slaveboysmith: Today at DommeAddiction, we’re flipping the script, so to speak, as instead of focusing our attention on the incredible Femdom Goddesses we lust for daily, we’ll be speaking with the man behind the camera, award winning Fetish photographer, Dirk Hooper. Dirk, thanks for joining us today.
Dirk Hooper: My pleasure. It’s great to be here!
sbs: You’ve created some of the most iconic Femdom images out there, and we’ll definitely talk more about specifics soon. Before we do, though, can you tell us how you got involved in Fetish photography in the first place?
DH: My personal interest in BDSM and my artistic interest in photography occurred at the same time. I began to learn photography at the same time that I was beginning to attend local BDSM play parties. I needed subjects for my photography and my personal passions were very much fetish, and Femdom, and BDSM, so I incorporated that into my work. Being a successful fetish photographer was also part of my life plan that I laid out nearly 20 years ago. I wrote much more about this on a Quora post here.
sbs: Are you naturally submissive and is that what drew you to Femdom photography?
DH: I certainly wouldn’t say that I’m naturally submissive, in fact, I’m quite the opposite in life, and in my business. I have been submissive to several lifestyle and professional dominatrices, and I could be submissive again, but it would take a woman who is exceptional and interested in a real relationship. I’ve also taken the dominant role in many more relationships, and I find that I enjoy that more and more as I get older. With all of that said, I find dominant women, and Femdom, to be exceptionally exciting and sexy. Additionally, I think most people don’t have a clue as to how to present the beauty and the power of dominant women in photography. It’s a great fit for my skill set and my personal passions.
sbs: A perfect fit, for sure! You recently were given an award for Best Fetish Photographer. Can you describe the background of the award, and how it felt to be recognized for your incredible work?
DH: This is the second year for The Fetish Awards, that are presented at Fetish Con in Florida. They have two rounds, a nomination round, and then voting on the top five of each category. It’s an industry award that is international in scope. Since there are so few opportunities for people like me to be recognized for my work, I think it’s so important to support The Fetish Awards and Fetish Con for making it happen. It was a blast to win the award. I haven’t won a trophy since my 3rd grade soccer team was undefeated! If you look back at what I wanted to accomplish 20 years ago, winning Best Fetish Photographer was just the sort of thing I had hoped to achieve.
sbs: I understand you weren’t able to be there in person to pick up the award, but the lovely and beautiful Mistress Taylor Knight certainly made sure everyone knew about your win! I’m sure you have made close connection with many amazing Dommes. Can you share anything about this with our readers?
DH: On the night I won for Best Fetish Photographer I got tweets and direct messages from some of the industry’s most popular and accomplished Dommes. It was an amazing moment hearing the news from these superstars. Mistress Taylor Knight is a total sweetheart and one of the Dommes I heard from. She told me that I got cheers from the Dommes in the room, which was awesome to hear. I’ve talked to her a lot and we’re looking for ways to work together soon. One more thing about Mistress Taylor I’d like to mention, not only is she an amazing Domme, but during the chaos of the Florida hurricane she worked her ass off helping to rescue dogs. I can’t really say enough good things about her, she’s incredible in so many ways. My best friend is a professional Dominatrix, and I have many friends who are Dommes. Besides the personal friends I’ve built over the years, I also dedicate a large amount of my time to help promote Dommes through my various channels, and coach them through my Sexy Networking business. All of that has led to an expansive contact list with Dommes from around the world, and that’s a pleasure and an honor, because these are truly the most interesting, intelligent, and fun women on the planet!
sbs: Awesome answer Dirk! Let me ask you a little more about your efforts to help promote Femdoms. What kind of help can you offer to existing Dommes, or ones just starting out?
DH: I do a lot of promotion for Dommes through my Twitter account (@DirkHooper). I have a considerable following and I’m using that to help hundreds of Dominatrices a day, and I employ a number of strategies to get the word out. I know how tough it is to get some publicity, so that’s a simple way to help. I’ve also rebranded and expanded the DommeLinx.com site that I own to offer an opportunity to Dommes to share news, be featured in a showcase gallery, read and submit articles, and learn more about Female Domination through that site. I have a great editor (Miss Kate) who is a professional Dominatrix, on the team, and she’s been integral to helping me cover both the lifestyle and industry of Female Domination. Finally, I offer marketing, writing, and personal branding services through my Sexy Networking business (SexyNetworking.com). I’ve helped dozens of Dommes this year alone to identify their unique brand and broadcast it more effectively though social media, websites, and in person. I’ve been doing this sort of thing for over 20 years now, first for friends, then for owners, and now for the public.
sbs: If your experiences have been similar to mine, you must have found some Dommes less receptive than others to the offer of promotion. What do you say to Dommes who might be skeptical of another slave offering to “help”?
DH: I don’t ever approach anyone with an offer to help. I put it out there and let them approach me. I know some people are reluctant to seek help, or they figure they have it all handled. Dommes in particular are self-starters. But, professional Dominatrices are also small business owners. And most small business owners understand that they need to hire an accountant, or a lawyer, to do professional work. In the same vein, unless they are a professional graphic designer, or a copywriter, or an expert at marketing, then they may need help there too. Sometimes, it’s just a situation where they are too close to the problem and need an outside opinion, or a fresh look at a problem. I also know that some people are really really bad when it comes to talking about themselves. Let someone else do it! It’s a simple solution. With all of that said, I’ve certainly dealt with people, Dommes and others, who are not interested in interviews, or additional strategies, because they had a bad experience, or some perceived issue. Ultimately, you have to let people determine their own path. But if your job requires you to have a public presence, then you should be actively seeking opportunities to gain promotion. And those opportunities for Dommes, members of the BDSM community, and businesses that market to an exclusively adult audience are extremely few and far between.
sbs: Indeed they are. For Dommes that are reading this and intrigued, can you give us an example of what you might do in the fairly immediate future that might help to promote a Domme’s brand? In other words, if I were a new Domme seeking your promotional help, what would you recommend first and foremost?
DH: New Dommes can always mention my Twitter address in their photo or video tweets and I’ll send it to my 80,000 followers. That will get them in front of a lot of kinky people quickly. I can also do Shoutouts or share Fan Signs to bring them more attention. If they were looking for advice, there are some things that almost all new Dommes can do to improve their new presence, including using better equipment and apps to generate content, posting more frequently, engaging in more discourse, and employing basic branding like watermarks, a cohesive persona, color management, a logo, and more.
sbs: It most definitely sounds like you have a great deal to offer Dommes willing to take advantage of your networking and skills, Dirk. I want to get back to your fetish photography for a moment. Your award, was it based upon a body of work, or a specific photo shoot/picture in particular?
DH: The award for Best Fetish Photographer was for the past year’s work and influence. According to the official site, The Fetish Awards “highlights and honors those who have been integral to the overall growth of the fetish and alternative industry.”
sbs: It is certainly a prestigious honour. Congratulations again! Is there one particular photoshoot you remember best and regard as your finest over the years?
DH: Thank you! I have many different shoots that stand out to me. The more complex they are the more they stand out. Two, in particular, were challenging but yielded great results. One was a shoot for a local erotic art show. There was an erotic circus theme, so I came up with a shoot that would have two models bodypainted as cats, and then have one model as the Ringmaster. A very talented body painter named Scott Van Eck did some amazing work on the two models, and all three really nailed their roles. I had a whole team there for that shoot and those photos are some of my favorite.
Another shoot that comes to mind was an idea that I had about turning a couple of nude models into a table by placing a glass surface on their back and then featuring a Dominatrix as the owner of the “table.” Again, this was a shoot that had a lot of complexity, and the models who were the table had the biggest challenge because they had to hold their position while I did a standard shoot with the Dominatrix. I love doing shoots like that where I have a full cast and crew, and a great place to shoot, and can fully explore my ideas. It’s not always easy to make that happen. I cherish those opportunities.
sbs: Those sound absolutely incredible and with your permission I would love our readers to see some of your talented work on display here. Is there a Domme you have loved working with most that you would single out as your all time favourite?
DH: LOL! I’m not taking that bait. I could make so many people mad or jealous by answering that question. I do have a few Dommes and models that I work with regularly and they are always amazing, including Princess Zoe, Domina Daria, Fawn Marie, and Mistress Olivia Vexx. I’m hoping to add to that list considerably over the next year by doing a lot more traveling and attending a few fetish and Domme conventions.
sbs: Fair enough if you want to play it safe lol. Any negative experiences that you can recall?
DH: I can remember one experience where I was shooting a rope-bondage suspension. The model was brand-new to being tied up and got too excited and passed out during the suspension. I was fortunate that the Shibari Master was so experienced and he quickly got her down and took care of her, but it was a scary deal. She was absolutely fine, but it went from being a fun shoot for all of us, to being very serious and tense. As it turned out, she was just worked up over the lights, and the suspension, and the whole situation and it was too much excitement. Some of the things you do in the fetish world are potentially dangerous so it’s important to have experts on the set, and make sure you watch out for everyone.
sbs: That does sound scary and is sage advice for all who do complex BDSM shoots. Thank you Dirk for taking time to answer my questions, and for your fine work. Also your support of DommeAddiction on Twitter is greatly appreciated. Any final words for our readers?
DH: It’s absolutely my pleasure and I’m grateful for the opportunity to speak to you and your readers. I’m glad to help promote you and the good work you’re doing. It seems like we’re both doing our best to get the good word out about Female Domination. My final thought is that I started this journey over 20 years ago and this year has been the culmination of all the previous work that I’ve done. My next step is to reach out to new people and do bigger and better things, and find a larger crowd to speak to. I hope you and your fans will join me.
