I absolutely hate the cold - I am quickly miserable and grumpy. But there is a special kind of masochism that I find touches me in being tied in the cold. Perhaps it’s because I hate it so much that when I choose to be tied up and forced to confront the absolute suffering that the cold brings that I can accept it. Perhaps in the chase for intensity, to touch death without dying, that the mix of ropes and cold come together for me.
Regardless, since my first shooting in the snow in 2017 I have actively sought out this confrontation with the cold and the snow. And in these experiences I have learned a lot of valuable tips on how to make such an experience not an Icarus experience.
My first snow shooting was during the 2017 Schwelle7 winter retreat in a remote house in the Polish countryside. During the retreat it started to snow to an extreme extent - which got me excited! I had always wanted to try to be tied in the snow as I admired the beautiful drawings with women being tied in the snow.
Photographer: Tamandua // Rigger: Tamandua // January 2017
I managed to find a group of people at the retreat who would indulge my potentially crazy idea. Nobody knew anything about shooting in the snow, but luckily we were a group willing to work through it together… this being the first lesson: always go as a group in a snow shooting!
Any of us who partake in big photography projects, especially outside, know how much work it is in the summer and how helpful it is to have extra helping hands… well, in the snow and cold it is an absolute necessity. Specifically, I have found you need (besides a model and a rigger and a photographer):
Somebody to hold the ropes and keep the dry
Somebody to hold any camera equipment
Somebody to hold any lights (if lights are involved)
Somebody to hold the models clothing and keep the dry, and be ready to dress the model as soon as they are ready to be dressed again
You maybe need multiple people for each role depending on the complexity of your shoot and how many riggers, models, and equipment might be involved.
During this first shoot it was about -3C outside and was just hailing before the shoot, with maybe a meter of snow on the ground. I am so grateful we had a group to support both myself and the rigger, as without that support I don’t know if we would have been able to manage the situation on our own, especially in such an extreme situation.
The people who helped also brought things that I have come to realize were essential:
A tarp for the ground to put all our belongings that need to stay dry
A tarp to go over the items that need to stay dry in case it starts to snow or rain
Hot tea for the model to drink
Hand warmers for the rigger to keep their hands warm as they tie
Chocolate/sweets to help avoid shock
Alcohol, for the same reason rescue dogs carry it when looking for people in the cold
Extra socks
Warm blanket(s)
With each shoot I got better and better at realizing what is essential to being, also for my own comfort and survival. It is also important to know how far you have to go to get into a warm shelter. In this first shoot, we were not very far from the house, so I could be escorted inside to sit next to the fireplace and process the experience with the team, with a nice whiskey and shot of adrenaline!
If such a shooting is taking place in a more remote location, it would then be important to have somebody who can heat up a nearby car so that the model and anybody else who needs it can get quickly inside.
When I came down from this first experience, I was sat down on a blanket on the tarp and people removed the ropes from me. I was in a strappado and we rope lovers now how intense it can be to come out of a strappado in any temperature… well, let me tell you having the blood come back into your arms after being naked in -3C for just 15 minutes in one… it’s an experience. I’m sure my scream was startling. But me being me, I also loved it. And I knew my body in a strappado and ropes well enough that I was willing to take responsibility for any potential risks in order to have this experience. That all being said, everything went smoothly and I had no injuries. But that of course doesn’t mean there weren’t risks.
The coordination of the team and what needs to be done it’s key. You work as a unit, and every role is essential and I am super grateful for everyone who was involved in this first shooting as well as all proceeding winter shootings I have had since.
One more important lesson I learned as a model specifically, is to be careful what you wear going into the shoot! It has to be clothing items that are easy to take on and off also while being partially tied. For instance, Natasha and I learned the hard way how difficult stocking can be to remove and take away during a shoot, and when everything needs to happen quickly, this can add an extra layer of stress that can leave the rigger and photographer feeling stressed, making it harder to manage the big task of coordinating everything under time pressure, let alone the model who is already in place waiting for the stockings to be removed! XD
Photographer: Tajo // Rigger: Alexander Ma // Berlin, Germany - January 2021
Long wool dresses, fuzz socks, big warm shawls, and wraps are all good examples of clothing that can just even be thrown over the model while they are tied to keep the warm and be take off easily. Be mindful - the faster and easier everything can be done, the more relaxed the shooting will be.
At the end of the day, the coordination, teamwork, and overall intensity of the experience definitely drives me to seeking out such experiences in the horrible cold. And the photography gives the experience a frame to work with - something important to keep focus and guidance during such an intense activity.
Sadly, there becomes less and less snow every winter so it has been hard to manage these last years, but I still hope to carry on this practice that creates lasting memories or togetherness with all those involved.
For more images from winter shooting I have modeled for, click here!