And here is, the last but not least muse… it’s not easy to write lines about her, I mean, it’s unlike the others simply because we are always working together. So, my analysis will be necessarily different like with a book you didn’t finish to read. Maybe I would have to modify this post within the future, just to complete or conclude it. Anyway, at this time, I will speak about my feeling and knowledge about our collaboration. Anaïs contacted me after her 19th birthday thinking I wouldn’t like to shoot her. That’s true I was mainly shooting classical women, the girl-next-door without piercings or big tatoos. Anaïs didn’t understand she’s really pretty… lack self-confidence ? I think. Of course, it wasn’t easy to know if she could match up with my work but I really appreciated her style browsing her portfolio… long hair and blue eyes, two things I love. And that’s how one french alternative model arrived in my studio. Unlike my others muses, Anaïs already built her photo character through several shootings in the past. Her own sensibility and her sense of analysis are two big qualities for me. One conversation and one screen-test convinced me to schedule a real shooting… I didn’t need a lot of time to feel it wouldn’t be a one-time experience. The first session is usually halting… things were easy with Anaïs, easier than with Dana or Diva. She was motivated and enthusiast, smiling and sharing her feelings. The last point is really important : share, live and speak, nothing more. Here is what I said in my member’s area when her first set has been published, several months after the shooting :

Anais is a “refreshing” woman specially because she explores her fantasies. she’s also a clever person who knows how to drive her life and her desires. I met several girls with one of these characteristics but only few are mixing these both things. that’s undeniably one of her qualities and I really appreciate it… when Anais loves something, she’s just speaking about without mistery [...] Anais started with ballet shoes with an efficient shibari position ;-) I got this idea because Anais spoke about her fetish for ballet shoes few days before our shooting. that’s finally how we work together… she or I propose something and we do the thing if it’s cool… this is a really stimulating for me who is used to work with a lot of girls working without opening their mind. that’s stupid because shooting is our job but a job is always more interesting when you enjoy it.

We did a lot of things since I wrote these lines in 2006. I know what Anaïs brought to my work.. that’s amazing ! Some people will be focused on the sexy part : french kisses and magic-wand. I already spoke about this aspect in my interview (available here)

I would like to mention another model, Anaïs who was the first to break the “sex” taboo on CaptiveCulture.com. She brought real sexual eroticism to my productions and I really appreciated it. Like Dana did few years before with bondage, she sent a message to the others models, like “you can do it, that’s not gonna hurt you”!

But, the truth is outhere : my work reached another dimension with Anaïs, more aesthetic and more interesting. I don’t say everything changed when she appeared as if by magic. No, that’s more subtle. I believe my photography became better because I stopped loosing my time and energy : no indecision, no hypocrisy, no pretence. So, I only had to think about my pictures, artistically and technically. Obviously, Anaïs benefited from a better equipment and experience than my others muses but that’s also she’s able to bring good ideas, erotic or artistic, in the interest of everyone. I met a lof of models who are only concerned by their self interest. Anaïs thinks differently, she plays for the team and that’s why I did my best to enhance my photogaphy. She tried to give her best, I tried to do my best. That’s true I was fed up with shooting white walls or basic lighting as working differently was better to match up with her style but, again, I probably didn’t make all these efforts if I wouldn’t know this was appreciated by Anaïs… like she knows I appreciate her efforts (physical or mental). Okay, that was the long psychological part LOL

I could write a lot about Anaïs but, as I said above, the story continues : she’s modeling for me since June 2005 and she’s assisting me since October 2005. I only speaked about her model qualities but be sure she’s a great assistant too… serious, efficient and she’s always on time (not like another girl I know who was always 30 minutes late). I know the role is difficult, you are in the front line, between the producer’s needs and the model’s sensibility. I also know this job and that intensive work rate kill the dream part. Anaïs really loved the fetish world and I saw her passion decreased slowly, it’s a common thing specially when you’re entering adulthood. Sometimes, I forget Anaïs is so young, she’s really mature but she’s only 21 and I know a lot things change during this period. I started my professional life at 21… it was 14 years ago. Gotcha, I feel myself like an old man now LOL I think too much… Oh, here is another thing Anaïs and I share : we are tormented by our mind :) I quickly noticed it and these two years didn’t improve the situation… how could it be when you are catwoman, nurse, schoolgirl, latex lover, slave or mistress, demure or exposed, shy or kinky ? Virtuality vs Reality ! Clever woman, lovely girl, workaholic and photo addict, Anaïs is definately more than a body with beautiful legs and delicious shapes. Watch her doll face and dig in her blue eyes… You can’t read her thoughts but you can be sure about one thing. Like one of my friends said “I love her because she gives more about herself”. She discovered a lot of sensations and I guess she enjoyed a lot of them. Anaïs is always inclined to explore new worlds and sensations. She discovered a lot for two years and she enjoyed several ones. I just hope the future will be similar to the past… Thank You Miss

It wasn’t difficult to guess who my third muse was… every man browsing my portfolio will notice the sexy brunette with a doll face. I say every man because I know how they love Diva, things are slightly different with women who usually don’t like her attitudes. Anyway, as a man and as a photographer, it was a pleasure to shoot Diva. Amazing pin-up face, beautiful bottom and lovely boobs : believe me, that’s a lot for an amateur model. I remember when she contacted me. She was 17 years old and I told her it was impossible to shoot her before she turned 18. I’ve also heard bad things about her behavior with another photographer and some models but I decided to give her the opportunity to work for me. I didn’t regret it because we did a lot of great sessions together… lot of pictures I love. Even so, I consider Diva apart from my others muse simply because I was more interested by her physical (when the intellectual side was prevailing with Greta, Dana or Anaïs). We were not sharing the same universe. She doesn’t love the same things than me. In few words, we were simply different : the dreamer versus the pragmatic. Unlike with Dana or Anaïs, I never thought we could work a long time together. I remember what I said to my friend LouLady when we shot Diva for the first time : “every shooting can be the last one”. Let me explain, Diva is the model with the highest potential I’ve ever seen : beautiful face + great body + narcissist personality + desire to be famous = a terrific equation when you are 18 years old. So, I always considerated Diva could become a supermodel working with the best photographers… and I was conscious my work was too basic and explicit for her. That’s why I ever thought captiveculture would be only one step in her modeling life, the best way to get professional and good looking pictures quickly, the right way to catch a better opportunity later. I have no problem with this policy and Diva worked very well during several months. Finally, the “short time” experience has gone longer than expected but things became more complicated after half a year. Dana stopped to be my assistant and I proposed her job to Diva : I did a mistake. Indeed, Diva loves the fetish universe, not the pervert side. A lot of french models are dreaming to be the new Dita von Teese or Emily Marilyn but they have a distorted and incomplete analysis about the reality. They think it’s a dream life, easy work with easy money, full of pleasant things and cool people… like a movie star or a famous singer. I think Diva like others french models forgot how Dita and Emily started their modeling adventure: it wasn’t always classy and sexy. Here is the problem… you can’t work peacefully when you don’t adhere to the whole thing. I think Diva was not interested by the bondage domination shootings and it was noticeable on several sessions we did together. I don’t criticize it, I just analyze it. There is a real difference between a model and an assistant. When you are the producer’s assistant, you have to promote and defend your product towards the models and that’s not easy when you don’t appreciate or understand all things involved by this kind of productions. I only needed few days to understand that Diva couldn’t replace my previous assistant. I also doubt she realized the given opportunity, Diva probably thought things would be easier (but this role is thankless). She also wanted to turn towards burlesque and glamour universe and didn’t find the words to inform me about that will. At the result, her mind and her schedule started being less available for me and we became unable to communicate efficiently : that’s a recurring problem when you work with younger people, they don’t know express their decisions and their wishes. I don’t understimate my personality too : I don’t like people cheating or hiding something, specially when I guess there is a problem. I love people who express their thoughts even if I don’t like what they have to say… It seems Diva choosed another way ; maybe things would have been different with more experience… Work and Listen are the rules to build a sure and fast career and it’s not easy to agree when you are young. I just hope she will be able to live her dreams entirely within a near future because she’s a great model and a good person.

I learnt a lot of things by myself in my life… including the art of ropes. Oh, it wasn’t so easy than learning Photoshop alone : I remember the beginning, the result was crappy. In fact, two years were needed to get interesting bondage and two more before to be satisfied about my creations. Tie a woman is not important if the way I used was quick or messy. I love when my rope works are looking great and when I was inspired enough to include some evil idea. In one word, I love when bondage is strict and playful. I will write more about bondage in future posts but, tonight, I wanted to share some of my favorites with you.

I started photography when I was 13 years old. I was lucky to begin with one of the best cameras available in 1985 : the Canon T70. I changed it two years later for my favorite : the Canon T90. I really loved my T90 even if I stopped taking pictures in 1993 because a lot of money was needed to make photography before the digital era. When I decided to start my own fetish pictures in 2000, I bought a digital camera : the Olympus C3030… really expensive but digital was a revolution to my point of view. I used it for two years before to change for the Nikon 5700 which was better for resolution and speed. Summer 2004, trying to improve my website’s quality, I bought the Nikon 8700 and I was not totally satisfied about it. Two affordable SLR cameras were recently launched, then, I decided to stop loosing my money with slow cameras and went back in the Reflex universe. I started photography with Canon, so, I bought the Canon EOS 300D also known as the Digital Rebel XT which was totally disappointing under artificial light (crappy white balance and fucking limited firmware). I sold it to my friend Alain after few weeks and bought the famous Nikon D70 that I used for 14 months and 100 shooting days.. 20 years after, I was back in the real photography world and I was able to enhance my work in a creative way. I started year 2006 with the all new Nikon D200 which gave me the possibility to work faster and increase my picture quality in any conditions. I always use this camera and I am really happy about it… I always have my D70 (unable to resell it due to a mirror problem), the 8700 is waiting in a box. I don’t regret the Olympus C3030 given to Dana for her personal use but I miss my old Canon T90 : I sold it to buy my first studio lights in 2001… nostalgic mode ON :)

Two years after the beginning of the captiveculture adventure, my friend Virginie, a talented pin-up photographer, recommended me one of her models : Dana Carlier. We were in 2002 and I started working with the one who became my second muse. I could write several pages about my collaboration with Dana… she did more than 100 shootings as a model and a lot as my assistant too. I have been immediately interested by her face and her girl next door style when I met her in a french coffee. She didn’t make a lot of shooting sessions before and had a lot of dreams about acting. Modeling was a good way to pay her drama school and that’s probably why Dana was so obstinate to work with me. I must admit, she arrived in my worse photographic period and she lived a lot of average or spoilt sessions. Indeed, I wasn’t so good than today to build a sure thing and, even if the first session was good, we experienced a lot of shootings with an erratic result afterwards. Anyway, Dana always trusted and worked well with a real enthusiasm. I really appreciated her mood, she was always joking and smiling, listening and trying to do her best to satisfy me. I know one thing, I really increased my rope skills with Dana. She had amazing bondage capabilities and I was able to test and learn a lot with her every week. She helped me to become a good rigger… more than any other girl ! As I said, I can’t summarize this experience in few lines… 3 years, this is a big part of my photographer life. Of course, I regret several words or things… the main one ? I think Dana was able to become a famous fetish model and she didn’t take her chance completely. I don’t underestimate the influence of our long collaboration and that’s probably the reason why she decided to scuttle her career. Dana was dreaming about being an actress, not a bondage queen. I know this role is difficult specially when you work with me. She was happy to work with american models like Kumi Monster or Rachel Paine. She realized her own potential at this time… but I think she also understood this career involved to change several things in her life. Being an international bondage model ? A risky business and she was probably right to favour her private life. We stopped working together when year 2006 started. I think she was tired about me like I was annoyed by her paradoxical decisions. Anyway, I keep in mind all good things she brought to me and I don’t forget how I loved to shoot this lovely model with beautiful curves. Las Vegas or London, BondCon or Rubberball… a lot of memories I will share with you later. The story continues !