35 images starring Anaïs
available to download
After the double update with Dana in 2003, let’s continue to share our outdoor session. Do you remember Anaïs in a pinewood & on the seaside ? Here is another photo series from my trip to South France in 2006. As explained in my previous commentaries, these days with Anaïs were a blend of challenges and fetish shootings. We navigated various obstacles throughout the week : on the fourth day, we shot close one road in the french countryside. The sky wasn’t sunny, and the location offered limited options, resulting in only 35 pictures. Finding a suitable spot for the shoot took a bit long, but we made the most of it despite the constraints. From the professional side, this trip was an interesting yet challenging experience. Anaïs had been modeling for me for about a year by then, and 2006 was particularly intense, with weekly sessions that included bondage & spanking or erotic duos with Mina. Anaïs was fully committed to exploring her own fantasies through these shootings and I was keen on capturing the essence of her evolving persona. Our collaboration had grown strong : that year, Anaïs even worked on post-production tasks instead of her usual summer job : she was totally involved in my project & I was happy to help her with an office activity which allowed us to relax & shoot easily. In September, it was the holidays for Anaïs who proposed that I join her for a few days. However, some tension appeared when I realized that Anaïs wouldn’t be available for shooting all day as we were used to doing in Paris. My time away from the keyboard was limited by the members’ updates and being alone at my hotel with no occupation created some frustration. I traveled to create new content for my websites : tourism isn’t a passion for me, even more so when being alone. We tried to manage this dilemma, but I had to explain to Anaïs that one option was to shorten my trip and return to Paris because the hotel + car rental expenses were mounting each day in South France. I searched for earlier train tickets and considered driving back to Paris, but it proved too complicated or impossible. Thus, I stayed mainly at my hotel, waiting for each time Anaïs was free to model. Hopefully, I had some friends to call … don’t forget we still had some classic phones at this period. Of course, this situation was far from ideal, as it meant long periods of inactivity punctuated by limited shooting sessions. The pressure to produce quality content in short time frames added stress to our usually smooth relationship. On that fourth day, we only shot one photo series due to a tight schedule. Our relationship had been perfect until this week and the tension affected our work. Anaïs & I were not used to facing difficulties of that kind. My productivity goal impacted our mood : the constant negotiation of time & the underlying financial pressure created a subtle but palpable strain. Despite this, we were able to shoot more on other days : the bad weather on the first day forced us to shoot in the family house. We spent the next one in Barcelona for some shopping and shooting, which helped alleviate some of the tension. From the personal side, this trip was special for both Anaïs and me. She was born in this region and the search for suitable spots added a layer of fatigue, especially for her. Being in her region meant navigating familiar landscapes with another eye : that day, we tried to drive longer to find our daily spot. The location we ended up using — a roadside in the french countryside — wasn’t ideal as the overcast weather and limited backdrop options affected the photo series, resulting in fewer images than usual. Despite the challenges, Anaïs remained motivated by our latex shootings but the circumstances were also affecting her. For this shoot, Anaïs was wearing a beautiful outfit designed by Robin Archer for House of Harlot (UK). The semi-transparent latex suit was striking, reminiscent of the purple outfit Dana had worn at BondCon 2004 in Las Vegas. I still remember Dana taking the elevator & walking through the Luxor Hotel dressed in latex, turning heads and embodying the fetish lifestyle our shoots aimed to showcase. Anaïs also looked stunning in this outfit, the semi-transparent latex accentuating her figure and adding a modern touch to the rural environment. However, we both had higher expectations for the photos taken in this countryside, near the vineyards. The contrast between the fashion fetish outfit and the rustic backdrop could have created compelling imagery, but the circumstances worked against us. As I explained previously, the weather and our mood negatively impacted the photo series, resulting in a shorter set than usual. The overcast sky dulled the beauty of latex and the limited location options constrained our creative possibilities. In retrospect, I acknowledge that my photography could have been better : we were both a bit tired from searching for quiet locations to shoot. The constant vigilance required to find secluded spots for our sessions increased our stress : this experience highlighted the importance of location scouting and the impact of external factors on photographic work. From the psychological side, this trip was globally more complex than our Parisian routine. Anaïs was navigating two different worlds being a student during the week and a fetish model on the weekend for one year. Initially, Anaïs invited me to stay at her family’s home, a gesture that spoke to her comfort with me, but I declined, opting instead to stay at a hotel. This decision, although it entailed logistical constraints, was important to maintain the necessary distance and avoid any complications related to our proximity. I was perhaps a little afraid of mismanaging this unfamiliar situation. Since the beginning of this project, I got the feeling all this could be more complicated than one friendly invite to join her holidays. Anaïs proposed it naturally but the nature of our collaboration wasn’t so simple. On one hand, she was exploring her own fantasies and pushing boundaries through our sessions. On the other hand, she was still a young woman who had left her family to study psychology at the university. The perfect daughter went for a few weeks to this house where my presence would have been a bit weird … don’t you think so ? Her mother was aware that Anaïs was doing some photography for me, but when I met her, it became clear that she sensed there was more going on. I wasn’t a young man like Anaïs’s boyfriend and my style isn’t the one you could expect from an artist. I was 34 YO & the choice of my hotel + my rented car revealed my wallet wasn’t empty. There was something hidden beneath the surface, and her mother seemed to know it. When I arrived in the area, Anaïs brought me home which allowed me to learn the right path to this house of her mother who went back from work later. During our brief interaction, I got the distinct impression that she was scanning me : maybe it’s only in my mind but, yes, I was less comfortable than usual. Everyone probably got a specific feeling while we talked together. In the following days, I considered that her mother might keep Anaïs busy with her family obligations to keep me at a distance. It could be seen as a manifestation of this potential suspicion of her daughter’s activities … if the roles had been reversed, I would have thought that no photographer travels so far just to take pictures of faces or a few landscapes. I would have imagined that my daughter was undressing in front of his lens or that man wants something more from the student. That’s why I declined Anaïs’s invitation to sleep in her home, scheduling this trip : maybe my own discomfort motivated this choice. I thought that staying with her would have led to a problematic situation : her mother likely had questions that I couldn’t answer. It was better to keep away & limit my time here : I didn’t want to create any tension or mention something that Anaïs didn’t want to share. My attitude may have influenced the mood of this week and perhaps even the quality of the sessions. I don’t know exactly what Anaïs had in mind but it was probably a mix of different feelings. The psychological strain of sharing her time between me and her family, while managing the potential awkwardness of introducing me to her mother, likely made the situation more difficult than either of us anticipated. Anaïs was leading a near double life, and my presence threatened to blur the lines between her two worlds. Anaïs was stuck between her role as the perfect daughter and these fantasies she had in mind … that year, she explored many of them through our sessions. In hindsight, I believe Anaïs proposed I join her holiday without fully considering the consequences and the situation. How could she ? I was older & had already discovered how adult photography is something misunderstood by a lot of people. I had had time to think about my position with photo models even when they don’t understand some of my choices. Previously, I explained to Sylvia that it was risky to invite me to her wedding. One example among some others … most of the time, I prefer to stay in the shadow. This idea of combining work with a visit home probably seemed attractive at first, but the reality proved more complicated. Moreover, we weren’t in the same state of mind : Anaïs was friendly, playful and maybe a little more, while I was unable to forget my work, too present in my life. This mismatch in expectations added to the overall tension of the stay and underscores the importance of clear communication in relationships, especially those that blur the boundaries between personal and professional spheres. The fatigue and frustration we both experienced during the session are maybe visible in these pictures. The constant vigilance required to find suitable shooting locations, combined with the stress of navigating public and private boundaries, likely depleted our resources, affecting both our moods and the quality of my work. Anaïs & I were not relaxed as usual and that’s one regret … it could have been more fun but life is a complex equation. Talking during our drive to Barcelona, I understood that Anaïs was already feeling the weight of production after one full year of exposing herself on my website. Her dream became reality but the downside is the repetition of shooting days & our schedule … as a producer, I knew this state of mind for years, even something rare & intense slowly turns into your routine. At this period, she was starting to feel some changes of perception about her journey in the BDSM & FETISH universe. Despite these difficulties and considerations, this experience also brought us good times. It pushed us both to adapt to the circumstances while highlighting the complexity of relationships in this unique field of activity. As I often said at the time to the neophytes : being tied up, naked, in front of a lens is not a natural situation for the model … and as a producer, you cannot reproach a woman who revealed her intimacy five minutes before the end of the session. There is, whether we like it or not, an indefinable bond that unites us. We share more than a special moment together : thoughts are multiple, secret or shared … even if the path seems all traced by taking it, many questions arise during this unique journey. That’s all for today : the pinewood and beach sets are already on the blog and I will add more pictures from this trip within the future. If you haven’t downloaded the previous sessions yet, they’re there for you to explore. Looking back, this trip encapsulates many of the complexities inherent in the world of fetish photography : the balance between l’individu and production, the personal and the professional, the hidden and the revealed. It illustrates the complex psychological negotiations that occur when different aspects of one’s life collide. I hope you will these pictures … as usual, you can click on the download icon, uncompress the zip file on your device, and enjoy your viewing. My archives are also viewable by clicking on the magnifying glass icon to browse this session online. Have a nice week-end !
shot on 2006, September 10
published on Latex Culture
Despite your difficulties the shoot came out well. Remember you were pioneers nearly 20 years ago attitudes were different. And you an Anais have helped in the change in perception of fetish culture.
Anaïs never disappoints, and this particular dress is absolutely amazing, just as beautiful as the setting. Always loved the more “normal” designs of latex. Catsuits are fine, but there’s a lot more craftsmanship in these kinds of dresses.