A workshop for photographers
Shibari Portfolio Day
Create portfolio-ready rope photography across five fully produced sets with five models, live rigging, pre-built lighting and a professional production team. Bring your camera. We handle the environment.
Sat, Nov 21 · 10 AM–5 PM · Bound Studio, Lancaster, PA
15 photographers · All levels welcome
Founding Shooter Pricing: $599
First 5 seats only · $749 after
Five looks in one morning. Zero setup.
The light is already done
Every set is lit and tested before you arrive. You walk up, check exposure and shoot.
Live rope by professional rope artists
Professional rope artists tie and manage every scene, including suspension, so you can focus on the frame.
Room to actually shoot
Groups of three per set. No crowd of twenty elbowing for the same angle.
The sets
Five fully produced sets
Each group rotates through every set for 30 minutes. At least one set is a full rope installation. Most scenes run on continuous light, because a model in rope is always moving, and flash triggers are on hand for Sony, Canon and Nikon.
Black psych wall
Seamless black. Clean silhouettes, rope that reads.
Paper backdrop
Soft, even light. Quiet, graphic frames.
Boudoir · natural light
Window light, satin and skin tones.
Open floor
Move around the tie. Details, hands, texture.
Japanese-inspired dungeon
Tatami, candlelight, brick. Live suspension.
Images from past Bound Studio shoots.
Founding Shooter Pricing $599 · first 5 seats · 15 photographers total
The models
Meet the models
Four of five confirmed. Our fifth model is announced soon.
Five models, one morning · $599 founding seats
The installation
A set built entirely from rope
A large-scale web of rope strung through the space, with the model tied into the installation itself. It's a set you can't rent anywhere, and you'll shoot inside it.
The installation is designed and tied by Mr. Somerset, a licensed Ichinawa instructor under Hajime Kinoko, and inspired by the rope art of his sensei.
At least one installation set is guaranteed.
Revealed on the day
No previews. The first time anyone sees it is through your lens.
The inspiration
Rope art by Hajime Kinoko, shown with permission (shibari.jp). These are the inspiration, not the installation itself: that one you'll see on the day.
The installation is guaranteed. The reveal is on the day.
Your host
Mr. Somerset
Mr. Somerset is the founder of Bound Studio in Lancaster, PA, and a licensed Ichinawa instructor under renowned Japanese rope artist Hajime Kinoko. He trained in Shinjuku, Tokyo, and returns to Japan regularly to keep studying with his sensei.
He teaches classes and private lessons, and performs live rope for sold-out audiences of up to 100 guests. At Portfolio Day he designs and ties the rope installation and leads the rope team on every set.
- Licensed Ichinawa instructor under Hajime Kinoko
- Nearly a decade of rope experience
- Over 1,000 hours of live teaching
Suspension
Rope off the ground, lit for motion
Suspension doesn't hold a pose for you. The model is moving, the rope is moving, and the moment lasts a few breaths. So we light it with constant light, put a dedicated rigger on every suspension and let you shoot the transitions, not just the hold.
The day
Saturday, November 21
A structured morning, lunch on us, then an optional afternoon of open studio time.
9:45 AM
Doors and check-in
10:00 AM
Welcome and safety briefing
10:10 AM – 1 PM
Five 30-minute rotations. Your group of three shoots every set once.
1 – 2 PM
Lunch, included
2 – 5 PM
Open Studio, for photographers with the upgrade
Sat, Nov 21 · Lunch included · Add Open Studio at checkout for +$100
What's included
- Five pre-lit sets, including at least one rope installation
- Five models rotating through the morning
- Five 30-minute shooting rotations
- Professional rope artists managing all rope
- Safety briefing and photographer code of conduct
- Coffee, snacks and lunch
- Portfolio and social-use rights, with credits
- Behind-the-scenes recap content
- Lighting diagrams for every set, after the event
Bring your camera and lenses. Nothing else.
Tickets
15 photographers. That's the whole room.
Portfolio Day
Founding Shooter Pricing
$599
For the first 5 seats. The remaining 10 are $749.
The full morning: five sets, five models, live rigging, lunch, recap content and lighting diagrams.
Add-on · Choose at checkout
Open Studio Upgrade
+$100
Stay for the 2–5 PM studio window and book private sessions with participating models.
- The $100 covers studio access only
- You coordinate with and pay the model directly
- Model availability, rates, boundaries and approval decide each booking
- Specific models aren't guaranteed
- Sessions are booked through a shared schedule
Add-on · Not included in the ticket
Rigger-led rope scenes
$99 floor tie
$199 custom suspension scene
An optional upgrade for Open Studio sessions only. Add a scene tied by a Bound Studio rigger, booked during Open Studio. Rigger fees are paid to Bound Studio, on top of the Open Studio Upgrade and the model's fee.
- Every scene needs the model's and the rigger's approval
- Photographers never touch, adjust or tie rope
Our guarantee
We guarantee the production
If we don't provide at least four of the advertised sets and models, you choose: transfer your seat to the next Portfolio Day, or take a $150 credit toward another Bound Studio event.
Tickets aren't refundable, but your seat is always transferable to another photographer.
Safety + respect
The models and riggers have the final say
- A dedicated rigger on every suspension, safety shears at every set
- No touching models or rope; direction goes through the rigger
- Everyone 18+, with signed waivers and releases
- Every photographer agrees to our code of conduct at checkout
Backed by our production guarantee · Seats are transferable
Good questions
You don't need to. Every level is welcome. The light is set, the riggers handle the rope and our team is at every set to help you find the shot.
No. This is artistic rope portraiture. During the main workshop, models wear dresses or lingerie, and some scenes are topless. Each model agrees her wardrobe for every scene in advance, and her boundaries are final.
Three photographers, one model, one rigger and light that's already dialed in. You spend the whole 30 minutes shooting, five times over.
Yes, in your portfolio and on social, credited to the model, the rigger and Bound Studio. Commercial use needs a separate release.
No lights needed. Most scenes run on continuous lighting, and we have flash triggers for Sony, Canon and Nikon. On another system? Bring your own trigger.
Tickets aren't refundable, but you can transfer your seat to another photographer. Just let us know who's coming in your place.
Bring your camera. We'll handle the rest.
Sat, Nov 21 · 10 AM–5 PM · Bound Studio, Lancaster, PA
Founding Shooter Pricing $599 for the first 5 seats · $749 after · 18+ only
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