The beginnings of working together with Cuffed
Sometimes, the most rewarding professional relationships begin with a simple, spontaneous unplanned moment. This is the story of how a casual photoshoot at the iconic Messedamm underpass in Berlin unexpectedly led to a long-term partnership with the now very well-known fetish brand, Cuffed. This is a story about how it all started.
Meeting a fellow photographer
I’ll talk about my first ever meet with Cuffed in a little bit, but I also want to mention a person who I met for the first time IRL whose work I’ve seen online quite a long time before 2019. If I remember correctly I even might have seen his photos on the old website Gearfetish. It was in the 2019 edition of BLF Easter that I happen to come across him. His name is PHOO//BAR.
BLF Easter and Folsom are great events to meet new people. At every edition I have met more and more people. At BLF Easter 2019 I met PHOO//BAR for the first time in front of PrinzKnecht. As most of you reading this blog know, PK basically is THE meeting point for kinksters. We were introduced to each other through friends. You know, friends of friends coming together during these events. And the fact that his partner Nickm09 acted like a neodymium magnet around MuDelta (my SO) had something to do with it too. 😉 We talked a bit about kinky stuff, handcuffs and of course photography. It’s nice to meet the actual person who the photos belong to.
Off to an awkward start
A few months later at Folsom Europe I got a message from PHOO//BAR and he asked me if I would be interested in joining him to do a casual photoshoot in Berlin on Sunday with a few kinksters. One of the people who would be joining is a person I know from Belgium. I liked the idea, since MuDelta went out to some friends and I had some spare time. So that Sunday I decided to go in leather and my 20-holes. I grabbed my camera and some photo equipment and went to the meeting point. PHOO//BAR and Nickm09 were already waiting at the U-bahn in Wittenbergplatz, so we had to wait a little bit for the models; my friend and two other people.
It’s there that I heard that my friend partied a little too hard the previous night and wouldn’t be able to come to the photoshoot. Well there I was. I didn’t know the others that well (one encounter at a bar months ago doesn’t count) and I definitely didn’t know the ones who should be joining us for the shoot. Anyway, the other two did show up, all dressed up in gear, ready to go. The models were introduced to me as Mat and Lukas. And off we went to Messedamm, all geared up ready to make some photos for use on their social media. Or so I thought.
A casual photoshoot in gear at a movie set
Our shooting location is the Messedamm underpass. You might recognize it from a few movies including The Bourne Supremacy, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 and Captain America: Civil War. The underpass, with its vibrant orange tiled walls, provided a unique and edgy backdrop for our photos. The soft glow of the overhead lights, hanging like industrial lamps from the ceiling, cast a warm and inviting atmosphere. Despite its iconic status, the underpass is not heavily used by pedestrians, which gives us quite some time and space without interruptions. Its classic 70s style and bright orange tiles are a distinct look and to Berliners it is an instant recognition. Well it will be for me too from now on.
The Shoot
We did our photoshoots in two groups. PHOO//BAR with Nickm09 and me with MATtheRAT and Slave Jerky.
So I started with a few test shots to find interesting angles and to check my lighting. I only used one light that day. I decided to travel light and since it is a public space, I didn’t want to go all out with lights even though it probably would have been ok-ish. Besides it was supposed to be a relaxed and fun day anyway. And me wearing leather and 20-holes boots as a photographer might not have been the smartest move (in my defense I thought I was going to be in a photo or two as well). Kneeling was really difficult and the leather felt a little constrictive. That part felt good though. 😏
MATtheRAT & Slave Jerky
For an underpass the walls were quite clean and didn’t have a lot of graffiti. I’m sure it isn’t always like that, but I think it was recently used for one or two movies that year. Gunpowder Milkshake and The Matrix Resurrections were filmed there in 2019, so maybe the walls have been cleaned for those movies.
It surprised me a little that Lukas brought a bit of gear and that they came a little bit prepared. They had silicone lube with them to apply on the rubber suit that Lukas wore to make sure every part was shiny. They also brought out a full set of restraints and a gas mask. They came prepared for the shooting.
When you’re at the stairs and escalators of the underpass you would assume that you’d be going to a U-bahn, but the underpass is not connected with a metro line.
One last scene
At the end of the shoot, PHOO//BAR had an idea for a photo that he wanted to do. The idea was for him to be hogtied face down on the floor with shackles around his wrists and ankles. Sounds simple enough. Let’s do it. So he brought out the metal shackles and proceeded to put part of it on him himself. He then layed down on the floor and we then cuffed his boots to his wrists. Yes the shackles around his boots fit around the width of his boots. Pity I haven’t really gotten a photo of the shackles themselves, but they were quite effective in any case. Oh and we checked if we had the keys of course. It otherwise would have been an interesting situation. So I have had Nickm09 hold the light above him and I took the shot. The result is the photo that you can see at the top of this page.
And here’s a little BTS shot:
Wrapping things up
As we were at the end of our shoot and we were wrapping up to leave the area, two people came at the underpass and were going to do a photoshoot as well. They did a few shots and the model did a few poses. At one point the photographer saw our equipment and decided to ask us for a little bit of advice and tips about using their camera. Can you imagine? All of us were wearing gear which you think is a rarity to wear in public. And yet they asked us for a bit of advice, totally unfazed about our clothing choices. I really like Berlin!
About the results
Well it appeared Lukas and Mat are the people behind Cuffed. I’m sure you all know that by now. But at the photoshoot I really didn’t know what they did or were trying to do in the future. I thought it was just a casual photoshoot and to have a few memories of Folsom Berlin. Photos for use on social media etc. However it turned out to be for entirely something else.
Lukas just started Cuffed at the time together with Mat. A brand which specializes in rubber restraints. The cuffs that he brought out appeared to be his products. The lubing up of his suit to make sure that it looks good in pictures was done with something specific in mind. At the time of the photoshoot I didn’t know I was being ‘interviewed’ to become their photographer. And I wasn’t soliciting for it. It didn’t felt like it was an interview though. It felt totally casual.
So after editing and sending the photos to Lukas, he told me that he liked the photos so much that he wanted to use them on his online shop. That came quite as a surprise, and totally unexpected.
And that is how everything started to get rolling. I’ve been their photographer since their shop began more than five years ago. I’ve seen their project grow from a side-hustle to an established brand. It’s really inspiring. And working with them has always been really great. So yeah, head on over to Cuffed.store and have a look at their shop where you’ll see some of my work. You might pick up a few restraints from them as well to add to your collection. If you don’t already have them. 😉
Life has a way of presenting incredible opportunities when you least expect them. My journey with Cuffed began with just a casual photoshoot. I would never have guessed how this would have led to a collaboration of creativity. I look forward to many more exciting projects together. Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for more stories and behind-the-scenes glimpses into our collaborative work in the years that followed.
Thank you all for this photoshoot. Thanks PHOO//BAR for inviting me over, I had a lot of fun and it was nice meeting you all. We should definitely do this again somewhere.
People in this story:
PHOO//BAR: Twitter, Instagram, Website
Nickm09: Recon
MuDelta: Twitter, Instagram
MATtheRAT: Twitter, Instagram
Slave Jerky: Twitter, Instagram