Archive: Midnight Ritual

Art Galleries

Added 17-02-2008

Artwork by Brian Tarsis. If you like Brian's work, you can find more at BrianTarsis.com.

Archive: Stay, Little Valentine, Stay

Art Galleries

Added 14-02-2008

Artwork by Steve O. Reno. Steve's first book is called Sensual Distress and is now available from the good folks at www.SQPInc.com. Check it out!

Or you can say hi to Steve by emailing him at renoart@hotmail.com.

Ariel Bound and Ballgagged on the Bed

Tutorial

Added 11-02-2008

This was the second tutorial photoset we shot with Ariel on 2nd December. We'd just done a very stark and dark single-light set-up for the Succubus set, and we thought it was time to show people how to do a much lighter and airier lighting look. We ended up with just two lights, but the bog softbox to one side of Ariel throws out such a lot of light over such a large area that you really don't need more- it is acting as a fill, the main light is coming from a smaller and thus slightly harder light source. For a dark-haired model in this set you'd probably have to put in some hairlight, but for Ariel that would have looked a bit too glam and over the top for the soft feeling we were after.

Photos by Andrew, M, Nigel and Svampen. Rigging by M.

Archive: Making Restrained Elegance: photographic kit

Tutorial

Added 10-02-2008

An updated kit list is on its way, this one is woefully outdated now but I've put it back up for historical interest. It was originally put up on 9th Feb 2008 and represents our standard kit at that time.

As the webmaster and main photographer for Restrained Elegance, I've been lucky enough to work with some of the most talented and beautiful women in the world. On the technical side, I've always tried to do them justice by producing material with the highest production values that my skills and budgets allow.

I'm often asked what kit I use to take the photos, and a few days ago a member asked for my opinions on the new video cameras I'd bought to replace one which was stolen in a break-in. At the risk of putting non-techies to sleep (I can hear Ariel's snores from here... :-) I thought I'd give a run-down on what kit I use, why I chose it, what I think of it and whether I'd recommend it to others. Saves me writing it all in emails!

Archive: Chastity

Art Galleries

Added 08-02-2008

Chastity Lane is a delightful model and a good friend who started her own site around the same time that I did. She favors tight and shiny outfits of satin and silk- mmmmm! Yes, please! She's got great curves, expressive eyes and lovely hair and her photos show her off very well.

Many thanks to Chastity and her photographer for their permission to base art on their work.

Rigging Sophia's Sitting Suspension

Tutorial

Added 06-02-2008

Want to see behind the scenes how we went from Sophia's sketch of how she wanted to be suspended to this awesome mid-air sitting tie? Come inside and watch the video of how we did it!

Archive: Chanta Rose

Art Galleries

Added 01-02-2008

In the end I only drew one portrait of Chanta, because at the time we started working together I was moving away from photography-to-draw-from towards photography as an end in itself. I still like the one pic I did of her though!

The Succubus

Tutorial

Added 18-01-2008

She had been locked in her tomb for all eternity, it seemed... until some fool broke the seal on the door of the crypt, and set her free to prey on the living once more!

For months now the men of the town had been falling victim to a strange wasting disease. One evening they would retire to bed, perhaps sleeping in a separate room from their wife or sweetheart because of a mild chill... and in the morning they would be found as wizened and drained shadows of their former selves. Some whispered that a vampire was at work... but Marc Helmandson knew better. This was the work of a foul seductress, a succubus of the night!

Bravely our hero sought her out, daring to bait the creature in her lair. He would bind her fast within her disturbed tomb so that she could come out no more, and prey no longer on the living...

Hywel's Note: This was the first set we shot at our tutorial on 2nd December with Ariel. The photographers were Nigel, M, Andrew and Svampen. The idea for the set was Ariel's (as was the wanton characterisation of the succubus character!)

We knew we wanted to use the Egyptian tomb set, and Ariel suggested the theme. I set up a series of variations on the basic lighting pattern before we finished up with this, the simplest lighting pattern you could think of. Just one light, to camera right, just above Ariel, and collimated with a 7 inch reflector and a honeycomb grid to produce an atmospheric circle of light with a soft fall-off. From some angles it looked like paparazzi photos (which Ariel loved!) while from others it could be used as a very dramatic side or back light. We experimented with adding hairlight and fill but it just diluted the impact, so we went with a single light.

Thanks to Nigel for the lighting diagram, and thanks to all who participated in the tutorial for their enthusiasm and for their kind permission to show you their photos!

Archive: Long Term Bondage Part Six - Chores

Long Term Bondage

Added 15-01-2008

Subdued and submissive, Ariel does her chores.

Ballgown Bondage Tutorial

Tutorial

Added 12-01-2008

This lovely set was the first thing we shot on our tutorial day with Sammie B on 1st December. The photographers were Stuart, Svampen, Nigel and M: many thanks to them for allowing me to put their photos up on the site!

We started off by choosing the gorgeous satin ballgown for Sammie to wear and choosing the purple rope to co-ordinate, which we used to put Sammie in a strappado elbows-together tie. We chose not to bind her feet so that she could find some more poses for us- after all, she was locked in the dungeon cell and clearly not going anywhere.

The lighting for the dungeon set has to be pretty directional and not too even: the stone walls look a lot more dramatic when side-lit or with shadows. But you have to light your model as well as your set... I took some shots to start with to show just how awful I could make Sammie look with just the house flourescent lights! I promised Sammie I wouldn't show the pics so you can't see how unflattering they were, but trust me they were an object lesson in why your lighting is more important than what your camera can do, at least for studio photography!

The lighting we finally ended up with was a single strip softbox as the key light, placed to camera right. This is the light which is throwing the major shadows, and it is soft enough to produce a lovely "drape" of shadows around Sammie's figure. Because Sammie has lovely long dark hair, we absolutely needed a good punchy hairlight behind to produce highlights on her hair and kick her out of the background. You can see from the lighting diagram what we ended up with (thanks to Nigel for the sketch!)

Archive: Long Term Bondage Part 5 - Sweet Silence

Long Term Bondage

Added 08-01-2008

Ariel finally learns that sometimes silence is golden.

Archive: The Oralizer 3000

Art Galleries

Added 06-01-2008

Ahhh, the mad devices of the Evil Doctor Destructo! Poor Miss Fantastic didn't stand a chance against his hypno-ray...

Artwork by Steve O. Reno. Steve's first book is called Sensual Distress and is now available from the good folks at www.SQPInc.com. Check it out!

Or you can say hi to Steve by emailing him at renoart@hotmail.com.