Today, I bring you a brand new photo, fresh off the presses. (Or is that, “Hot off the griddle?” … Would you believe, “Right out of the darkroom?”)

Perhaps I shouldn’t comment on my own work, but if I didn’t say stuff, you wouldn’t have a reason to visit, right? So, what the heck…

I really like this shot because it seems there is more to it than simply, “Look at the pretty girl.” I see a dose of masculinity mixed in there with some feminine vulnerability and I like the effect of the interplay between the two.

Maybe the story runs something like this:

Curiosity brought him to a fetish party, where he met a Dom whose every word seemed to confirm a deep understanding of the personal conflicts and struggles he was having. Searching as he had been for his true path and finding someone who seemed finally to shine a light on that path, free of all distraction, touched an emotional nerve within him.

“Drink this,” said the Dom, “and you shall know yourself completely.”

Yearning to put his demons to rest, he dismissed his natural hesitation and mistrust and simply took the glass.

The next thing he knew, he was shaking off the cobwebs of grogginess and being told to stand up. “This is not all that complicated. A picture is worth a thousand words – in this case, maybe more.” The Dom pulled the black sheet from the floor-length mirror…

He looked at himself and was overwhelmed at the transformation. His body and facial hair were gone; his jeans and t-shirt replaced with a leather dress and collar, spiked black boots instead of sneakers. His hair was beautifully styled and there was makeup on his face. These little facts just nipped at him; it was the total picture and a vague thought materializing in his head that caused him to swoon and let himself slide down the wall and come to rest awkwardly on the ground.

“That’s really me… … … I get it now… … Ohhh… THAT’S me!” It occurred to him to touch himself in a certain place to make sure things were as they had always been. “How interesting… … yeah, that’s just about right…”