Bound and Gagged

Interview with Bondage Photographer/Rigger

Jim Weathers
aka The Weatherman

 

Interview by BoundAndGagged.net


Claire Adams tied by Jim WeathersDo you have your own website, blog, myspace page, yahoo group, etc? We'd like the URLs so we can go visit.

Yes, Bondage Cafe and my MySpace page.

How did you happen to get into doing bondage and fetish work?

Interestingly enough, for someone that started his career as an internet entity, it would only fitting that it started that way too. Actually even before I met the late Cory Thompson in that chat room ten years ago, I had written a few stories for Bondage Life and had dabbled in a bit of bondage rigging - but I had never done it professionally. Cory and I realized one night that we lived 20 minutes from one another and decided that it would be a cool thing to meet and discuss the idea of starting a new web partnership. A few months later, Shortfusevideo was formed and I started tying up women
and taking pictures of them. Strangely, I found out that I was sort of good at it and the rest really is history.

Did you study photography or videography formally, or were you self-taught?

Completely self taught. I didn't know anything about photography when I started working. I didn't have what an f-stop was, or a strobe... Funny huh?

What was your first bondage shoot like? Do any memories about it stand out?

It was an interesting evening. I was at the time just a sort of silent partner in all this, but at one point in the evening, Cory turned to me and said something to the effect of: "Captain, why don't you have a go?". We were working with Summer Knight and I remember it took me a long time to do the tie. Cory actually filmed the whole thing, but that video is not
available anymore because of his death.

What's a typical bondage shoot like? (Just a quick summary of the events on a shoot day.)

My shoots tend to be long drawn out affairs. My wife does makeup and that can take from 90 minutes to 2 hours depending on the situation and then I just go to work. I tend to be very, very critical of what I do so sometimes it just takes time. If the ropework is really different (experimental) or difficult, it can sometimes take awhile to get right. 

I rarely if ever have a plan of what I'm going to do. I work in a sort of jazz improvisational style. I have a sort of murky idea of what I want to do, but as I start tying, things just change depending on how I like (or don't like) the look of it, or how the model is dealing with it. I can take as few as forty pictures of a scene or as many as three hundred. It just depends on how things are going. I don't shoot video of everything I do - although I probably should - but sometimes I find that the position is just too difficult for the model to stay in for the time required to do a 8 minute video.

What bondage positions do you like best?

I don't really have a favorite per se. I just like sexy positions. I get mail from fans sometimes complaining about this position or that, but I don't generally take those to heart. I like doing what I find appealing on the day...

What bondage materials do you most prefer?

I like rope the most - just because I sort of have an affinity to working with it. But I also like leather straps, chains and restraints too. But I like to do different things with those media too if I can.

What attire do you prefer? What were your formative influences in your preferences for models' attire?

I am more of a fetishist than I am a bondage guy. I know that may seem strange, but nude bondage does basically nothing for me. The ropework can be the most amazing in the world, but if the model isn't wearing the right
outfit, it is just a technical thing. It has no gut reaction to me. I love nylons, I guess that is sort of obvious from my work, and I am definitely a leg / foot man first and foremost. You won't see me working with girls that don't have great legs - or at least you won't see me work with them more than once.

All this came from originally watching shows like Batman in the '60s (big Batgirl fan - shock horror) and then John Willie's work made a huge impact on me. If people can see that influence in my work, that is probably because I am such a huge fan of his style.

Which bondage work do you like better -- still photos, or video production? How come?

Hmmm... Interesting question. From a pure gut reaction, I actually like video more than pictures - but that is because I like movement. But video can never look like pictures, well unless you are working with a huge budget, which none of us can. Pictures seem to have a lot more staying power. A really good image seems to last the test of time better than a video. I definitely prefer shooting pictures. I generally hate shooting video just because it is such a difficult process for both the producer and more importantly, the model.

Your site is the home of The Adventures of O-Girl. This is a stand-out series with a unique vision. Could you tell everyone about it?

Well, ever since I was a little, little kid (and I mean around 5 years old) I loved the '60s Batman show. Or probably more correctly, the women on that show. I just thought it was sexy as hell. Anyway, they canceled it (who knew about re-runs?) and there hasn't been anything like it since. There have been a few shows on TV trying to do something similar, but the sensibilities that were prevalent in the '60s I guess just don't translate to the politically correct times we live in now.

So, I always thought it would be cool to do a sort of '60s superheroine series. Unfortunately, as was the case back in the '60s when Batman was the most expensive show to produce during it's time, doing this sort of thing is just expensive as hell. I must also say that I'd like to say is "picky" but what other people say is "snobby" about the whole genre. I only wanted to do a superheroine production if I make it look right. I couldn't see shooting a superheroine scene in a living room because it just doesn't look authentic. You can shoot fetish in a living room all day long because that is where in
reality these things take place - but superheroines is all about crazy sets and lairs and outrageous traps and well... You can't do that at home.

Anyway, back in 2004, I finally decided to get a studio and the first thing I did with the space was to make a superheroine movie I could be proud of. It has taken three years and a lot of work, but it is finally finished. The Adventures of O-girl, The Return of the Black Minx will be released on October 7th, 2007.

Besides the full length movie, I have also shot various O-girl "shorts" that I have posted on my site. O-girl has sort of taken on a life of it's own and I probably have fans that only like O-girl stuff and don't really like my other stuff.

Where do you get ideas for your photosets?

Hmm... I do a lot of staring into space before I start tying. There have been times that I have seen something (a picture, a drawing or whatever) and have gotten inspiration from that, but generally, I just do a lot of staring until a light bulb goes off in my head. Sometimes this can be incredibly frustrating, but also very rewarding.

Describe one of your best or favorite bondage shoots that you can remember.

Wow, that is a tough one. I have had quite a lot of really cool shoots over the years... Lets see. One of the most memorable was the first time I shot Dita back in 2000. I was a big fan of hers and I would have expected her to be a bit stand off-ish, but as it turns out we sort of just connected. Cory, Dita and I ended up staying up in the hotel until two or three in the morning just talking afterwards. I really loved the images that came out of that also.

Describe one of the worst bondage shoots you can remember. (You don't have to name anybody of course; just describe what went wrong.)

Equally wow, but a lot easier. How come you remember the really bad shoots first? Hmmm... It really is between two different shoots. Both instances have interesting parallels. Both women didn't really want to be there. Both women were absolutely gorgeous, but they really didn't get it. One told me that she thought it was stupid (not something that I really want to hear from someone I'm paying), the other just didn't know what was going to be involved and wasn't ready for it. In both instances the pictures came out great, but all I wanted to do was stop the shoots and throw the models out the door.

Who have you worked with? You don't have to remember everyone, just some.

Amber Michaels
Andrea Neal
Anastasia Pierce
Ashley Renee
Christina Carter
Darla Crane
Dita Von Teese
Darling
Diana Knight
Emily Marilyn
Eve Ellis
Laurie Wallace
Mary Jane Green
Nicole Sheridan
Rachel Paine
Sadie Belle
Sasha Monet
Tori Sinclair

To name a few...
 

Anything else you would like to say?

Just a special thanks to a very good friend that is no longer here, but if I hadn't met him, my life would have certainly been completely different. Thanks Cory... My thoughts are with you always.