Here & Now
This page is a companion page to the History and Origin page and contains details of my current circumstances, some observerations and advice for others looking to arrange their own photoshoots and news of future ideas and projects when available.
Personal Life
My Fur Collection
Typical Studio Shoot
Typical Location Shoot
Working with Models
Future Photoshoots and Projects
Recent UK Winters
Final Thanks
Personal Life
As those of you who share a love for furs might believe, I am very happy with my life at the moment. I have a reasonable job – no, photography is not my profession but a hobby – which gives me a modest but comfortable living. I have a good number of friends inside and outside the online fur community but I like to keep my groups of friends separate, so that I can take a break from some of my hobbies when I need to. I also have a wonderful and loving girlfriend (now fiancee) who, while not as passionate about furs as I am, enjoys wearing furs during the winter months. I do not arrange as many fur photoshoots as I would like to due to time, finances and opportunities but though my shoots tend to occur in batches I try to keep in touch with the models and studios to examine options for future shoots. I buy furs from a number of sources including local furriers and online auctions but usually have to choose between buying a new fur or arranging a new photoshoot.
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My Fur Collection
My personal fur collection currently numbers over 40 coats and jackets and around 40 other items, mostly real furs but with a small number of fake furs too. In terms of types of garments, my furs include coats and jackets in various sizes, some stoles, hats, headbands, tippets, collars, cuffs, scrunchies and massage mittens and a few cushion covers and throws. In terms of types of real fur my collection consists mostly of minks, foxes and coneys/rabbits in various colours and shades with some lynx, musquash, raccoon, sable and chinchilla items. While I love the furs that I currently own and love most types of fur including fake fur, my favourite type is mink and especially black mink; I find something enthralling about black fur and black mink in particular; the way it shines and draws the attention is hypnotic and magical! I hope to continue to expand my fur collection acquiring new garments to compliment my collection as well as upgrading older items with newer and better quality ones. I will certainly buy a full length blackglama mink one day and probably buy one or two more fox items to add to my collection for my girlfriend to wear; I will also be looking out for fox hats and some more fur accessories.
Some people have asked if any of my furs are for sale; the answer is not really but I am prepared to listen to offers. If you have a genuine interest in buying any of the furs featured on my website please contact me telling me which coat you are interested in buying and your offer for it; please note that not all featured are from my own collection.
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Typical Studio Shoot
A typical studio photoshoot for my website will require one or two hours studio time. This is usually spent alone with the model although the less experienced models like to have a chaperone present for new photographers. The staff at the studio will be able to help setting up the lighting, backdrops, scenery and props for the shoot and can often do this while you are chatting to the model about possible outfits to feature. A one hour shoot doesn’t give any time to change the stage for the shoot except maybe tweaking the lighting so in these shorter shoots I try to pick a neutral backdrop and keep props and scenery to a minimum.
If just concentrating on fashion work, one hour might allow for one costume change for the model but often I select one that suits the look I want to achieve. I usually have six or so furs with me so finding something that will suit all or as many of the furs I have brought for the shoot is essential. Although I know have a digital SLR for most of my shoots I used a lowish specification 35mm SLR stills camera for my photography and I used to get through five or six rolls of 36 exposure film per hour of studio time. Many people ask me why I did not use a digital camera earlier but even now I prefer the pleasure of flicking through a book of my fur photographs and often take a selection of my latest prints to show to the models during shoots.
In financial terms, a one hour shoot with a model would cost me between £100 and £150 although this does depend on the level of nudity you require, the studio facilities and whether the model requires a model release form. This cost from my perspective includes the raw cost of the film for the shoot, the model and studio hire charges, the film development costs and a model release form if required. For more accurate costings please visit one of the studios featured on my Links page. All of the professional models I have used were initially contacted by arranging a shoot at a studio they visit on a regular basis.
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Typical Location Shoot
A location shoot is usually a collaboration between one or more of my contacts and I combining our financial and furry resources to invite a model or two for a whole day of fur work. Such shoots usually start at mid morning and end during the early evening, providing a better variety of work and more time to get the right look and feel to the shoot. We will usually break the day into two or three shorter sections, changing the scenery or using an outdoor location where possible, to provide a wider range of images. We also have plenty of breaks for refreshments and a lunch break, where the model and photographers can relax away from the lights and flashes – but not always away from the furs!
Such days are more expensive to fund and take longer to arrange, but they are more satisfying to do. They are best arranged directly with the models or through their agent or website, although often the model will need certain reassurances before agreeing to such shoots and may bring a chaperone if they have not met the photographers before. I will remember forever Lana Cox’s reaction when she first saw the piles of furs we had available for our March 2000 location shoot; it was priceless!
Several of you have asked about the Furrier location used in some of my longer shoots. I can confirm that it is not a real store but is constructed from a wonderfully lavish private fur collection. I should also tell you that none of those furs are currently for sale, although a number of the models who have posed in them have been very reluctant to take them off and have asked about being paid for their work in furs!
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Working with Models
I mostly use established professional glamour models for my website but have worked with amateur models and those new to modelling. Working with models who have the experience means that I do not have to direct them too much but can just provide ideas for a look or pose to help the shoot move along. Their modelling rates are reasonable too and although they tend to charge more than the amateur models it is worth paying for their knowledge. I have enjoyed all of my photoshoots to date although some have been more memorable than others. Meeting the models is always a pleasure but the freedom of a whole day location shoot gives far more time to chat with the models about wider issues than the shoot in hand. Getting to know the person behind the photograph is a great aspect of my hobby and friendly conversation helps the shoots bubble along. The models I have met have always been friendly and charming as well as looking stunning in the furs and I hope that they have all enjoyed their time with me and would be happy to work with me again.
Some final points on models. Firstly, the women I have photographed are models and my sessions with them are strictly for modelling purposes. While I enjoy my time with the models I use, I do not indulge in sexual activity with them. You should also not assume that because a model has performed in a certain scene or doing a certain act in the past that they may be willing to do so again with just anyone.
Secondly, I would advise anyone thinking of doing such shoots to check that the model will pose in furs. Some people are offended by the idea of wearing or posing with real fur and you should always check with the models well before the day of the shoot. While I always do this before my sessions, I have contacted some models who were happy to model fake furs but not real ones. I had some reasonably nice fake furs but now that I have much better quality real furs I would prefer to feature them rather than the fake furs.
Thirdly, if the photographs or videos you take are not just for your personal viewing you should check whether the model will sign a model release form for the session. This is essential if you are intending to make money from the images for personal or commercial gain or even if you intend to display your images to others on a website like this one. The models have their image and earning rights to protect and may refuse to attend be photographed unless they are happy with the intentions for the final images.
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Future Photoshoots and Projects
Some of you will know now about a new naughtier fur website I am helping with – The Love Of Fur www.theloveoffur.com – so my immediate focus will be to work on shoots for that rather than for this website. There are still a couple of other photography options that I am considering but these will be to assist other individuals, friends or websites (not related to other fur websites) with photo projects rather than fund my own; these may or may not be fur-themed and those that are are likely to be of more niche appeal. Having said all that, as the 10 year anniversary of this site passes I am enjoying my photo and video shoots as much as ever and relishing each new session, meeting new models and working with familiar faces too.
If you would like my involvement, assistance or advice with any photoshoot projects, or wish to use any of my images for commerical or publicity reasons, please contact me.
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Recent UK Winters
I am pleased to report that since the winter of 2008/09, the number of fur wearers in the UK seems to have risen greatly and now fur is a far more popular sight on UK streets than in years gone by. That winter it was unusually bitterly cold and dry for a long period over Christmas and New Year which has helped bring the furs out of their owner’s closets; indeed a few women were still wearing their furs outside as spring arrives and the days are became much warmer. In winters past it would be very rare for me to see any real furs outside of London’s West End and Knightsbridge and they were nearly always dark mink coats worn on older women tourists; since that season the number and quality of furs being worn and the location and demographic of the fur wearers has greatly widdened. I have also noticed many more furs outside the capital in places like Brighton, Crawley, Gatwick and Croydon and reports from larger cities and towns elsewhere in the UK are similarly promising. The older women are still out in their longer minks but this now includes British women and residents in the UK from other nationalities and not just tourists and visitors. There are lots of younger women and students wearing furs too, including British girls and residents from overseas; these young women are mostly wearing cheaper and vintage coney and musquash jackets and coats but I have seen a fair few in more expensive and unusual fur types, including foxes and minks.
As that season was so pleasing, I have begun documenting some details of the best of my sightings of furs and their wearers in posts on popular fur forums; to read further details of these sightings for the weeks gone and to come during this winter please visit my Links Page and follow the links to the fur forums listed. I have also taken more time and effort to compliment some of the women wearing their furs when out on my travels in the expectation that polite positive comments will encourage them to wear their furs more often and feel more comfortable doing so; some of these comments have lead to wonderful chats with these women and have been very welcome for both me and them.
Although I now live in Spain I still travel to the UK regularly and I will continue to report on my fur spotting highlights on the fur forums so keep an eye out for my reports there. So far the local Spanish fur wearers still tend to be older women but hopefully that will change in the winters to come and the younger locals will embrace fur as the younger UK residents have done.
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Final Thanks
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been involved in my photoshoots. Many thanks of course go to the models who have graced my shoots and charmed me and so many of you over the years: in no particular order, Katarina Nikita, Teresa May, Iryna Stevens, Lucy Zara, Jasmine Sinclair, Tereza Ilova, Danielle Maye, Cate Harrington, Natalia Forrest, Sasha, Marlyn Lindsay, Jamie Brooks, Tammie Lee, Paige Fox, Jessica Lloyd, Shay Hendrix, French Chloe, Michelle Moist, Kacie James, Leona Lee, Syren Sexton, Kloe Kane, Giselle, Ashleigh McKensie, Abigail Toyne, Mouse, Roxy Mendez, Vickie Powell, Holly Kiss, Scarlet Lovatt, Naomi K, Katie-Ann Day, Claudia Casali, Alana Hennings, Christy McNicol, Tasha and Talia. Special thanks go to Lana Cox and Tracey Coleman for their regular appearances, guidance and patience during my early shoots and to Rebekka Raynor for her on- and off-camera assistance in many of my latest shoots. Thanks also to the studio owners and staff and to those other fur fans who helped with furs, locations or even just joined in for the experience: Paul, Paul, Richard, Fifi and especially to Mike. But my primary thanks goes to my beloved Ms Mockle – soon to be Mrs Mockle – for her continued support and tolerance of my passions.
To the rest of you – many thanks for all of your help, support and praise for my website and photographs. In preparation for any future closure of this site I have copied my portfolio of images to the Gallery Pages on the Fur Den forum and to my Flickr pages to retain an online history of them there; please visit my Links page for the links to those websites. Rest assured that any future decision to put my shoots on hold will be reached alone without external influence from other people or parties; my feelings towards furs, seeing beautiful people wearing them and my contribution to the fur community and other fur forums will be unwavering.