Tag: Photograph

Suffering for his art

The photographs below are the work of DanAkuma on deviantART (free sign-up required to view). And I really do mean all his own work, in the truest sense of the word. He’s the photographer, rigger, editor and sole model. He uses a real doll to stand in for the domme and then composes together photographs that are taken on a timer. He describes a little of how the first shot was created in the gallery comments.

It took a good hour to get the angle right with the right lens to show off both of us in equal proportions in the frame…
… it was 3 days worth of post to correct certain things like getting rid of the tripod legs, and warping the top part of my body to the right, so my head is inside the toilet (it was actually next to it when I took the photo), then adding all the shadows in.
Dan Akuma

I think they’re very creative images in their own right, let alone for something created by someone performing in every possible role. I always enjoy seeing someone with an imaginative vision just go for it, and do whatever it takes to realize it.

Double Jeopardy by Dan Akuma
Ownership by Dan Akuma

In repose

Yesterday’s post promised hot babes in skin tight leather, and while that was originally intended sarcastically, I thought this photograph would fulfill my promise while still being an interesting image. I’ve no idea if it’s posed or a candid shot taken between poses. There’s no watermark and I couldn’t track down an attribution. I find it kind of sweet. A sleeping person naturally draws out a sentimental and protective reaction. I’d guess it’s an evolutionary programmed response. She’ll be up to beat your ass and slap you with those gloves, just as soon as she’s grabbed a quick 40 winks.

Sleeping DommeI found this on the Fetish World tumblr site.

Do you buy that by the pound or the inch?

Here’s a rather well muscled chap being measured in all the relevant areas. The careful shopper should always assess the goods carefully before making a purchasing decision.

Personally I find this kind of objectification of the male form rather offensive. The poor guy is being treated like a piece of meat. Not to mention making me feel insecure about my own slightly less studly physique. But don’t worry, our normal service of hot babes in skin tight leather will be resuming shortly.

Male slave on the scalesIt’s originally from a photo-shoot entitled ‘Only the handsome will survive‘ in the Russian edition of GQ style. The photographer is Alex Bego and I found it via the Vrouwelijke Dominantie tumblr.

Site Updates

I’ve managed to find some time this weekend to do a few tweaks to the site. On the blog roll to the right (and on the blog page) I’ve added links to two blogs:

On the Femdom Image page I’ve added a collection of new tumblr links:

On the equipment page I’ve added a link to Strict Leather. And finally, I fixed the artwork entry on Augustine to point at some useful galleries rather than his closed image fap page. I’m still looking for a definitive site for his work if it’s out there.

I’ll leave you with a shot of Mistress Olivia Fitzgerald herself, taken from her commercial site. I found it interesting, as it’s one of those shots that if you described it to someone unseen, the resulting impression would be completely contrary to how it actually comes across. What would sound like scary serious S&M play, actually looks kind of sweet and tender in the image itself.

Mistress Olivia Fitzgerald

Deep breath in

I like the contrast between these two shots. The first is sweet and good-natured. There’s some light bondage, a gentle kiss on the cheek and a sweet smile. The second is dynamic, explosive. Her controlling hand on the back of his head contrasting with his shocked expression as he sucks in fresh air. Breathplay and bondage. It’s a winning combination.

Xana Star and Danny Wylde in hot-tub breathplay scene
Xana Star and Danny Wylde in hot-tub breathplay sceneI found this on the Work Is Never Over tumblr. If you’re a fan of shots of submissive guys, it’s definitely a tumblr worth browsing. Originally these images are from a Men in Pain shoot feauring Xana Star, Mika Tan and Danny Wylde.

Squaring the circle

I was sorry to see that Ms K has decided to retire from professional domination. I’ve never met her – it has been many years since I returned to the UK – but from her blog posts it was clear she was a thoughtful and conscientious pro-domme, and it’s always a shame to lose someone like that from the profession.  I found her follow-up post listing some of her reasons for stopping a thought provoking one.

I was finding it hard to reconcile being the Dominant woman I am with feeling a sense of having to oblige those subs who were paying for my time, with things they enjoyed even if I was beginning to find those things less interesting  …[snip]… I gave up as I only wanted to play with subs prepared to do it my way.
Ms K

All jobs require compromise at some level. It doesn’t matter if you’re the founder of a start-up or a cog in a big corporate machine, there are always trade-offs to make and boring tasks to complete. Yet most jobs don’t have the idea of dominance and control at the heart of them. As a software developer, I might not like every feature I deliver, but there’s no conflict with my inherent software developeriness. The same can’t be said for a dominant doing something she doesn’t enjoy. What does a domme do when the demands of the business contradict her reasons for doing it?

Professional domination is frequently described in a derogatory fashion as service topping, and that’s something that annoys me twice over. Firstly, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with service topping. Making someone happy and delivering a great experience is a wonderful thing. I don’t think anything less of a chef just because she decides to cook professionally. Secondly, I think both service topping and ‘true domination’ (whatever that means) can occur in both professional and non-professional relationships. Money is only one aspect of many in a relationship, professional or otherwise. But I have to agree that it can be a particularly gnarly aspect to deal with.

It’s also a problem that cuts both ways. As a submissive I don’t want someone simply running through a list of activities with me. I want a dominant who is enjoying what she’s doing and expressing her natural creativity as we play. Specifying a ‘to do’ list runs counter to the D/s dynamic, but several dommes I’ve played with in the past wanted exactly that. I’d guess that was partly to make their lives easier, and mostly because too many clients in the past started with “Oh you can do anything you want to me Mistress!” and finished up with “Well I don’t like that, and we didn’t do this, and why this? That wasn’t what I wanted.”

It’s my personal suspicion that the most financially successful pro-dommes are those who can get personal satisfaction both from one-off service top type sessions and from building longer-term relationships involving more D/s elements. I’ve also anecdotally observed that a lot of pro-dommes start with a lot of the former and evolve towards the latter as their careers and interests progress. It strikes me as a pity that both dommes and clients aren’t more open about the distinction between the two approaches. Everything gets lumped under domination, when in fact that’s simply a catch-all for anything under the BDSM and fetish umbrella.

I’m afraid I don’t have any images of Ms K to use (her website has been taken down), so I’ll instead go with another retired pro-domme, the legendary Isabella Sinclaire. It was originally shot for bootlovers.com.

Isabella Sinclaire

The decade that taste forgot

When it comes to fashion disasters, the 1970’s have a lot to answer for. It’s easy to laugh at strange fashions from other decades, but I don’t think any managed to date quite so quickly and look so ugly as those from the 70’s. Judging by this first photograph, BDSM and fetish fashion was no exception. That is some seriously ugly leather gear.

On the plus side, when they lost the weird clothes, the 70’s era porn did at least boast some very natural looking naked people. The second shot is of the great Sharon Mitchell. She’s a true porn star, meaning someone who stands out and illuminates, rather than simply a paid performer. I’ve no idea whose face she’s sitting on, but I think it’s a pretty good bet that he’s a hairy gentlemen, probably sporting a beard.

Vintage leather fetish outfits

Sharon Mitchell cunnilingus shotTo be honest, I actually don’t know for sure the date of these photographs, but that wallpaper and those hairstyles look awfully 70’s to me. The first came courtesy of the At Her Feet tumblr. The second I found via the Femdom Empire tumblr.

Happiness is the moment before impact

I have a bone to pick with you guys and girls. I just discovered that on my Femdom Images page the link to the Geek Domme tumblr was incorrectly pointing at the Following Blindly Again tumblr. Now technically speaking I realize that this was entirely my mistake. And the following blindly tumblr is a jolly fine one in it’s own right. But come on people. Thousands of you are looking at that page everyday (I know because my server logs tell me so) and nobody spotted that mistake? We’re collaborating here, don’t leave it all to this idiot.

I’ll make my apologies by featuring an image I found and enjoyed on the Geek Domme tumblr. There’s a lot to like here. The simplicity of her outfit. The marks already on his body. The expression on his face. The minimalism of the shot, and the tension of the impending impact. It’s a great image, courtesy of Smutty Productions.

Mistress about to strike contented slave

Bareback riding

Apologies for the lack of a post yesterday, and for the lack of response to comments. I’m traveling again, and currently working off an unfamiliar laptop in a San Francisco hotel room. On the plus side, I’m looking forward to being beaten up by Domina Ai-Li tomorrow, so that’s definite bonus.

I’ll leave you with a fascinating vintage domination shot. I love the fact she has reins that reach so far, allowing her to stand on his back. I also love the circus like nature of the shot. It’s all very well to carry a domme on your back when riding pony style, but imagine having to do so when she’s standing on it with boots. I’m guessing if he spills her, then that flogger in the other hand will come into use. If she was really evil there’d be some small jumps and hoops for him to navigate as well.

Vintage domination shot featuring domme riding on back of slaveThe original tumblr post has it tagged as something from the 1920’s Weimar republic.