I'm waffling again. This time about sets that do something a bit different...
I love this site for a variety of reasons. The social aspect of the site is definitely one of them. I've made a couple of SG friends here, members whose blogs I always look out for, who pop up now and then to point me in the direction of things I might like and for whom I can provide the same 'service'. Then there are the groups. There's a thriving comics group on here which I really like and there are a whole ton of more SG-centric groups where you can express your appreciation of, for example, a variety of boobs (big, small, natural, held up by the models' hands, sporting pierced nipples, etc etc etc) or act as cheerleader for your favourite hopefuls. And, of course, you can do the same on your blogs. Which I've done in the past and will most definitely do again.
This blog is a little different. There are so many amazing sets on this site and they are of such high quality that it is really difficult to single them out. I could probably blog about my favourite sets as a full-time job and still not manage to cover everything I want to say about the amazing women this site offers up for our appreciation on a regular basis. Viewing set after set, though, while never getting boring, does lead you to recognise certain innate inclinations within yourself as a viewer. Some of this boils down simply to personal preference over body type or image - big boobs over smaller ones; redheads over blondes; specs or not etc. Sometimes, though, it's something else. In this blog, I want to talk about something that's quite rare here, but, when done well, I've found to be an incredibly enjoyable aspect of the site: sets that have some sort of narrative.
Now, in one sense, all the sets here have a narrative of a sort. Generally, a girl starts off clothed and ends up with, well, less to encumber her than she started off with. And very enjoyable those kinds of set are, too! Then there are sets that have particular themes. This could be something as simple as a colour or as hard to define as a mood, but it permeates each picture in the set and lends the set as a whole a sort of cohesion that, again, adds to the enjoyment of the viewer.
Some photographers and models go a little bit further, though. I’ve already blogged about the @gemmaedwardsuk set featuring @Jessicalou and @Chad . There are many reasons to love this set, not least of which is the sheer loveliness of the models involved, but one of the things that struck me straight away when I saw it (once I’d gotten over my initial ‘Oh my God! They’re together at last!’ reaction) was that there’s a very clear (admittedly simple) narrative to the whole thing: the two girls get together and watch an episode of Buffy eating popcorn and slowly remove their clothes as they do so. It’s a great set. (Did I mention that the girls are gorgeous?) It’s made more involving, though, when we see them start to turn away from the camera as they get more engrossed in the episode. The shots where one of them’s looking at the camera while the other’s still watching the TV are particularly effective, too. Partly, I think, it’s because we’re being cast in the role of voyeur, watching the girls interact with each other, watching them get more ‘scared’ (and naked – is there a link between how afraid and how clothed you are? Hmmm…) as the set goes on. It pulls you into the set in a rather clever way. At least that’s how it seemed to me.
And then there’s @flowerbomb . Now, I don’t think I’ve mentioned Flowerbomb before, but she is just amazing. Such a beautiful, elegant woman. She’s also, as a cursory glance at her blog would tell you, interested in acting and there’s something quite dramatic about her latest set Amuse Yourself. Set in an abandoned fairground, the set opens with three slides of her holding a balloon (with a smiling face on it, no less), kissing it and then, in the third slide (which features three shots), squeezing it until it pops. What’s going on here? It would seem that we’re meant to understand that there’s something about the place she doesn’t like. Perhaps the balloon symbolises a relationship that was happy and full of life but now isn’t. Hmmm…
Then @flowerbomb spies the carousel through some railings and ends up spending the rest of the set there. In fact, there’s a fantastic shot of her on the carousel taking centre stage and commanding the camera’s attention just by her sheer physical presence. (Oh, look, here it is now…) Amidst all that colour and textured richness, her darker form really stands out.
What follows is, I suppose, a fairly straightforward strip, except that those establishing few shots, together with the phenomenal photography and Flowerbomb’s really rather inventive posing all lend the whole set a beguiling sense of remembrance and loss. When she sits astride the carousel horse, is she remembering the warmth and presence of a former lover behind her? Is she thinking about happier times as she slowly and deliberately removes her undergarments? When she looks in the tarnished mirror at the end of the set, is she seeing herself now? Or is she remembering herself as she was back then?
We’ll never know, of course, but that’s not really the point. The point is that the set has hooked our imaginations. We’re not just passive observers but we’re actively encouraged to construct our own narratives, to take the pieces we’ve been given and, with a bit of thought and no little feeling, build our own version of the story.
And that, I think, is pretty cool.
Now, am I saying that all sets should be like this? Hell, no. I love all sorts of sets – outdoor sets, bedroom sets, cosplay sets, and loads more – but it’s nice to see something a little more unusual. It’s nice to have your imagination tickled in unexpected ways.
And if there are any other sets that you think have a strong narrative thread, feel free to mention them in the comments below. I'd love to hear about them! :)
