in one of her
videos and amazingly got a reply. I kept asking her when she'd do a
force video and she eventually started turning the question back to me
as to when I'd start shooting my own material. It took a while, I
started thinking more and more that I could and should. Then digital
cameras came out which made it easier to photograph adult material and
not have to deal with getting photos developed. The FetishCon
also happened and Lorelei was going and there were going to be a lot of
models at the convention and that was adequate reason to go. I arranged
a couple shoots, one ahead of time, and one with Shade Paine and her husband when I met them. The next thing I know, I'm a bondage photographer.
Did you study photography or videography formally, or were you self-taught?
I'm self-taught, but have always been interested in art and taught
myself how to draw. That helps develop a good eye for photography.
What was your first bondage shoot like? Do any memories about it stand out?
My first shoot was a custom video with Jon and Lorelei at the first
FetishCon that I went to. It's always going to be one of the most
memorable events of my life because it was a dream come true. Here I am
doing my first bondage shoot and I'm doing it with two of the premiere
bondage stars of all time both as performers and producers. It was
scary and exciting at the same time. The hardest aspect of the shoot
was trying to stay focused on the videocamera eyepiece because I kept
wanting to look at what was going on live instead of being restricted
to just the tiny image in the camera. It was so incredible seeing my
fantasies played out before me. I've had a lot of great shoots since
then, but that one really stands out because everything worked out
great and there's always something very special about that first
experience. I also have the video which I watch over and over again, so
it'll be outright impossible to forget that day.
What's a typical bondage shoot like?
It starts with decorating the set and arranging lights before the
models show up. Then there's lots of praying that the model does show
up. Once the model shows up, does her make-up, and gets into the outfit
for the shoot, everything is a frantic adrenaline rush. It's running
around looking for the best angles and shots for each pose, jumping on
chairs for some shots, dropping to the floor for others and just moving
around as fast as possible getting as many photos as possible. Some
photographers like to painstakingly set up a single shot with perfect
lighting and poses and they shoot a few photos at those optimum
conditions. I'm essentially telling a story and it's more important
covering all the aspects of that progressive event and I'd rather get
some experimental angles that may or may not work. A lot of time, they
don't work, but sometimes they're the best in the bunch. Once one set
is shot, the model is untied, rests, eats some snacks and I'm crazily
dashing about cleaning up and setting up everything for the next set.
It's really a hectic day.
Which bondage work do you like better -- still photos, or video production?
I like both. Even though I've mostly shot stills, I prefer watching
videos to looking at stills. I enjoy both, but video adds motion and
sound. The reason I mostly work in stills is that there is more control
over what happens. At the moment, it's easier selling stills on the
internet than dealing with moving physical products trying to sell
videos.
What types of storylines or themes do you prefer to work on?
Force fantasies--period. I'm doing this stuff so that I can have
material that I want to see. If there were tons of force fantasy
websites out there, it would have been a whole lot more difficult to
have the incentive to shoot my own material. Although there is a larger
market for more straightforward bondage material, I'm less into it for
the money (which is fairly disappointing) than the fun of getting
stills and videos that I want to look at. There are so many
photographers putting their unique visions to love and glamour bondage
that I'd prefer to photograph something different and it happens to be
a difference that I'm passionate about.
Do you have any influences?
I'm sort of "John Blakemore meets Jon Woods". I've always loved the
classic detective style of Jon Woods bondage, but want the fantasy to
push more towards the more sexually-oriented style of Blakemore's
legendary HOM material. That's why it's always been an awesome thrill
to work with Jon Woods as both a performer and rigger. He always does a
great job even though he's performing in fantasies that he doesn't
share.
Who have you worked with? You don't have to remember everyone, just some...
Lorelei - The premiere bondage personality of our time and still one of
the best and hottest models I've ever worked with and a person I never
tire having conversations with http://www.bedroombondage.com
Ashley Renee - Still one of the most incredibly hot and amazing bondage
models and it was such an unbelievable thrill to have a chance to
photograph her http://www.ashleyrenee.com
Candace Daylee - One of my all time favorites--beautiful with an
incredibly natural voluptuous body and a wonderfully expressive
performer
Loren Chance - A great model that is down to earth in person and so
unapproachably elegant on film and an amazing performer
Shade Paine - One of the first models I worked with and one of the best
with a dancer's lithe body and great performance skills http://www.shadepaine.com
Elkie Cooper - Elkie remains a favorite and has such incredibly large and expressive eyes
Jenni Lee - Always struck me as being a model that was destined to be
one of the bondage superstars like Ashley Renee and Stacy Burke http://www.boundnwet.com (site retired)
Julie Simone - Is one of the most expressive models I ever worked with such perfect poses
http://www.juliesimone.com
Molli Monroe - A very cute fun model to work with natural performing abilities
Sarah Lynne - A gorgeous redhead and one of the most enjoyable models to work with
Chanta Rose - One of the funniest models I ever worked with and a great performer
http://www.bondagepussycat.com
Describe one of the worst bondage shoots you can remember.
The worst was with a model that should never have done a bondage shoot,
but was doing it solely for money needed for rent. Even though I
described the shoot ahead of time to the model, showed her sample
photos of the types of things that would happen with the shoot, and her
boyfriend was playing the villain, she still freaked out. What made
everything particularly awkward was that I knew, the minute she was
tied and I started taking photos, that it wasn't going to work out. The
problem was that they were there, needed the money, and all I could do
was go through with the shoot and hope that the material would be
usable. The model was extremely uncomfortable no matter how loosely she
was tied. She wasn't taking direction well. After the second set, the
model started crying. I left her alone with her boyfriend and when they
caught up with me, I suggested that the shoot be stopped, paid them for
their time and a little extra for their trouble. The odd thing was that
the model kept insisting that she could do another set. At that point,
I mostly talked to the boyfriend and impressed upon him that this
wasn't the right kind of work for her. After a while, the boyfriend
agreed and the shoot was done.
Describe one of your best bondage shoots that you can remember.
The best ones are simply shoots where everything goes right and the
model is comfortable and enjoying the shoot and providing all the right
poses and expressions with minimal direction. I get to take more photos
because I don't have to spend a lot of time telling the model what to
do and the model is giving me more than what I'm asking for. When the
shot is being taken, the model can look positively terrified and the
next second can be joking about what's going on. Those are the shoots
that are fun.
Is there anything you haven't done yet?
I want to get into video more someday. It's hard to do with the limited
time that I have to do shoots. Force fantasies would make frightening
mainstream low-budget movies. I'm probably not the right person to
direct that kind of film, but it might be something I'll try in the
future.
Thank you for interviewing with us!
Richard Reynolds' bondage photography can be seen at BondageShowcase.com.
|