Trauma
Just got back from shooting Trauma, the annual Halloween/Fetish ball here in town. It was a blast! BoMA is a huge venue with plenty of space for all the freaks (of which I count myself as a member). There were so many interesting and friendly people doing all sorts of things I can only begin to describe.
Flogging and bondage stations were set up around the second floor above the main room. Those types of things I'd seen before when I attended a FetishCon after-party in Tampa.
The two more interesting attractions were the groping booths.
A 3x3x8 wood-framed, plexiglass booth was rolled out onto the dancefloor. On two of its sides were a pair of thick, black rubber gloves that allowed someone to grope those within. The booth was filled with a woman, sometimes more, sometimes a guy would join. Complete strangers took turns using the gloves, to touch, stroke, squeeze. It was fun to watch. Then I tried my hand at it (couldn't resist the pun). It was nothing like I imagined. The gloves were so thick, there was no tactile sensation. I ended up just trying to tickle the women.
The other booth was a black, hexagonal structure with eyeholes and handholes. People would go inside and either reach out or people on the outside reach in, not knowing who was on the other side of the hole. Every once in a while a hand would reach out for attention. People engaged the hands or peeked inside. A few times an open hand would find itself filled with an empty beer bottle. At one point late into the evening, I reached in and a hand pulled my arm all the way in. Fingers explored mine, caressing. A guy exited the booth and warned, "You know they're all guys in there, right?" I suspected the small hands I was in contact with belonged to a woman so I discarded those words. I was able to feel curves, finding her arm, her face, then a collar around her neck. Thinking of Char, my large hand wrapped around her throat firmly for a moment before letting go and returning her caresses. It quickly became too crowded inside the booth for my arm to move so I pulled out. Of the next people to exit the booth, there was a woman with a collar. I smirked.
The one experience that I had been expecting to see for the first time in person was suspension. For those that don't know, suspension is where a person is hung up by their skin (usually by putting large hooks through their skin). I was a bit squidgy about the prospect of seeing suspension, worried that I'd be too empathetic. Luckily, when the group Only Flesh put on their show, I was fine. I think it was because their hooks were already in place instead of seeing the hooks being set. The first demo were two pairs, a guy and a girl with hooks in their chests, and two girls with hooks in their backs. Each pair were connected and then pulled away from each other, the hooks distorted the skin. The pair of girls were particularly rough, trying to run in opposite directions. Blood started to seep from their holes before they were done. The rest of the acts were done in a 12-foot high dome on stage made of PVC. Both men and women were hung by thick hooks in their backs. Then they would be pushed so they would swing from one side to the other. At one point, a woman was hanging and a man wrapped his arms around her and lifted his feet, adding his weight to hers. Another woman was hung by her knees, four hooks in each. The finale was the group's leader, who was hung by hooks in his back. Then he was hoisted up and bounced up onto the rungs of the dome as if the rope was bungee cord instead. I understand some love the adrenaline rush involved with pain. A natural high. I don't know how they do it.
The lighting was dim so it made for interesting shooting. It was hard to do anything without a flash, even with my f/1.8 50mm so I went with my 18-55 and started lighting my shots. I started dragging my shutter for a second or two after the flash which gave some of the shots movement while leaving the background darkened.
What? You want photos? It'll take me a minute to process the 770 that I shot into a Flickr gallery.
Flogging and bondage stations were set up around the second floor above the main room. Those types of things I'd seen before when I attended a FetishCon after-party in Tampa.
The two more interesting attractions were the groping booths.
A 3x3x8 wood-framed, plexiglass booth was rolled out onto the dancefloor. On two of its sides were a pair of thick, black rubber gloves that allowed someone to grope those within. The booth was filled with a woman, sometimes more, sometimes a guy would join. Complete strangers took turns using the gloves, to touch, stroke, squeeze. It was fun to watch. Then I tried my hand at it (couldn't resist the pun). It was nothing like I imagined. The gloves were so thick, there was no tactile sensation. I ended up just trying to tickle the women.
The other booth was a black, hexagonal structure with eyeholes and handholes. People would go inside and either reach out or people on the outside reach in, not knowing who was on the other side of the hole. Every once in a while a hand would reach out for attention. People engaged the hands or peeked inside. A few times an open hand would find itself filled with an empty beer bottle. At one point late into the evening, I reached in and a hand pulled my arm all the way in. Fingers explored mine, caressing. A guy exited the booth and warned, "You know they're all guys in there, right?" I suspected the small hands I was in contact with belonged to a woman so I discarded those words. I was able to feel curves, finding her arm, her face, then a collar around her neck. Thinking of Char, my large hand wrapped around her throat firmly for a moment before letting go and returning her caresses. It quickly became too crowded inside the booth for my arm to move so I pulled out. Of the next people to exit the booth, there was a woman with a collar. I smirked.
The one experience that I had been expecting to see for the first time in person was suspension. For those that don't know, suspension is where a person is hung up by their skin (usually by putting large hooks through their skin). I was a bit squidgy about the prospect of seeing suspension, worried that I'd be too empathetic. Luckily, when the group Only Flesh put on their show, I was fine. I think it was because their hooks were already in place instead of seeing the hooks being set. The first demo were two pairs, a guy and a girl with hooks in their chests, and two girls with hooks in their backs. Each pair were connected and then pulled away from each other, the hooks distorted the skin. The pair of girls were particularly rough, trying to run in opposite directions. Blood started to seep from their holes before they were done. The rest of the acts were done in a 12-foot high dome on stage made of PVC. Both men and women were hung by thick hooks in their backs. Then they would be pushed so they would swing from one side to the other. At one point, a woman was hanging and a man wrapped his arms around her and lifted his feet, adding his weight to hers. Another woman was hung by her knees, four hooks in each. The finale was the group's leader, who was hung by hooks in his back. Then he was hoisted up and bounced up onto the rungs of the dome as if the rope was bungee cord instead. I understand some love the adrenaline rush involved with pain. A natural high. I don't know how they do it.
The lighting was dim so it made for interesting shooting. It was hard to do anything without a flash, even with my f/1.8 50mm so I went with my 18-55 and started lighting my shots. I started dragging my shutter for a second or two after the flash which gave some of the shots movement while leaving the background darkened.
What? You want photos? It'll take me a minute to process the 770 that I shot into a Flickr gallery.