Last Autumn... with Tim Hutton

Oh wow, I nearly totally forgot! I was just browsing through my pics and came across these beautiful images that was taken by Tim Hutton of Sliproad Junkies. He is a photographer who deals a lot with cars and has just started gaining some experience shooting models. On 5 September 2010, I accompanied him for some promo-work with T-shirts and stickers at a carshow in Silverstone, a main race track in the UK.

The day was spent handing out flyers and chasing people to check out our tent. After a successful but exhausting day of standing around in boots, shorts and a crop top and smiling and schmoozing, we drove to some deserted field on the way. We would've loved to shoot me in some bikinis and skimpy wear but as it was nearing the end of the day it was getting rather chilly. So we decided that I leave my animal-print trench-coat on and as I was still wearing my shorts, we leave that on as well, along with my boots!

It was a short shoot but we nailed some awesome images. Due to his wedding, work and generally being occupied with his new business, Tim was unable to send the edited versions till December but it was well worth the wait! The images had a very autumnal mood indeed but moreover I loved the 1970s retro feel. It was the outfit, hair & makeup perhaps but more with his play with the colours on the images. And a friend commented how the warm golden tones of the wheat field complimented my tanned complexion. I really miss having a tan and can't wait till the weather warms up again!

Thanks Tim! Hopefully when it gets warmer we plan to do more outdoors shoots and next time involve some cars!

Please have a look by logging onto my Flickr page to view the extraordinary images!

Chains & Masks with Paul "RothRopes"

Another fetish shoot! This time, it was with a tog called Paul, known as RothRopes, who is based in Rotterdam. He is another connection from Fetlife who contacted me. Much of Paul's work is quite simple yet effective and certainly a change from the elaborate rope-tying to just chains and cuffs, really adding to the feeling of captivity! Not much planning was needed...we set the date for the evening of Tuesday 8 February 2010.

It was a couple hour's train ride from Amsterdam to his turf in Rotterdam. Though a bit of a cold day and I was to catch a train in the evening to get to him for 7pm, it was well worth it! Paul picked me up at the station. Despite his rather intense bondage images, I was pleasantly surprised to discover what a mild manneredguy he was! He drove me to his place where the studio was located in the attic.

The house was toasty and warm. With a cup of coffee and a stroopwafel (yummy but incredibly calorific Dutch honey waffels) we chatted about the shoot and how well I'm adapting in the Netherlands. It turns out Paul is a photographer at a local hospital! We went to the studio-attic and I quickly undressed but put on a pair of fishnet holdups and black platform shoes.

First set was quite something else. Now I don't have a kink for strangulation but the image turned out rather effective. I put on a collar and Paul handcuffed me with leather straps and tied both hands back whilst connecting my collar with a chain suspended from a ceiling. Well as

long as I was able to still talk it wasn't that uncomfortable though I would be wary of whom I would allow to put me in this position. Luckily I somewhat trusted Paul...

In the second set, I was to put on a head strap with a mouth mask. We don't know what they are called in English but it's usually used for dogs to stop them from biting, we think. I usually don't like wearing masks or headgear as they mess with my hair and smudge my make-up but I remembered that this is a fetish shoot, not a glamour or fashion shoot where makeup and hair has to be immaculate. Besides I was in the mood of strong effects rather than looking sexy!

As such, I had no qualms about wearing a gas mask. I wasn't even bothered if people can see my face or not. I've also seen a few images with models wearing gasmasks and wondered what it would be like or look like. So I sat on the table and started posing with it whilst at the same time trying to look as somewhat seductive as possible. I liked the way my eyes would show through the mask, showing an expression of vulnerability.

Lastly the masks off but chains back on. This time, I was to kneel on a table and get chained around the neck and have my arms suspended to the ceiling as well. I really liked the way the chains shone through in the images and adding a contrasting "coldness" to the warm tones of my complexion. Such work is most effective when in nude than wearing clothes.

After a few hours, we called it a day as it was getting late and I had a train to catch back to Amsterdam. I was so exhausted by then I slept throughout the journey but I enjoyed the shoot with Paul. In some of his images, I noticed he uses plastic vacuum tubes which I would like to experiment shooting with. Maybe I'll be more brave next time and try nipple clamps which I prefer not to use as my pain threshold is rather low. Or, if it's warmer it would be awesome to shoot in his private garden outside!

Nevertheless, I was pleased with the results of the shoot and impressed that Paul delivered the edited images within a few days... Thank you Paul! Everyone loves the images too, and I definitely want to work with you again...

For more crazy pictures of Miu from this shoot, log onto her Flickr page under Chains & Masks.

First Shoot in Our New Amsterdam Home

Finally, I get around to networking in Amsterdam, my new home! It's also good to reconnect with togs I have worked with out here during my visits before too as I was very satisfied with their work. One of them is Bart Wilmink, with whom you may recall I shot last summer at his place in Appeldoorn blogged as Elegant Glamour shoot. This time, it was his turn to come shoot with me in Amsterdam!

We got in touch again on Model Mayhem late last year but as Bart had an arm injury from RSI he was taking a break. I too, was also taking some time off with the moving. Once settled, we came to an agreement with the date for Friday 4 February 2011. We both had similar tastes when it came to which sort of images we wanted to work on which was a lot of edgy but elegant nudes with some Agent Provocateur style lingerie images thrown in. The only concern, though, was getting the lighting right as it's still winter and rather dark at home even during the day.

At 10:30, Bart arrived at our place armed with lighting equipment and outfits. I started off by wearing my own red basque with suspenders and black stockings as a warm

up and shot near the door and front stairs. A lot of the time we spent on getting the lighting right but I'm patient... I'd rather wait and come up with good images than rush. We did nail a few good photos especially in front of the door rather than by the bottom of the stairs as the lights flowed upwards.

I then changed to another set of lingerie, a more neutral theme with a beige lacey bra and mocha-brown knickers with tan-coloured hold-ups. We did a set by the french windows in the lounge. Again more hits and misses in attempt to capture the natural noontime sunlight. It would've also been ideal to have the french windows wide open to see the garden in the background as the reflection from the glass was quite obvious. But it's wintertime and this is not a fetish shoot! Although Bart was dubious about how the images would turn out, I found a few that I liked. With a little tweaking with Photoshop, I think they could come out quite well!

For the next set, we decided to shoot by the red settee. I changed into a matching set of black & white animal print lingerie with the same tan-coloured holdups. I wasn't sure about sitting deep inside the settee with my feet up as they tended make me look weighed down, but I felt the ones of me sitting on the edge of it standing up worked out quite well. Still wearing the outfit, we went to our bathroom which is decorated with an exotic Middle Eastern flair. After a few shots, I stripped off nude and this is when the pics really started looking good! Initially I wanted some lingerie shots in the area but Bart felt it could improve by being simply nude! And he was right. It must be the combination of white walls, back lighting and the blue tile which enhance the simplicity. Wearing outfits just makes it the image too cluttered as I discovered later.

I then dressed into a black Agent Provocateur lingerie set and did a few sets on the bed with white sheets. We used the red settee again but I laid down across it whilst Bart climbed a ladder in front and shot from above. I must say that the effect was amazing! Again I stripped naked and remained lying down. The contrast between the crimson red settee and my complexion, along with me wearing a big silver pendant, really created some beautiful work.

The final set was going back to the stairs in the front area of the apartment. This time I was to be all nude. At first I was a little doubtful how the picture would turn out with me posing in a pale beige flight of stairs as there is no contrast. However, having the white walls and banister on the side helped. Also it was about blending in rather than contrasting, unlike the previous set with the red settee.

The day went rather well I must say. We managed to overcome a lot of the issues about the lighting but now that Bart has been here, we know what to do the next time. I suggested that the next time he comes over, it be summertime where we could shoot outdoors in the garden and also, the light will improve and the days are longer. Plus hopefully I will have topped up my tan by then and not look quite so pasty as I do in the wintertime! So after receiving his edited 6 images, I chose around 15 additional images that I really liked and believed have potential to be beautiful pictures with a bit of tweaking.

Thank you Bart for taking your time to visit and helping to create more beautiful images together. I look forward to the edited images and can't wait!!!

It was Worth the Wait! Sin City Inspired Shoot...

(l to r: Becky "Perilune" Brandbeer, myself, Karenza Rosier, Clover Fibbs, Rob "Red" Raynes, and Vikki "Azteria" Handyside)

Remember about me mentioning about the Sin City shoot back in September? It was around the same time I was doing my second shoot with Tim Rosier up in Northampton. A group of models, along with photographer Victor Kurzweil, were quite mesmorised by the scenes, outfits and atmosphere of the film Sin City and decided to do a shoot based on it. It was an honour that I was invited by one of the models, Karenza, Tim's partner.

So about 6 of us models were able to decide on a weekday date without any struggle. It was Becky, Karenza, Clover, Vikki, Rob and me who were to participate in this exciting event all set for Thursday 16 September 2010. Becky and her partner picked me up at Wellingborough station near Northampton and gave me a lift to the studio. And Karenza turned up with her very hot Harley Davidson motorbike! Victor, an expert at themed shoots and famous for graphically producing elaborate images using impressive backgrounds, was the perfect choice as our photographer. Whilst he meticulously adjusted the lighting, the 5 female models managed to fit in the small changing room praising each other for our outfits. I seem to remember Karenza's cool black PVC catsuit! Prior to the shoot, we were told we'd have two outfit changes which was good as it prevented us from lugging too stuff unnecessarily.

In the first set, Victor shot us as a group using the Harley bike as a prop. Then we each took turns and got shot individually which was a brilliant idea as we could add both the group and solo images in our portfolio. For the first outfit, I wore fishnet top and tights and topped

it with a black leather underbust corset. Then the thigh high boots. I later realised when the pics turned out, though, the fishnet top didn't sufficiently cover my boobs which meant that the pics would be over-18 or put it not "Facebook-friendly". I regret this may have been unfair to others but nobody has complained, well at least to my knowledge. The second outfit change was the bra & knicker set by Dutch lingerie designer Marlies Dekker which was perfect for this shoot! Along it I had a black leather suspender with fishnet holdups and black stilletos. This time, definitely ok for under-18s!

Poor Rob, the sole male model for this shoot, was the victim or the villain we, the women, were punishing. Nevertheless, he was such a good sport throughout the shoot and after all the swords and guns being pointed at him, was still so cool and collected. My kudos to him! And of course my kudos to the girls too as we were all able to work together as a team and complimented each other so well. We girls really stuck together! I thoroughly enjoyed working with everyone. It was also nice to see Becky, who was rather new to modellin

g, open up a little and gain more confidence. It pays to work with people who help each other.

On the technical side of things, as you can see, the backgrounds vary quite a lot and are very impressive. The shoot actually took place in a studio with black background of rolled paper! Through a lot of research and imagination, it was Victor who cleverly compiled his work with great attention to what sort of backgrounds suited what image. Looking back, it was quite ignorant and impatient of me when I insisted I was happy with getting the images in plain background and weren't too bothered with the elaborate settings. Now I realise how Victor takes pride in his work by taking his time and producing images that have meaning. The final images finally arrived in January... and it was most certainly worth the wait.

Unfortunately it's always bad timing when it comes to announcing. With the busy January month for tax returns and family issues to sort, I finally got around to uploading the work only these past few days. By documenting this shoot, though, I hope to rescue the fading memories of this fun day we all had! Thank you everyone for this exciting experience.

More pictures of this event can be seen on my flickr page.