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!

We give the studio a test run

The fun thing about having a revamped studio is that when someone says, "let's go shoot some fine art, I'll let you do some shibari after that" you can just go do it. There's no moving couches or setting up backdrops or spending on hour on lights. Almost everything is all set up already. A process that used to take a half day to set up takes minutes.

It's been a blast not only because it's a pain in the ass to destroy the house to shoot and that pain is gone but because we shoot so much more now. If I have a cool idea odds are we'll shoot it. If Angelique needs some updates for her portfolios it's as easy as grabbing my camera. And as with today's scenario she will always let me get a clip in afterwards.

An added benefit is that before everything was in closets, tubs and boxes. If you had a cool idea searching for the components was a nightmare and almost not worth it. Now when shibari came up I had the hemp right there and some spare rope to make a nice gag to go with the position. Folks who do this regularly know what I'm talking about. You can spend 3 hours to shoot 50 shots and a 15-minute clip. We spend 30 minutes shooting all of that. That means more energy, more productivity and the rare opportunity to have a light bulb go off in your head and just go shoot it and see what happens.

The moral: I love the new studio. Angelique does as well but you couldn't tell from this image we shot and put up today. I called it 240 Feet of Hemp Rope Hogtie Hell. It was a tough one, but we're finding those are easy to do now. When you don't have to worry about clean-up you'd be amazed just what a gal will let you put her through!