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Hwyel;
So on a list of my favorite bondage I would have to admit that metal bondage does not feature particularly high, but like with all connotations of peoples taste available on RE I of course respect that there will always be a variety available on the site and there is not normally too many days go by before a set come along that better pushes my buttons. And besides it’s not that I particularly dislike metal bondage it is just not my favourite, until recently that is. In the past week we have had two metal bondage sets (the michellechinesehooker RE X factor shoot midweek and todays PaigeBamboo shoot) and whilst both models looked fantastic, and there was a nod towards a bondage theme, they were not all that obviously restrained. Ok so in the Michelle set she wore cuffs round her wrists and ankles, but whilst the wrist ones were locked together her ankles were completely free to move about (it did give her opportunity to reveal herself to be another very flexible RE model) leaving me wondering why you even bothered with the metal round her ankles. As if that wasn’t bad enough in todays Paige set (this really isn’t much of a complaint as any set with Paige in, particularly barefoot, is just about fine by me) she was pictured wearing similar cuffs around her wrists and ankles, along with a collar and chain, this time however neither her wrist or ankle cuffs were locked together leaving Paige free to get up and wander around (albeit within the confines of her ‘lead’).
Now this is not a proper moan, as I suggested both models looked spectacular and the sets were thus good RE sets, but I think as someone who rather prefers the tighter bondage afforded by rope – or indeed some of the metal stocks you occasionally use – the metal sets would hold greater appeal if the bondage were a little more, well, restrictive (effective would be a good start!)
Just a thought.
CD
I must admit to being more of a fan of metal bondage than CD, in particular the cross-over of the more elegant styles into the realm jewellery. This results in some very “elegant”, but sub-texted shots, which I rather like. However these need to be complimented with some unrestrained “restraint”, so I’m with CD on this one.
Frank
Count me in on this one. The RE shoots with little to no “bondage” bondage are still striking and the models are lovely and the photography is first-rate. But bondage is what sets RE apart from any number of other sites with great photography and beautiful models and really is the reason I joined this site instead of another one. (Well, okay, primarily it was to see Jade, but once I got a taste of the site I decided to stick around for awhile.)
I prefer bondage that is (or appears to be) more distressing, so the shoots with restraints that are more like BDSM-themed jewelry don’t do a whole lot for me. I appreciate variety as much as the next person, but I would skew the overall numbers toward “bondage” bondage. My two cents.
Hi Cav
Interesting point. But with respect I’m gonna take a slightly different view to the above tho, infact you’ve made me realise I’m looking at some sets in a slightly different light to many? members.
Take the recent Paige steel set as a prime example (and just for once Cav I’d have to agree that barefoot does add to the set – but don’t get too used to it :spin ). I’d have to agree that as a pure bondage set it lacks slightly, but thats my point – this stunning set isn’t really a bondage set at all. Perhaps I come here from a slightly different background but I identify with such a set as a D/s theme instead of pure bondage, there’s more to this site than simple bondage.
As a steel guy if I wanted to secure a (less than trustworthy) sub / slavegirl such that I could go out for a few hours (in an environment safe from fire/flood/gas and within reach of a phone etc) this is exactly how I would and indeed have done it to great effect. From limited personal experience the total freedom while being completely helplessly restrained always drove my sub crazy – never a bad thing! Its worth remembering that although paige could be considered to be lacking bondage you would need a mass of rope, time and skill to achieve a similar level of inescapability with traditional rope means and even then you’d probably only have a matter of minutes before a nerve pinches or circulation becomes restricted etc. True, the cuffs on the limbs don’t have an obvious use in the set but it was these that made me realise the D/s theme in the first place, in reality it is of course always a good idea to keep some form of cuff on wrists in particular as it makes life so much easier for a Dom.
For me, one of the things I like about RE is that it doesn’t always fill in all the blanks but leaves some to the viewers personal eye. Besides the obvious visual impact of a sexily dressed paige in chains I tend to look at much of this set from a “what happens next” kinda angle. Is mine really the only imagination that is fired by such images, perhaps in a “walk throught the door and see that..” kinda opener? Ignoring the fact Paige is a paid model and following the implied fantasy then how did she get to this point? what lies ahead? have the cuffs just been seperated or about to be joined? and of course what the hell would I do at this point?
I gave the paige set 5 stars, a recent favourite. Given this site is designed to peddle fantasy I for one find such suggestive imagery speaks volumes. And asks more.
Cheers
Merlin
Looks like we may be out-numbered on this one, Merlin, but I’m with you.
Actually it is one of the things I have been thinking about a lot recently- the distinction between bondage, dominance/submission, sadism/masochism, and pain vs. punishment. BDSM includes an awful lot of different possibilities, not all of which involve being restrained particularly tightly.
Restrained Elegance has historically been mostly bondage, I think because it is the easiest and most visual thing to convey (and because a tied up girl is a damn sexy sight). But personally I like all the other BDSM elements too.
Advanced warning: CD, Frank & Shutterbug might not like the start of the new “Ariel RE resident slavegirl” series because we decided to try a bit of mostly unbound (collar only) dom/sub play for a change and see if we could make that look sexy and elegant. Be very interested to know what people make of it.
Don’t worry- I do take note of everyone’s concerns and as always the core of Restrained Elegance will be bondage. I hope you’ll allow me my little experiments- it is nice to be able to test the waters with slightly new and different things, and sometimes it is a lot easier to do that doing it in a relatively “pure” way for the first time. Then you can figure out whichements work best and work them into the mix in future. Like for the first long-term bondage when we did a very pure form of just cameras rolling and very few edits, which had its own problems but taught me a lot about how to shoot extended bondage seqyences for the future 🙂
CD, concerns duly noted and taken on board! I would just echo what Merlin says though- Paige may have been able to move, but as she was chained and padlocked up with a locked collar, she was absolutely NOT going anywhere until she was released. So in that sense the bondage is effective for its intended purpose 🙂
Hywel.
Edited By Hywel on 1179169302
I priced them, those bands are expensive. You have to leave them on her to get your moneys worth. Were not talking $15 handcuffs that you can afford to leave sitting in a drawer. 😀
@hywel wrote:
Advanced warning: CD, Frank & Shutterbug might not like the start of the new “Ariel RE resident slavegirl” series because we decided to try a bit of mostly unbound (collar only) dom/sub play for a change and see if we could make that look sexy and elegant. Be very interested to know what people make of it.
Well nothing against the lovely and submissive Ariel, who seems to love pain as much as submission, but I was not as excited by the pain/punishment aspects of the Bondage Test Drive videos either. (I was cringing on one of them.)
But it is no big deal because I do love variety and I am fully aware that different people have different likes and dislikes. I was just stating my personal preferences in a conversational forum manner. While I would never be so presumptuous as to tell Hywel how to run the site, I do get the impression that he listens to members’ comments and takes them into consideration so I feel free to make comments. It’s nice to be able to share ideas and thoughts in a nonthreatening and nonjudgmental way and have them accepted as such.
So just give me some tight/distressing bondage and some Jade (whose second shoot was posted today thank you very much it was marvelous) and I’ll be happy. There’s still a lot to be said for nude hot chicks in loose bondage showcased in magnificent photography, after all. :love2
Advanced warning: CD, Frank & Shutterbug might not like the start of the new “Ariel RE resident slavegirl” series because we decided to try a bit of mostly unbound (collar only) dom/sub play for a change and see if we could make that look sexy and elegant. Be very interested to know what people make of it.
Don’t panic Hywel, I’m totally into “sexy and elegant”, and “simple and understated”. To paraphrase Merlin, it’s as much in the mind as its is anywhere. The figure studies of Ariel in France with just a pair of handcuffs were just stunning, in fact they were one of the things that persuaded me to get my photography out of the rut it had got into.
Just don’t forget the unsubtle once in awhile.
Frank
As a confirmed member of the metal bondage fraternity I echo CD’s comments.
Whilst it was VERY nice to see some metal bondage after a diet of weeks of rope bondage I also feel the potentialities of the two sets weren’t fully explored. The cuffs and anklets on the models were nice visually but if they aren’t going to form part of her bondage at some stage during the set then they are essentially wasted from a bondage point of view and this is after all a bondage photography site.
That leads me into my other criticism of RE sets, too often for my taste the set just consists of the model being put into one form of static bondage and then photographed from 50 angles with no or very limited changes of pose and none of the bonds. In the case of elaborate rope bondage I can understand this because you can’t half-untie her and she may not be able to move at all, but a set that shows evolving or different forms of bondage with a variety of poses is far more interesting to me if its at all possible.
The two metal bondage sets were perfect examples of where the model’s bondage could have been increased during the set, by all means start off with the cuffs and anklets merely as jewelry to get that effect but during the set add the linking chains. That way you get the best of both worlds, the set is more interesting and everyone including the MBF is happy 🙂
Good points all, and duly noted. I’m taking a lot of metalwork for our next France location shoot (soon! terrifyingly soon!) and I’ll try to brush up on the quality of the metal bondage sets.
Hywel.
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