3 Steps for Taking Great Shibari Pictures

In a previous article, which you can read here, we asked you not to take your own pictures. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t take pictures of someone else’s scene. Or, perhaps, you just decided to completely ignore what we said in that other article, and you want to take pictures of your scene. In either case, we offer you in this article 3 steps for taking great Shibari pictures, so that you can put them into practice next time.

First step: make sure your pictures are good. This might sound obvious until you remember just how many lousy pictures fill the web. Make sure your picture has enough light. If all you can see are shadows, and not of the artistic kind, you need more light. If you can barely distinguish the outline of the figures in your picture, then you have too much light. Make sure your picture is about something, don’t shoot randomly (we’ve all seen a photographer do it in movies, but that’s not the way it works in real life) or trying to include everything at once. Focus on something: a face, a knot, the tying of the legs, whatever.

Second tip: make your good pictures great. Having a good picture is not enough. So, how do you make a picture great? Well, understand what you’re shooting and emphasize its unique qualities. For example, rope has a rough texture, while skin is soft. If you show this contrast in your picture, that takes it a step further. Pay attention to the gestures of the participants. Sometimes the whole emotional dynamic of a scene can be captured in a face.

Third step: improve your pictures. Editing is not cheating. So, feel free to use whatever software at hand and work your pictures until they show exactly what you want.

We hope you find useful these 3 tips for taking great Shibari pictures.