Natalie Minx Learns the Ropes

I had the great pleasure of working with Natalie Minx for two days while she was in the area. I had actually dialoged with her a couple times through email over the last three years but to no avail. Either she was in the area while I was traveling or I was available and she was on the West coast. Such is the way with these things. Timing can be a very cruel mistress.

When she contacted me again this time it was for a period smack in the middle of my most busy shooting schedule in the last five years. What was I to do? I said they hell with it is what I did. I threw caution to the wind and made the time. You can tell I was pleased with her modeling abilities because one day of shooting turned into more shooting the next day. When you like the material you are generating you take advantage of the time you have available.

The first position we did was jacked to say the least. It featured a massive panty gag with tight taping and a mile of rope that resulted in a chair tie that became a vicious hogtie. I was sold at that point but after the next position being just as stringent with both restraint and gag I was officially hooked as a Natalie Minx fan. The rest of the two days were filled with punishing gags, intricate positions, super-heroines in distress and some of the most sensual and realistic struggling I've ever seen. When Natalie kept re-iterating that this was the toughest bondage she's endured in a very long time I knew we had some great material. Even better she is an absolutely lovely person to talk to. Angelique and I highly enjoyed finally getting the chance to work with her and get to know her a little bit.

The first release with Natalie is called Ravishing Redhead Ready for Rope. It was actually the last scene shot on day one and features a glam restraint that progresses into a difficult standing tie and finally a rigid strappado. If you want the definition of strict bondage take everything you think and push it aside for a moment. Doing one set with someone that is just plain strict is one thing. Doing a FULL DAY of sets with them and ending it with a strict strappado ... that is strict bondage!

I've always gotten a kick out of the reasons why I start shooting certain scenarios. I've never been a big fan of spread leg scenarios when I shoot. The main reason is that I like panties, so I shoot a lot of material with people wearing them. Another major reason is that with realistic scenarios it can come across as implying that something bad will happen to the damsel. I'm more about implied drama instead of in-your-face peril.

That said, I used to not like ballgags. Then I shot with one for a custom request and fell in love with them. Well that just happened with spread legs. I always want to keep the damsel in a predicament where she is forced to choose between struggling and protecting her dignity. I like that balance and feel it makes for compelling video. When you take a girl and tie her legs to her ears I don't feel that balance anymore. The girl is just plain out there and becomes too much of an object for me. I WANT the damsel to have some control and to be a person. There's no drama if the damsel can't do anything. There's no drama if the damsel is an object

A great guy started inquiring about customs with me inquiring about spread positions. At first I didn't know how I felt but as he started explaining the scenario and sending samples it hit me that the first person perspective made it work in a way I didn't think possible. The damsel actually did have control. By controlling the camera like a captor viewing a captive there is an interplay between the model and the camera. She can still work to protect her dignity. I also saw that if I give her enough ability to wiggle she still can't prevent herself from being in full view but there isn't an ability to just stick a camera down below and gratuitously film. Even better, her ability to guard her dignity comes at the expense of her own comfort. The choice is there.

The first shoot I did like this was with the wonderful Hannah Perez. When she kept blocking her face with her knee and actually bumped the camera a few times as I moved in for close-ups I knew we had something. Although very exposed she still had to ability to fight being on display and the ability to attempt to ward off her captor. The balance was there, the damsel was there and the drama worked for me. Color me converted and get ready for similar material to Forced Yoga Practice in the coming months!

Please tie me up!

I really think too much about what I'm going to say sometimes, especially in this blog. It's really not as hard as I make it. I tie people up for a living ... write about that. See, that was easy. I've always been that way when it comes to writing though. Over-analysis lead to paralysis, and I really over-analyze anything written. They hell with that, let's talk about tying people up!

The rest of the year is pretty much petal-to-the-metal when it comes to shooting. I have customs, shoots, drawings, DVDs and everything else bondage coming out of my ears. And I love it. First up we have Hannah Perez. My wife has wanted to put her in a super-heroine outfit for a while now, and that means I get to be a bad guy most likely. If that's not lucky enough I have my own shoot with her split between some custom work and what I'm sure Ms. Perez will consider incredibly jacked restraint. That's in 3-days so we're in the planning stages. I'm thinking right now we'll do a take on the whole "please tie me up" burglar scenario and perhaps the hogtie from hell series. I haven't seen any encasement work with her either, so I'm sure we'll do at least one nylon and a lot of duct tape scene!