I had shot a virtual photo shoot with Cam during the COVID lockdowns. So naturally, I was ecstatic when she reached out about doing a floral shibari boudoir session for herself.
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"My photoshoot experience with Shane was so wonderful! Shane’s ability to bring forth a creative space that was fun and natural impressed me, as I tend to be a little shy in front of the camera and I was definitely unsure how to pose... During our session, I felt I could easily lean into my personality, and he captures it in his photos effortlessly.”
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Like many women I work with, A is normally is the one at the top of control in her professional life, and she was looking forward to an opportunity to experience something different. In this case, an expression of finding release and freedom through sensuality.
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A reached out to me about doing a session because her birthday was coming up, and though she had achieved a successful corporate career, she had never really dabbled in making art. So, we planned out a delightful shibari boudoir session. Read how it turned out.
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For all my skill in helping others gain confidence in front of the camera, when it comes to myself, I feel like I need as much help as anyone else. Each of these photos took several outtakes, deep breaths, and giving myself permission to be seen, in a vulnerable way.
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This is from a minimalist Shibari session I did with Maddie at my studio in Los Angeles. If you are reminded of the way the light strikes a crescent moon, then I am glad.
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‘On the empty mountains no one can be seen,
But human voices are heard to resound.
The reflected sunlight pierces the deep forest
And falls again upon the mossy ground.’
A collaboration with Kelton Ching and Vivian Lee, inspired by Peking Opera and Southeast Asian mythology .
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When Anastasia reached out to me about doing a photo session, she expressed a particular interest in the shibari aspect of it. I had done similar work with a friend of hers, and she was eager to try it out. When I’m tying for a photo session, I typically do a handful of looks, starting with a classic torso box-tie with the arms behind the back, and this Diamond or Tortoise-shell dress type of pattern that is easily adaptable for a variety of looks such as over clothes or with a matching leg-tie. Towards the end of the session, I typically either do asymmetrical freeform tying without any predetermined pattern, or improvise something based on the client’s request.
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This is a recent shibari session I did with Sarah, our first time working together. The goal was to make work that was elegant and sensual, and explore the mystery of how the ethereal aspect of our souls/personality intertwines with the flesh and blood nature of being human.
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SHIBARI 縛り is the Japanese style of rope bondage, which is both an art form as well as a BDSM activity, and is derived from historical methods of tying up prisoners. For me, shibari is a mode of kinesthetic communication between two people. But what does that mean?
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Jessica and I have worked together several times now, and each time I have learned something new. This time, I tried techniques I had gleaned from sources documenting a traditional Japanese martial art’s style of binding with rope.
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Rock and Hawk, a poem.
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Shibari is a mysterious thing. How can the sensation of being restricted give the feeling of freedom?
Maybe it only seems like a paradox from that perspective. Lao Tzu describes the Tao, the Way, as one of yielding and “returning.” Letting things flow, like water running down a mountain into a valley. Perhaps rope bondage is simply a guide to that space of acceptance and letting go, which is a feeling that our culture tries to avoid at all costs. I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe it is neither. It is also possible that the appearance of conflict arises simply because our minds, overwrought with puritanical doctrine, want an explanation deeper than “touch feels good,” as if that wasn’t profound enough.
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Jessica writes: It was such a pleasure to work with Shane. Before we started we talked about my boundaries. He listened and helped guide me through out our shoot. Watching him tie was very intriguing and relaxing. I felt so at ease the whole time. As we shot he would show me what we had shot and I couldn’t believe it was me. He captures you perfectly and elegantly. Looking forward to shooting again.
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This is a question that I’ve been hesitant to approach, because for a long time I wasn’t sure.
It took me over ten years of photography before I started to find my voice and figure out what it was I had been trying to say all along, and likewise shibari has taken some time, about ten years off and on. Most of my realizations have come after I found my voice through the art of photography, and started to find parallels.
New shibari work with Svetlana. We had an interesting discussion about sensuality and how it is perceived, which got me thinking about who the intended audience is for a given artwork, as opposed to simply a viewer.
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Like any art, shibari is a way to express one’s self with another, and for me it is a gentle art that is primarily about communion. It demands deep trust and a high degree of communication from both the one casting rope and the one being bound, and it can reward a powerful experience. This work is an exploration of that and an attempt to convey what that bond feels like in that moment.
So, that being said, I’d like to present to you what happens when you bring together two people with soft rope, fresh flowers, a camera, and some of that beautiful Los Angeles sunshine.
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It has been a long, long year.
To celebrate vaccination, I got together with E, who was actually one of the last people I did shibari with prior to the pandemic.
My ropework was a bit rusty, my fingers stumbled through knots, and I only gradually remembered the structure of the ties. Gradually I was able to get out of my head and embrace a spirit of play, just enjoying a moment of intimacy with a friend without judgement.
Megan is an actress in Los Angeles, and we connected though some mutual friends on social media. This was one of those photo sessions that just demands to be in color, so of course I must obey. Its easy for me to get caught up in a dark mood and aesthetic sometimes, so it was refreshing to go for a lighter approach with this session.
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