This blog contains, but isn't limited to, graphic sexual horror, BDSM, sex, robots, science, food, rock climbing, bouldering, politics and general bric-a-brac. Not suitable for children under 18. Honestly, probably not suitable for most humans.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

If I'm Playing, it Probably Ain't Pretty

I think a lot of people get lost in the glitzy, glossed over versions of BDSM they find on tumblr or blogspot.  You know the pictures I'm talking about; the (usually) black and white photos of two lovers in which not a drop of sweat is spilled, not a hair out of place and all the bondage is amazingly precise and symmetrical.  The bottom in the photo usually is hamming up the pain and/or pleasure while the Top takes an extra Dom-ly stance, hand around the throat or tugging on a strategically placed rope.

In other words, utterly boring.

Don't get me wrong, I can get into the artsy BDSM photos; in fact, I've probably taken a couple in my relatively short lifespan (Remember The Awakening? Yeah, check out that artsy color selection).  So have many of my photographer and/or rigger friends -tt's just something that happens.  Mostly because it seems to be what's most popular- "pretty" pictures of "pretty" girls and "pretty boys" doing "pretty" BDSM.  I put quotes around "pretty" since it's not really what I consider attractive, but what the standard idea of attractive is. (Give me my short-haired girls who eschew typical gender roles, please!)

There's absolutely nothing wrong with those pictures, either.  They have artistic merit and are beautiful and show the world that BDSM can be just has glamorous as anything else in print.  At the same time...there's absolutely everything wrong with these pictures.  It gives the false impression of what play should look like.

To me, playing, much like sex, isn't about organization, lighting and being "pretty".  It's about enjoyment, pleasure, pain and a litany of other words that don't include "photoshopped", "edited", "color-corrected", "posed", or "modeled".

My play, for example, tends to have messy rope.  Not to the point in which it becomes ridiculous and dangerous, but it shows a sense of urgency or intensity, like we couldn't be bothered to straighten up everything and make it perfect, we were too into each other to think about things like that.

Almost always, any play that manages to get photographed (we usually get too caught up to take pictures of play, just the aftermath), tends to be on a shitty cell phone, blurry and something that makes Hamsandwich want to claw his eyes out viewing due to the lack of any photographing ability ever.  These photos are never edited because it takes a certain something away from it.

A lot of play with Daddy involves tears, sweat and an actual suffering that the average narwhal wouldn't feel comfortable looking at.  It ain't pretty and at the same time it's the most beautiful thing ever.


Sunday, August 5, 2012

Art and General Bric-a-Brac

(Not going to lie, I just wanted to use the term 'bric-a-brac' because I haven't done so in a while)

The BGSC (Baltimore Guerrilla Suspension Crew for those of you who haven't been paying attention) did a pretty epic photoshoot a few weeks ago.  It's probably been in the works for almost a year when Sir Ron C. sent Daddy a media text of this epic hand rising out of the sand with three simple words following- "Next BGSC hit?"  Daddy then sent me on an whirlwind internet search to discover everything I could about this mysterious Hand.

It turns out that it's part of 'The Awakening', an artistic installation at the National Harbor.  It was originally somewhere else and was moved once The National Harbor was created, although I'm not too sure why.  The entire installation is actually an entire 'man' rising from the ground, a bit reminiscent of a giant titan or god arising from...I guess the ground still. It's very Clash of The Titans-y.  Or Games of Thrones-y.  Because of that feel, we decided to forego the gasmasks and head in a different direction: togas.

We pulled the hit off really early in the morning in hopes of beating the elderly morning speed walkers.  Luckily (and unfortunately) it had rained heavily right before the shoot, so there wasn't many people out, except for the few workers setting up for some event going on there later that afternoon, who were probably too sleepy to even really notice us.  The shoot went off with relatively no issues and we got some pretty awesome photos from the shoot  (these were taken and edited by Hamsandwich)



The top photo has gotten pretty popular and we've gotten a lot of requests for prints.  I'm thinking that we might want to donate one for a fundraiser we're planning in September.  You know how Daddy loves his fundraisers.  

I've been spending my last few weeks of freedom being extraordinarily lazy. I think the lazy lifestyle suits me :) I look healthier with a tan, I eat better and am way less stressed.