In case you’re interested I thought I’d put a blog post together for those of you who may be curious about booking a fetish model. This post is about bondage modelling and I’ll try to follow it up with one about booking a spanking model from my perspective soon (and by soon I probably mean in about a year, cos I’m rubbish at posting…) I know plenty of professional fetish models with different guidelines and limits, so this is only a personal perspective. But I hope it may be of interest to anyone who wonders how this industry sometimes works.
So here are some FAQs, some of which I may have made up to entertain myself. Pictures are all by kind permission of Restrained Elegance this time round.
‘Do I need to tell you what to expect before we arrange a booking?’
Yes please. The more detail the better really. Knowing where I’ll be, for how long, and whether I can see samples of your work somewhere are all very reassuring. That’s not to say it’s impossible to work with a model if you’re new to photography, but if that’s the case I’m likely to want to shoot at a studio where I’ll be sure of being safe if I can’t check references for you. And if you’ve never tied someone up before, I’d recommend getting some training or booking a rigger because it’s easy to make dangerous mistakes as a beginner, even with the very best of intentions.
‘Is a photoshoot a bit like a play session?’
No, it really isn’t . Pretending you’re not going to let someone go once they’re tied up might be very good fun if you’re in a long-term relationship with the tied-up person (though not necessarily) but it won’t go down awfully well with a professional model. And it might make you sound a bit crass, really. Expecting your model to drop into subspace or have an orgasm is possibly over-ambitious, but aiming to get good quality pictures and video of bondage which will hopefully be very sexy for the viewer is absolutely realistic. Many models, whether or not they like bondage in their personal life, are wary of working with people who make them feel as though what they really want is a play-date. I do my best work with photographers who seem clear as to where the boundaries between work and play lie. And I tend to be more conservative with anyone who appears prone to over-excitement at the prospect of having a real-life girl in his studio.
‘Can we do suspensions?’
Yes please! I love them. I reserve the right to see evidence of your previous work before I let you hang me up from the ceiling, and to be sure you understand the safety implications (and that you have plans in place for if something goes wrong). But go ahead, they’re super fun. Brilliant! Bear in mind that doing multiple/very tough suspensions during one day is likely to bruise your model though, which could effect her other bookings for the week. Do pay attention to her body type (taller models are often heavier, so a position that works for a 5ft, light-framed model may be unfeasibly painful for a 6ft model). And please, please plan rigs that take account of pre-existing injuries or medical conditions. It’s not rude to ask!
‘Can we do outdoor work?’
Yes, we certainly can. Not in a busy shopping centre, and not for 8 hours in the snow without a break, but if we can scout out a great location then lets have a go (it might be good to have a plan B in case it’s horrible weather though).
‘What about gags? Will you wear them?’
Absolutely – any kind really. I like them to be clean, so I might wander off and wash them if they’ve got bits of carpet stuck to them, but the more the merrier, frankly. Hoorah for gags.
‘What about nipple clamps?’
Oh, alright then. I’m happy with all different sorts, and I’m lucky that although my nipples are sensitive, they’re not so sensitive that I can’t endure nipple clamps for the course of a photoset or video. But please take them off carefully!
‘How about girl/girl work?’
Well, I’ll stand next to another girl. I like my fetish work to be a truthful depiction of my personal tastes so while I’m absolutely happy to model with other girls (love them, yes indeed) I’m not really the model to try sexual girl/girl work with.
‘And will you dom?’
Hmmm. Again, I like my fetish work to reflect my interest, so I primarily like to play submissive roles. But I’m learning to rig, and I love it (in a dress-designer kind of way). So if you’re looking for a model who can rig while doing domly sort of faces or saying domly kind of things, then absolutely, yes. If you’re hoping for a pro-domme who’ll inflict actual pain or verbal abuse then absolutely no. Unless you want it to be really, really lame. And I certainly, under no circumstances will dominate the photographer, studio owner, or makeup artist. That’d just be unconscionably rude.
‘How about sexually explicit work?’
I can’t speak for all other models of course, but my philosophy (which many other models in my acquaintance share) is this;- I’m entirely happy working nude, and I won’t spend the shoot freaking out about keeping my legs glued together at all times. But if your primary intention is to get explicit ‘open leg’ shots, I’m not the model for you. My favourite photographers are those who aren’t obsessive about featuring genitalia; work that makes the viewer use their imagination a bit is my preference
‘How much do you charge?’
Since as a customer, I like shopping in places where the price is clearly displayed, I like to be transparent regarding my own pricing structure, so that people booking me will be reassured that they can’t buy me cheaper if they search price comparison sites. My rates are £50 per hour, £300 per day (based on 7-8 hours) or £1000 per week. This includes travel within the Greater London area, and also includes a model release (which some producers use to keep a record of the identity of their model, and also as evidence that the shoot was conducted properly). I normally ask that travel further afield in the UK and worldwide is covered by the photographer, unless I’m already touring in their area.
‘I’m worried about booking a model on my own, what should I do instead?’
There are various group-shoots, workshops and tuition sessions run by photographers that can be a huge help to people starting out. The BDM runs regular photographic tutorials focussed on bondage photography, and there are plenty of other photographers worldwide who offer tuition. If you like bondage but photographing a model yourself seems scary, unappealing or too expensive, then why not jolly well join Restrained Elegance this month, where we’ve done all the work for you, and you can enjoy the finished product without having to fumble round with bloody F-Stops, flash triggers and slippery models covered in body lotion.
For heaven’s sake, I do NOT know why half my text has changed colour, or why the pictures have all leapt to the right of the screen. Technical meltdown….
Ah ha hah, the BDM has kindly fixed it. Shame on my lack of emancipation.
Hi
Your blogs are so rare they are collectors items. It is so nice to turn to your page and find something new.
I am not much of a bondage person so I will await your Spanking Model entry with a keen interest.
You are far and away the most appealing, convincing and attractive person in the photographic and video spanking scene.
Michael M
Fumbling around with slippery models covered in body lotion? That sounds ghastly! hehe
I enjoyed this very informative post. I’m hoping your spanking model perspective is soon to follow.
Brilliant, useful FAQ, thankyou for writing it! I shall link it and things.
I think your last sentence may just be the best sales pitch ever 🙂
I totally agree with Michael M. It’s nice to read a new posting in your blog and I eagerly await your entry on spanking models.
Ariel, hope you are doing more bondage work … I love seeing your long lovely legs in suntan pantyhose and roped up!!!
Amelia look forward to your spanking insights ,love your vids with spanking at Northern and Firm hand ,love and spanks ,timxx
My favorite photo is the one with the gag; you seem to be studying it so intently, as if the instructions were unclear, or it was communicating with you. Wonderful expression.
Michael (the one from Texas, USA)
Greetings from Texas,
I very much enjoyed your post. Bondage is my thing, and I have been a fan of yours for years. I always enjoy feedback from the models point of view.
I was surprised you didn’t address bring an escort when working with a photographer for the first time, or a photographer whe didn’t have a track record. I hate to mention the negative, but it can be a scarie world. Your fans want you safe!
Like no doubt many Ive always thought you were lovely, hehem…if your ever in ireland and doing the booking ms rutherford thing it would be a ‘glowing’ time
oh and should you be in ireland and booking…well contact can be made at x_nn@hotmail.co.uk …:)
Hi Giovanni, I’m just reposting your comment because there’s no edit facility for comments and I needed to remove a word for security – sorry! Thanks everyone for your kind words, I’ll try to post my next update soon :)J
ames-5775 said…
Dear Amelia (Or Ariel)
I comment this blog only because I cannot talk to you otherway.
I’m your fan, sincerely. I love all about you. I think you have a lovely, particular, beatiful personality. And, obviously, a fantastic body.
Well, I am not a fan of spanking or bondage, but I love you in all your productions, and so I love bondage and spanking, if you are in.
Excuse my english, I’m italian. I hope the sense of this response is clear.
I would like you can produce other so defined classic movie and photoset, like in Onlytease, Onlyopaques, and so on. But my prefered performance in all the time is your video in “Code-Fetish”!
Ok, I hope you think about your return to this type of video, also if you prefer without dubt the spanking.
Regards from your best fan,
Giovanni.
A great FAQ. As a (very) amateur photographer myself, this is an incredibly helpful article, thank you.
I too am a big fan and always look forward to your insightful postings. Cheers!
Do you do 1-2-1 spanking sessions?
If you do, how can I get in contact?
Ariel/Amelia,
I’m not much of a bondage fan (more a fan of your spanking work), but this was a well written and very enjoyable piece. Thanks!
Mark
Hey, didn’t know you had a blog! Great job too!
I can’t explain how fabulous you are displayed in sweet suffering on all the various sites I have seen you on such as chimera etc.
I have done shoots with a number of models over the past 5 years, only one of whom was seeking BDSM work, but most have obliged by posing with ties etc. Each got around £300 min for the day but, compared to that, £1000 for a week seems a great bargain.
So these are my 2 questions :
[1] what happens during the week, do you go home, are you totally off duty or, SURELY you don’t stay ‘in character’ all night do you?
[2] Can you display an email address so I can negotiate with you without it all being published here for everyone to see?
For anyone wishing to make contact; I’m at arielanderssen@hotmail.co.uk
Week-long shoots are normally booked by photographers who want to take me on location (mostly abroad, but sometimes in the UK), so more often than not we stay at the hired house/villa/whatever. I generally expect to be working a 7-8 hour day for 5 days (with travel/set up/planning on the 1st and final day of the week)
Thanks all for your interesting comments, I’m slowly writing a similar post for booking Amelia Jane.
I’m going to try and write this comment without telling you how incredibly charming and unimaginably sexy you are (because, honestly, who wants to hear that?) but while it makes me kind of sad to know that I’m likely never going to get to interview you for my fictional psychology paper titled “a discourse analysis exploring the common themes that surround submission and masochism, it’s reassuring to know that for just £300, I could do exactly that and tie you up for a few hours.
But what I think many of us are wondering is: how can we book you for a spanking session without the cameras? 🙂
‘Still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest’
‘The Boxer’ by Simon and Garfunkel
in response to the bizarre, ‘BDSM is the same as child abuse/BDSM players are a danger to children’ rant that a commenter posted here. I’ve deleted it for now.
Very informative and detailed. I like you give your perspective and make allowances for other model’s differences.
Really I’d love to see some form of index of your bloggings instead of having to dig through each page at a time.
To that ends, I wonder if you have written the followed “hiring a spanking model” yet. I’ve skimmed your blog and didn’t notice it.
Too early to be making plans, but I am thinking because of my lack of background, it might be wiser and safer for all, to work with someone who is much more familiar with directing, etc. Does this make sense and if so, how would I go about finding and discussing a project?