Whitney's First Breast Bondage

Tied Titney Morgan!

Everyone so often you get an image from a shoot that totally tells the tale of the entire experience for the model. I worked with Whitney Morgan at this year's Fetishcon and as is my custom our first set was a true test of the fair-haired vixen. I put her through a challenging first hour where she experienced tight rope bondage, welded elbows, her first-ever breast bondage, tape bondage, panty gag mouth-packing and tight tape wrapped around her face. After 30 or so minutes of that you're bound to be a bit worn out, and I think the image above tells that tale. She is not comfortable, and I suspect counting the seconds until the set is over.

Her face was glistening with sweat, her jaws were forced wide open by the panties, her face was squeezed by the tape and the ropes contorted her body into a helpless bundle of awesomeness on the couch. She was tied with rope everywhere and tape over the rope. She could barely move and her cries for help were too muffled to have any effect. She had already been gagged twice, three times if you count when she knelt before her "boss" on the carpet. She had struggled for countless minutes with no escape in sight.

That brings us to the image. After all that she still had five minutes to go, and she she it. She had to somehow find the energy to wriggle and whine for several more minutes before being rolled onto her stomach and having her panties and pantyhose pulled down.  She had to endure being rocked back and forth over and over, her aching breasts crushing into into the couch, as her "boss" gave her the final part of her retraining. As it turns out it was an interview for a promotion and not retraining at all. Whitney loved it, got the promotion and eagerly awaits her 30-day review!

Image courtesy of Called on the Carpet: On-the-Job Bondage Retraining with Whitney Morgan.

More images and sneak preview available at http://www.tedmichaelsdamsels.com/Whitney_Morgan_Bound/Whitney_Morgan_Bound_01.html

The making of a real-life damsel in distress

The thrill for me in bondage boils down to being creative and helping people explore their own boundaries. Don't get me wrong. There are many gals out there willing to let you tie them tightly and bundle them up into tight packages of sweat-glistened flesh. There are even gals out there who don't care too much for bondage but still appreciate it's artistic quality. I never said this but there are also a few gals out there that hate it but do it anyway. I can be creative with any of those gals. Exploring boundaries though requires a certain trust factor that compels a model to jump from being an actress in a scene to becoming a true damsel in distress. I am refering to my own rarefied interpretation of damsel in distress in this case, the real-life damsel.

The classical damsel in distress is a beautiful female placed in a dire predicament and needing rescue. A key element to melodrama in literature and film, this damsel is often foolish and ineffective, almost naive, and thus requires saving from herself. It's not difficult to achieve this in bondage photography. You tie someone up and have them struggle. Although the outward appearance can be misogynistic, it is a classical approach and and allows for a fun and loose interaction between the model and photographer. The damsel is in total control behind the scenes. She knows that she can get loose if she wanted and had a little time. She knows that quick release is but a safe-word away, and that her gag would let her cry out at the right time to attract attention. These type of shoots are often filled with joking, laughter and fun exchanges between the model and photographer. It is more of a romanticized experience. Note the word used is not romantic but romanticized. It allows the model to play at being the beautiful maiden waiting for a night in shining armor, but it is play for she controls the scenario whether the photographer knows it or not. Once the romanticized curtain is pulled back the model loses interest.

Another type of damsel is the one that doesn't have much of a romanticized view on bondage and helplessness but still appreciates the creative and artistic aspects to the process. She generally doesn't enjoy bondage, but enjoys the photographic process. Able to recognize the artistic vision of the photographer she allows herself to be placed in positions of helplessness and discomfort in order to create compelling visual works. These damsels will explore themes such as shibari, suspension, challenging gags and strict restraint as long as the comfort level doesn't grow too high or last too long. These models make great damsels because they have limits that they have not explored because of their general disinterest in bondage as something other than a creative pursuit. Almost every picture I've taken that got the response, "I worked with her and had no idea she could do that!" was of a model that likes creativity more than bondage. She explored those limits.

The final damsel is the only true real-life damsel. They are the trust/confidence damsel. In the romanticized world a damsel knows she will be rescued. In the creative world a damsel knows this as well but also knows she can work herself free if she has too. In this case though the model knows she will be released but only after experiencing true helplessness at the hands of the rigger. The ties are tight, the positions are punishing and the gags are huge and silencing. The experience is a true physical and mental challenge. I call these models true damsels because they are willing to place themselves in restraints where they are totally helpless and totally within the control of the rigger. They can barely move and rescue is their only option. They will never be free of their own accord. There is no chance of untying themselves, cutting themselves loose or drawing attention to themselves for rescue. The romance of a knight in shining armor does not exist. The driving force of gritting through it because the material will be great has been washed away by the discomfort. There is only biting restraint, aching jaws and being bundled up so completely they can continue only on the trust that it will be over and their confidence in their ability to endure.

Creativity in traditional film and media requires faking. If you think for a second that studio lawyers and insurance companies would let an actress be placed in a restraint that won't pop off immediately then you are deluded. Creativity in bondage photography however requires real-life helplessness. No matter the level of restraint they are all putting themselves into the hands of the rigger. The real-life damsel for me though is the one that lets you take the restraint and gags so far that they are totally dependent on you as the rigger. You can put scissors on the ground and they won't cut one rope. You can put a phone by their face and they won't manage to dial the first number. They are so helpless and uncomfortable that the rigger is their only hope of freedom. That takes confidence. That takes trust. Loss of physical freedom is about 5% for me. The voluntary and knowing surrender of that freedom is the other 95%. That is a true damsel.

If you want an example look at poor Tomiko here. I shot with her as she was recovering from back and neck issues. We discussed things and made some necessary concessions but even with that she was uncomfortable the entire shoot. The image I've chosen really drives the point home though. I used a ballgag that was larger than she was accustomed to having in her mouth. It pried her jaws open and was very uncomfortable. Then I wrapped cellfoam tape around her face. This drove the ball deeper into her mouth and squeezed her face. She couldn't get free from the chair, couldn't cry for help and was mauled by me throughout the scene. Afterwards she told me her jaws were on fire and the discomfort was intense, but the scene was going so well she didn't want to pull the plug. She allowed herself to be totally helpless and totally dependent. More importantly she trusted in my ability to shoot the scene quickly and was confident enough in herself that she could endure. The expression on her face isn't faked, it is a real expression of extreme discomfort. More importantly I didn't take that expression from Tomiko. She gave it to everyone, and that makes her great model. Tomiko in Tight Trouble is a great example of what I call a true damsel in distress!

Breast bondage!

I like tied boobs. I'll admit it. The first film loop I every saw was of Renee Baker getting her breasts wired up into little balloons. It struck a nerve with me, and it's been part of my work ever since. The assumption that some may jump to is that I like adding some extra pain, but that's not even close.

One reason is that it appeals to me aesthetically. I've always viewed rigging as a form of 3D sculpture. The rope melds with the model to create a work of helplessness. The way the rope sinks into the flesh and the skin bulges around it has always appealed to me, and adding rope to a breast is no different. The rope sinks in around the base and the two combine to make something very different than before. In many cases it completes the visual. In the same way that a restraint looks more visually appealing with a crotchrope, some restraints just beg for bound breasts.

Additionally I love the added helplessness that a tightly bound breast adds. It illustrates the control a captor has which is always a great way to show helplessness, but it also limits the ability of the heroine to escape. A girl will think twice before rolling onto her chest or hopping around with those things bouncing all tied up. It's a psychological thing. She has the ability to do it, but the choice isn't as simple anymore. Further, it wears someone out faster. The goal of keeping someone put in a storyline is to either weld them in place or make sure the restraint wears them out before then can do anything to help their situation.

One of the first set of breasts I tied up on video was those of Sammie Sparks. She had a great way of struggling in breast bondage, always making sure they wiggled and jiggled. Today's update is from one of those sets. He Tied My Tits So Tight with Sammy Sparks is and older video, but the quality of rigging and those breasts wound tightly are something to see!

Stacie wrapped up for the holidays!

I often don't really know where a sequence is going until it happens. I have a girl tied up and struggling in what I call the basic tie. That's the tie where the girl is already tied up, but things can get much worse. Her wrists, elbows, ankles and knees keep her somewhat compliant and her ballgag keeps her somewhat quiet. It's a great way to start because you can do so many things to make it more challenging.

That's where my bad guy mode kicks into gear. I film that first part and that part of me watches how the girl is struggling, and I think, "how can I keep her from getting to the phone, getting scissors or attracting attention?" I jump in with more rope and just go for it. Before you know it the poor thing is just a wiggling pile of flesh and rope on the ground with a look on her face that is half play-acting and half, "holy shit Ted, why?"

That happened with Stacie Snow earlier this year. We decided on a nice blouse and skirt combo and some nifty blue high heels. I put her in the basic tie and told her to struggle until I figured out the next part. She wiggled and grunted and stayed in the chair all the time. The bad guy mode kicked in and whispered that the chair is too comfortable and tied her into a fold tie. Then the bad guy thought it was too hard to see her face and that chair is way too comfy. I dumped her on the ground, and she tried to kick me. Bad move ... soon poor Stacie was cinched into a tight balltie with her face wrapped in tape. She wasn't making much noise and she was moving even less. Every effort just exhausted her to the point where she could barely lift her head.

Some models hate ballties and some love them. Regardless there is one thing that is certain. It offers the most limited movement of almost any tie including the hogtie. It exhausts you quickly and done right there is no escape. Check out Stacie Snow in Roped Readhead Balltied in Blue Shoes and see how poorly she fared :)

Just Hanging Around

I absolutely love a video I shot with Maria Shadoes some years back. I had a little different formula back then since I was working mostly on a tripod for the camera work. Sure, I had a DV camcorder but it still produced somewhat shaky results when the footage was hand-held. I even went so far as to make a steady cam, but it was useless for shooting in tight spaces. Where was I? Oh yeah, I shot mostly on a tripod. The problem with shooting on a tripod is my style has always been about drama and the best way to get drama with static angles is a lot of camera cuts. The change in scene tells the brain that something is happening and makes it get "re-interested" in what is going on.

The big lead-in is basically to say that a lot of cuts means a lot of editing! I've wanted to put up this video for a while, but it's been a real bear to edit into something I am comfortable releasing. I could just throw up 35 minutes of Maria wiggling with her elbows welded the entire time, but I demand drama. My post-production motto is the same as my restraint motto. The editing has to be quality; if it's not tight it's not right. My editing software isn't helping either because it keeps choking on empty frames I forgot to fill (technical blah blah).

Regardless, I will figure it all out and get a clip up soon. It's going to be called Maria Shadoes in Do Not Disturb and will feature a tight chair tie, callous man-handling, jacked hogtie and a door suspension in a hotel. The entire time poor Ms. Shadoes wears my fattest ballgag and a tight wrapping of gauze over her entire face. Wish me luck ... this edit has been fighting back harder than Maria did during the takedown at the beginning of the video!

Don't Go Anywhere

I pulled out the big kitten eyes yesterday and suggested a tie-em-up. Angelique had an outfit on that just said to me that she should get grabbed and tied up. It wasn't like it was a vampy outfit or anything; she just looks hot in anything and it made me want to do an impromptu clips. Imagine my surprise when she told me that the big, pleading eyes worked and I should try it more often. After shooting the clip I plan on just that. It wasn't long before she was tied up on camera, had a vibrator jammed against her most protected areas and was hogtied to struggle, drool and, well, do things that vibrators help make happen. I'll have it up on the store soon.

A big thing off of my list was getting an iPod clips store up. It only has five of my best-selling clips so far, but I'll let you know that they look wonderful on my iPhone. It's great to have portable, um, entertainment! I plan on updating this store just as regularly as my regular store! I also want to thank everyone who has visited my regular C4S store and most importantly purchased clips. This has been my best month so far, and I'm encouraged enough to continue putting up content :)

I managed to shoot a custom with Angelique and will go into the editing phase soon. I keep mentioning customs, but this was one that was really fun to shoot. Nothing against anyone, but the communication aspect of shooting customs is the most difficult aspect. The customer always has a very real image in mind and my translating that image properly is a challenge. This last custom was a case of me and another person thinking in the same way ... we communicate visually and through storyboards I was able to nail it. I'm sure he'll be overwhelmed with the results. I'll put up a sneak peek of it as I get time to work on things.

Last but not least, my top-selling slip is still Angelique Kitos in Hogtie From Hell. Others are coming close, but she reigns supreme as the overall clip champion and the champion in total sales!

Chop saws and powerdrills

Custom videos get done on weekends around these parts. Since yesterday was date night (Barbecue following Paranormal Activity 2) that makes Sunday get 'er done day. Angelique is dealing with mutant activity in Fallout while I'm prepping for a super-heroine request that came our way.

I've already ordered the missing materials for the outfit but still need to hit the party store for a harlequin mask. Earlier I had the fun of bringing out the miter saw and the drill press to put together a post rig. Now I don't know about most of you but I like to keep my home, well, a home. As such I don't bolt poles into the floor for the sake of cinching damsels up to them. That requires making rigs. The new place has the perfect door way that only required making a brace for the top of the door jamb, a brace for the bottom and a pole to go between them. The sawdust flew, the whir of the drill driver echoed in the garage and 20 minutes later we have a post for a tasty pole tie that is rock-solid and damages nothing in the house. Even better I got to use some old two-by-fours that came on a shipping pallet for our treadmill ... I hate wasting good wood (pun intended) and was glad to get the entire rig done for free!

With permission from the requester I'll put up some peeks at how things went later. Until then I'll put up something from a clip that went up last night. It stars the wonderful Kendra James. It's notable in that it is the very first clip I ever shot of her and that it contains more dialog from myself than any clip I've ever done. I'm the strong, silent type when it comes to "bad guys" but it was necessary to be a loud-mouth to make this clip work. All the rigging was done on-screen which is always a bit tighter than when it's done before the camera rolls, and Kendra had to deal with a gag consisting of a large ball, duct tape, a gauze head wrap and then electrical tape over that. Again, those in-the-moment gags tend to end up with a full stretch on the gauze, so she really had to deal with some discomfort. Notable as well for the longest title I've ever used, Kendra James in I Can't Get Away If You Tie Me Up Tight! is available now.

I love coffee

I woke up today feeling like I got hit in the face with a sledge hammer. I guess the change in weather has finally caught up with my sinuses. And that's why I love coffee. I'm not even finished with the first cup, and I already feel almost normal. I don't know how that works, but I'm not arguing.

Sitting over the steaming cup of miracle elixir, I'm doing my usual list of odds and ends. I had fun with some yahoo group posting. Knowing HTML is fun because you can always post messages that have links, pictures and formatting. It's all about the presentation. I put in an update from my last shoot with JJ Plush at her Yahoo group. I loved her blurb about me, "This guy doesn't fool around." It goes on the wall of quotes, with gems like "Nice guy, ties REALLY tight!" and "I'm glad I took my muscle relaxer."

Then I meandered on over to Stacie Snow's group to check things out. She was nice enough to put up a link for me and comment on the recent clip of her that went into my store. I always get a kick out of her group because she hates spammers more than I do ... and I hate spammers. I fully support her use of a tomahawk in solving the problem. The clips is from a series that I call "Hogtie from Hell" because it is basically just that, a hogtie that pushes people to their physical and mental limits. The "hell" challenges are all about the 3-minutes of video after the model is spent. I don't know why people agree to it, but I'm glad they do.

Oh, and the image of that hogtie agony is called Stacie Snow in Hogtied and Hurting available at my C4S Store.