The problem of bruising
One of the difficulties of this industry, as any spanking model will tell you, is that of scheduling. Most photographers (and, indeed, most clients) prefer that a model’s bottom is unmarked at the start of a shoot. Mr Stern of English Spankers, with whom I did my first ever spanking shoot, told me that “you see some spanking pics where girls already have marks at the start of the shoot, and I always think it looks brutal and cheap - generally means the model has had about 3 shoots that day.”
Now, I can see his point, but it’s just not as simple as that. For a start, marks aren’t that transient – I usually have to leave a week inbetween shoots to guarantee an unmarked bottom, and that’s with relatively light CP, up to schoolroom level or thereabouts. Sometimes things mark more than you expected them to. The paddle bruises from that first English Spankers shoot took over a fortnight to fully fade, and I still have very faint discoloration visible from a personal play session at the July Torture Garden - nearly two months ago. (It was the swagger stick that caused the lasting bruises – I’m going to have to avoid those implements entirely in future. Which is unfortunate, because they feel really nice. As I believe I’ve said before, my preference is definitely for heavier sensations.)
The industry is an unpredictable one, nearly as unpredictable as making and selling art (which is my other business). As well as finding work, and booking enough shoots in a month that I can afford crucial things like paying my rent and buying new shoes, I have to take the following facts into consideration:
- My deadlines for art commissions. More complicated than it sounds, because art frequently takes more or less time than you expect, and customers are not entirely perfect when it comes to sending one information/payment/materials in time.
- The more mainstream modelling I do invariably demands an unmarked bottom; very few art nude photographers are inclined to make a feature of bruised buttocks, and even fetish photographers aren’t particularly keen.
- Photographers are very, very busy people, and frequently aren’t able to fill their diaries more than a couple of weeks in advance, which makes planning ahead rather more complex than it could be.
- I do, when I have the chance, very much enjoy being caned when I’m not being paid for it. Private scenes are, if anything, more likely than professional ones to result in lasting marks if I’m not careful, because the greater levels of trust and security between myself and my dominant mean that I can be pushed much further physically without really noticing. This isn’t something I’m willing to give up if I can possibly help it.
- Accidents have been known to happen: the doms I work with are talented and skilled individuals, but no-one is infallible. No matter how careful we are, a misjudgement of how much something will bruise can result in my having to rearrange or even cancel shoots - which none of us want. (Incidentally, these bruises have now faded – arnica is wonderful stuff.)
- My lord and master prefers to have a blank canvas to work with. He doesn’t object to my choice of career and is remarkably relaxed about how frequently I come to him sporting bruises by other people (for which I’m extremely grateful), but I like to please him as much as I can, and if we’re going out together somewhere special it’s nice if I can arrange to not be marked beforehand.
- Human relationships are not predictable. I can’t always fit my personal spanking precisely around my professional work, and nor would I want to – the point of all this, after all, is that I do this for fun as well as for profit.
Oh Pandora - the problem of brusing is an interesting one. I am reminded of the first spanking shoot I ever did about 20 years ago. I found a photographic studio in London with resident models - some of whom were prepared to be spanked on video. The first girl I worked with was a lively sort of person who told me that she was very happy to be spanked. In fact, she told me she had been caned a few weeks ago. Her first caning and 60 strokes! She told me how marked her bottom was and even a few days later the tram lines were there for all to see. She turned up at the studio along with another model waiting for "passing trade". She confessed her sins to the studio owner and showed him her poor bottom. He was pretty cross. "Well," she said " you will just have to confess all to any photographers that come in. I expect they will choose the other girl." And you know the amazing thing is that she got four bookings to the other girls's one. When she showed the snappers the marks on her bum and told them how she had come by them they were all fascinated and wanted to photograph her marks and hear her story in some detail! Just goes to show you how marks on a lovely bottom are indeed a thing of senual beauty.
ReplyDeleteI wish more photographers were of that opinion, Mike! It would certainly make my life a lot easier.
ReplyDelete60 strokes is an awful lot for a first caning. Although now I come to think of it, I can't remember how many there were the first time a cane was used on me. I'll have to ask the gentleman in question to remind me :)
I'm really glad that my first caning was in private. I could get all worked up without worrying about being unprofessional :)
ReplyDeleteI asked the dominant who administered it, by the way. This was just over two years ago - not my first experience of CP, but my first experience with a cane as opposed to other implements. Apparently he gave me 12 strokes first to see how I reacted, and then proceeded to give me about 160 more strokes with two different thickness of cane in the next hour...
...So maybe 60 is fairly normal for a first time :)