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When asked what drew him to the world of BDSM, photographer Samir Abady told us about the first dominatrix he ever shot. He visited her New York City dungeon to take portraits, and at first, nothing surprised him. The room was dimly lit and full of the dominatrix's leather props, just as he expected.
"But I also noticed the odor of scented cleaning products, and as I shot, I learned about the domme’s vanilla day job," Abady said. That's when he realized the dungeon wasn't just an erotic setting for clients to explore their kinks. It was also a "sanctuary," an "outlet," and a means of escape for both the dominatrix and her clients.
As Abady put it: "There was more to the job than the whips and chains."
So, Abady began shooting the photos for his series, Kink, which follows professional dominatrixes through their everyday lives. All of the women he photographed work independently, meaning that they aren't associated with any one specific dungeon. Instead, they often visit clients in their homes and choose their own hours.
Abady explained that, while clients' sessions may be erotic in nature, there is no sex. Rather, sessions are "a delicate balance between psychological and physical play," he said, describing the dominatrixes as "moderators between submissives and their fantasies."
In his depiction of BDSM, Abady avoids sensationalizing the lives of these women, and instead reveals their complexity. As these pictures show, their relationships with their clients are therapeutic, cathartic, and, above all, trusting.
Click ahead to meet the women of Abady's Kink and read his descriptions of the photos.
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