Tara shares her interest in unique bondage and latex gear.
20 Jul, 2008 - By Tara Sterling
'm flattered that Mark invited me to write this article for his web site, using a selection of amazing bondage photos we
shot together recently.
My name is Tara Sterling, an active professional domme located in the San Francisco area. I've been in the business for a year or so, and during that time I have studied under the watchful eye of Ms. Eisanna Eiger.
Eisanna has exposed me to a wide selection of leather and metal bondage gear, so I'm very
For maximum immobilization, Tara combines a latex straitjacket, head immobilizer and a Fetters Inversion Bondage Rack.
fortunate to have had a lot of hands-on time with unique equipment in a relatively short period of time.
In addition, during the last few months I have acquired a new submissive who has piqued my interest in serious rubber and latex bondage, which before had only been a small part of my fantasy life and even smaller part of my personal play. Aptly enough, my submissive's scene name is Gumbi.
During a recent photoshoot with Mark and Gumbi, I had the pleasure of combining an array of this new gear. In the photos on this page you will see a wonderful latex straightjacket, spider gag, nose hook, penis-to-mouth gag, Fetters Inversion Rack, and a genuine head and neck immobilizer from the medical industry. Also, a special rubber-coated Jenning's gag is a little gem from my own personal collection. I wider selection of these photos are available on Mark's new website SeriousImages.com.
Preparing for our photoshoot was quite fun. Spreading silicone lubricant over my body and sliding into what's so aptly called a second skin (my latex outfit) brought me to an interesting head space. Latex is not a material that I wear in daily life (yet), so it was a signal to my body and subconscious mind that something fun and out of the ordinary was about to happen.
I slipped the rubber straightjacket over Gumbi's latex-clad torso with ease, and closed the garment with a zipper up the back. Other leather and canvas straightjackets I have used usually have a series of straps and buckles for closure, so I immediately noted this difference. I prefer straps and buckles because they allow the ability to control and tailor the fit of the straightjacket to each submissive, however Gumbi later explained that since the latex is more delicate than the other materials the zipper was intended to extend the life of the piece. As I finished Gumbi's restraint I noticed that the zipper actually created a more secure seal of the slippery latex than a series of straps and buckles ever could. The latex seemed to be thick in all the right places, and the crotch straps provided the snug appearance I've come to desire and appreciate when putting someone into a straightjacket. Gumbi's straitjacket is manufactured by Mister-S, and his unique space-age looking blindfold is from JT-Stockroom.
Moving a person onto the Fetters Inversion Rack is not always as smooth as one would like. The initial procedure takes a lot of finesse, balance, and a bit of elbow grease. First, the submissive slides onto the rack in a lying position, then I adjust the tilt of the rack to my liking and slip a steel pin into an assembly which holds the rack in that stationary position. This process is quite awkward and I view this as a technical downside, but not so much that it ruins the scene for me. The combination of the inversion rack and straightjacket is quite wonderful because the arms of the submissive are crossed while the body is inverted, which creates a greater sense of loss-of-control.
There are several settings available on the Fetters Inversion Rack so it may be used as a horizontal bondage table, or for putting the submissive at about a 45 degree angle, or almost a 75 degree angle - head down. In addition, the leg rests are adjustable so once the subject is secured and helpless I have a choice as to how far their legs can be spread. Naturally, I enjoy the widest possible spread allowing for maximum access to their genitals. I particularly enjoy the process of spreading the submissive's legs after they are restrained, which graphically communicates that their most private body parts are completely available to me no matter how ensconced in bondage or rubber they may be.
Once Gumbi was secured to the Inversion Rack, I strapped his latex covered head into a genuine head and neck immobilizer used in the professional medical industry. I love it's effect: it seems to create a sense of safety and security for the submissive while simultaneously leaving them completely vulnerable to whatever facial treatments I care to apply. Turning away is simply impossible! My mentor Eisanna and I are hoping to have a custom head and neck immobilizer manufactured, similar to the one you see in the photos, only the new version would have heavy buckling/locking straps in lieu of the velcro.
In the photos below you can see the first gag which I used on Gumbi. This is a Spider Gag, which is made of rigid stainless steel. The shiny and unforgiving metal of the gag ads to it's harshness in both a sensation and aesthetic kind of way. The gag has a very pleasing way of forcing the tongue into place through the center ring, and as you can see, it matches the nose hook perfectly. Both the Spider Gag and Nose Hook are from JT-Stockroom.
After a bit of teasing with a long pair of forceps, the next gag I put in place was the penis-to-mouth gag from Mister-S. It's a huge turn for me on and caters to my fantasies of forced orgasm and accompanying bodily fluid consumption. I have to admit however, improvements could be made to the penis-to-mouth gag. For one thing, the rubber material of the cock sheath is much too stiff. The cock ring itself has nearly zero elasticity. This gag, once wrestled onto Gumbi's cock and inserted into his mouth, achieves an amazingly striking sight, and, combined with the immobilizing bondage can deliver a humbling and potentially humiliating loss of control for him.
Another wonderful feature of the Inversion Rack is that when it's tilted down to an extreme angle it leaves the bottom's mouth at the perfect level for kissing, licking, or smothered by my bottom. My rubber coated Jenning's gag from MedicalToys.com, once locked on and ratcheted open, leaves Gumbi's tongue and mouth at my disposal. Delicious!
All in all, our photoshoot was a lot of fun. Thanks to Gumbi, Mark and Eisanna Eiger for supporting my interest in the world of serious bondage. I'm honored to be working with such knowledgeable and fun people, and hope that those who are reading this article will go to SeriousImages.com to view the entire photo collection, along with other amazing scenes we have photographed recently. As Mark would say "you can never have enough gear'. I agree!
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