When people hear “BDSM photo shoot”, many imagine leather, rope, handcuffs, pain and domination. Some of these elements do belong to BDSM culture, but for me as a photographer the genre is much broader.
I have photographed BDSM for a long time and learned one simple thing: the most interesting part happens not with the props, but with the person.
BDSM photography can be harsh, provocative, sensual or almost tender. It may include shibari, latex, leather, masks, role-play, dominance and submission, or merely a subtle hint of fetish.
What interests me most is the psychology of the frame: power and vulnerability, control and trust, strength and submission, the tension between two people.
I do not want BDSM photography to become a caricature. A person can wear latex and hold a whip, yet if nothing lies behind the image it remains only a costume shoot.
BDSM is not necessarily about sex. It may revolve around roles, control, aesthetics, physical sensation or psychological interaction. Shibari itself can become a visual language of form, rope lines, body movement and connection.
I am not trying to make a BDSM shoot as shocking as possible. Explicitness for its own sake does not interest me.
I am interested in making it beautiful.