InfiniteISO Loc: The Carolinas, USA

This afternoon a group of us hiked into a secluded section of Stone Mountain State Park in North Carolina. The purpose of the trek was to do some erotic rope work incorporating a section of small waterfalls and pools. There were two skilled riggers, their wives, and the muse and me. One of the wives and I were responsible for the photography. The other wife was the 2nd model. The area we shot was about 3 miles from our cars and everyone was loaded down with gear. Because we had to swim in a few places to get to this location, I decided to take my old D90 in a dry bag. I also brought a speed light.


It was a bright sunny day and I was really hoping for some cloud cover. The pace of the day allowed the muse and I to do some non-rope photos and we tried to take advantage of the location while providing safety support for the other model. Pairing rope work with water is inherently dangerous and in all of the rope shots, people are right out of the frame waiting to jump in and cut the model out if necessary. The water was brisk. Everyone was wet and I was standing in water for most of these shots.

To speed things up, the models were tied into harnesses that were used in a couple of different locations

'

A "normal" set, playing in the creek.

(Download)

Harness on, getting ready to get lowered into position

(Download)

In position on the steps

(Download)

Fully Suspended along the bank above a pool

(Download)

Out of the harness, getting read to hike out.

(Download)

Behind the scenes, the riggers are lowering the model

Stardust Loc: Central Illinois

Not sure what to say about the photos but I found the commentary very educational (with the illustrations) on a subject I have limited knowledge, strictly as a passive attendee on a couple occasions.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Really inventive Rigging. I particularly like the shot of The Muse stretched over the waterfalls. Great way to combine your obsessions.

Tex-s

Regarding the rigging, I could not help but notice a parallel feel to the following Porcupine Tree album art:

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Great set.
Looks like there was a lot of fun doing it.

Rab-Eye Loc: Indiana

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

f8lee Loc: New Mexico

Interesting shots - next time (if there is a next time) perhaps taking an ND filter along in order to smooth out the moving waters would make for a more ethereal look

Fkaufman3 Loc: Florida, LA ie lower Alabama

Nice but bet the water was cold

InfiniteISO Loc: The Carolinas, USA

Interesting Idea. I don't know if I've ever seen a long exposure shot using an ND filter that included a model. To be honest, I don't know if I would have wanted to add a tripod to the gear that I toted six miles, round trip, and if I did, I don't know if could trust it in moving water over a foot deep. it's not evident, but the only image that I was not standing in the creek for was the second one.

I was fighting the extreme light differential between sunny and shade all afternoon. These images were shot between 12 and 4 PM on an almost cloudless day. If I had not had a fill flash, I would not have captured most of them. I was also toting a camera and lens I was willing to lose. A D90 with over 80,000 actuations and an 18-200 Nikon with a broken VR motor. I don't have a good filter set for that lens. There were a couple of instances where a polarizer would have come in handy.

The majority of the bondage shots would fall into the category of documentation. I was shooting the riggers in the process of working with the models and moving around to get a lot of different angles on the work in progress. It's one of those situations where you spend 45 minutes getting a model into a position that they are only going to hold for an additional 5 minutes. That water temp was in the mid 60s and she was in it a lot more than I was, at least in percentage of body submerged. Between the energy zap of the cold water and the effort of the hike we both slept like stones last night.

olBadger

I can only imagine the amount of trust it takes for your muse to feel truly comfortable in doing these shots - amazing. Almost as amazing as the combination of the blue of that rope combined with the tone of her skin and the red of her hair is incredibly vibrant. Great work by all involved!

olBadger

I remember that band!

JohnFrim Loc: Somewhere in the Great White North.

I am not into ropes and bondage, but I think you would achieve a more erotic result if the model exhibited a more subdued expression and did not look straight into the camera. The smile and cheerful look send the message that this is just fun and horseplay as opposed to submission. Have another look at the movie "50 Shades of Grey" and watch the facial expressions of Dakota Johnson.

InfiniteISO Loc: The Carolinas, USA

John, first of all, what makes you think I've seen that movie. The few people I know that have watched it say it's a load of BS. We were horsing around yesterday. It never occurred to me to ask her to put on a fake expression.

Not all aspects of rigging and rope bondage are about submission. Have you ever heard the term "Rope Bunny?" This is someone who truly enjoys being tied up. It can be a submissive thing, but not necessarily. My wife likes the eroticism of being tied and untied while she's nude. She also loves to fly, using a harness and a high pivot point to swing over a large area. It's a joyous thing, but also inherently dangerous since you have no real control.

Yesterday's work was a simple suspension, but they think they can go back in the future and rig a pivot using multiple ropes and limbs that reach out over one large pool. That will allow the women to fly over the surface of the water. If that takes place that will be something to capture on video.

The guys that rigged my wife enjoy the craft and the engineering of suspension and the visual art of the rope work. They also enjoy the intimacy of tieing the harnesses. I think there's plenty of eroticism in the shots, but I'm more familiar with the process. I have tied my wife several dozen times, but I'm not comfortable suspending her yet.

We were out to have fun yesterday and I was taking photos of my wife enjoying herself. I'm sorry if that comes through in the photos. I have an acquaintance that is a rigger and one of his friends is a masochist. She likes to be tied into painful positions, gagged, blindfolded, and left hanging inverted for long periods of time. It's not my thing to look at or photograph but I know plenty of people that feel differently. Perhaps your one of them.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Perhaps he's jealous that he can't get a Happy model.

InfiniteISO Loc: The Carolinas, USA

I'm not sure what motivates John's posts, I just know it's not worth anyone's efforts to figure out.