It’s been two weeks since first annual LA Kink Ball, yet the evening is still very fresh in my mind. Held in one of the most visually stunning nightclubs in Hollywood , the Ivar, the Sunday night party proved to be the biggest and best event of Kink Ball weekend! The list of international fetish performers was impressive, including guest DJ’s David TG and Allen TG from London ’s own Torture Garden , who kept the energy going all night long.

Before the club became too crowded, I had the opportunity to take the beautiful Viktoria of Torture Garden into the room that was designated as a dressing room for the performers. It was a shame that it couldn’t be used throughout the night, as it turned out to be a terrific location for an impromptu photo shoot. She wore a sexy black latex fishtail open-bottomed skirt and star-shaped pasties, along with a furry creature that had once seen better days. Since I had an hour or two before the performances began, I was able to navigate the club and shoot some candid shots of some of the fetish-clad guests.

Located on the second floor was “the Latex Lounge”, which was co-sponsored by VacBed. Here, Goddess of Rubber, Gwendolyn and RubberGal. Latex sleep sacks, straight jackets, vac beds, sheeting, hoods and full body encasement were the fare of the night. There was even a Vacuum cube, where latex enthusiasts had the opportunity to be fully encased and restrained in a new dimension of rubber bondage, with only their heads exposed! Even Latex model and FemDom extraordinaire Betka Schpitz got in on the action, lending her foot for a little CBT on one lucky guy who was entombed in the latex vacuum bed, his head in a built-in gas mask.

Throughout the club various scenes were taking place, including a medical room where one willing patient received a saline breast injection. On the other side of the room, a religious flagellation was in order for a disobedient young girl by the sadistic and perverted priest. This scene included some disturbing imagery for those of a more sensitive nature, such as forced oral on a cross and a communion of blood (a sticky corn syrup simulation thankfully). But as shocking as some might have found this scene, it was only a prelude to one of the main events… Gen and the Society of Genitorture.

This was the first time I had ever seen the Genitorturers perform, and I wasn’t at all disappointed. The combination of heavy metal-industrial music with a psychosexual BDSM show on stage was a sensory overload, to say the least. The show included a brutal FemDom scene, where a bound and helpless man was cuffed to a St. Andrew’s Cross while three sadistic Dominatrices proceeded to humiliate and torture him with a little CBT and an on-stage enema. The photos from the ending of the show were just a little too graphic for me to post on my free gallery section.

After the main show, I was fortunate to be in the prime spot to photograph a delicious “Mommy Dearest” scene by the lovely Marina St. Mark and her submissive Moonlight. Wearing a cream and brown colored latex corset, blouse and skirt ensemble, she taught her naughty little girl a valuable lesson. Washing her mouth out with a bar of soap and instructing her to hold the bar between her quivering lips, she proceeded to give her a thorough spanking with a wooden paddle, followed by a sharp caning which I have no doubt left red welts on her tender ass. Immediately after Ms. Marina’s scene ended, the crowd gathered around the center of the floor to witness the godfather of modern suspension, Alan Faulkner.

I had first seen Alan Faulkner’s suspension show at the Fetish Factory’s 11 th anniversary party a year ago, where he was suspended high above the crowd by a series of hooks through his skin. This time however, I was nearly eye-level and had a much closer look. For someone who does not like pain or blood, I found Alan’s performance to be a little disturbing. I certainly do respect him however, and there are some great shots in the gallery.

The rest of the evening consisted of more candid shots at the various play stations around the club. There was no shortage of willing spankers or spankees, and the shibari masters had plenty of little rope sluts lined up to be suspended until the club closed. Even Gene Simmons of Kiss fame made an appearance! Of course he was followed by an entourage and a cameraman who was filming for some new reality show I have no doubt. Overall, the first annual Los Angeles Kink Ball was a great success. It took me quite a long time to pick through over 2500 photos to make three galleries. If you attended or performed and I was fortunate enough to photograph you, please feel free to take your photo directly from my site (leaving my watermark please) and leave a little comment if you like! Coming up next on my travels – Miami eXXXotica!

Click here to see the entire Kink Ball 2007 photo gallery.

The second part of my LA Kink Ball review covers the fetish dinner and cabaret night called Masque. The brainchild of Kink in the Caribbean promoter Robert Fluty, Masque has been inspired by the success of the Twisted City fetish dinner cabaret Fluty organized as part of the Absolute Kink Amsterdam back in April. Sponsored by FetishMovies.com, Masque promised to be “an evening of elegant fetish attire, exotic masks, fine food, and erotic entertainment from the most gifted alternative performance artists from around the world.” Little did anyone know that the night would not turn out to be what anybody expected.

As a guest photographer, I was invited to have dinner with Tony Mitchell , and the lovely Nikki Vega, and her friend Victoria. We were in the prime location, right in front of the stage. The room was packed at this sold-out event, all attendees dressed in beautiful fetish attire and nearly all wearing a mask. Before dinner was served, I wandered around the room, shooting some candid shots of the guests. The room was filled with some of the most beautiful Dommes and Fetish Models from around the world, including Betka Schpitz, Anastasia Pierce, Princess Kali, and RubberDoll. Everyone was having a great time enjoying the open bar, and looking forward to the terrific lineup of performers. Little did anyone realize what was happening behind the scenes.

One hour after the party started, adult star Brittany Andrews informed Robert Fluty that she wasn’t going to be coming to emcee the event as she had committed to. Terril Teran, an aerialist who was to have performed a striptease duet high above the crowd , had to drop out because the ceiling structure was too complex to rig for her show. And finally, a bondage artist who was scheduled to perform was a no-call/no-show. Fortunately, the stage manager jumped in at the last minute and emceed the show, doing a rather commendable job!

The performances began with a provocative Japanese-themed show by RubberDoll, Anastasia Pierce, and Maxine. RubberDoll’s performances are always high-energy and sexually charged. She is an imaginative and creative force who never fails to delight her audience. In this performance, RubberDoll did an elaborate fan dance, followed by dripping hot red wax over the asses of her two submissive girls. Next on stage was a kinky femdom scene with Athena Fatale, dressed in latex stockings and high heel stilettos, and Natalie Minx. I was able to get some really great shots of Athena’s gorgeous tattoos, as she proceeded to spank Natalie with her hand and a bouquet of crimson roses. The petals flew as Athena whacked her submissive’s ass and slid the thorny bouquet between Natalie’s latex-clad thighs.

A little break enabled me to walk the room and take a few more candid shots , before Maxine came back on stage for her feather-fan dance. Maxine gives a passionate performance, and really knows how to work those feathers! The best show in my opinion that is, of the night is where the trouble began. Dressed in a latex military uniform with bright red boots and matching trim, RubberDoll marched on stage with submissive Anastasia Pierce chained and collared. She forced her slave onto a chair, and proceeded to restrain her with some quick rope bondage. She then forced a ball gag into her mouth and blindfolded her, while she proudly showed her large black strap-on dildo to the audience. The sexual energy was high, as RubberDoll simulated fucking her slave and forcing her to worship her rubber cock while wearing a gasmask. Just when the show started really getting good, suddenly the lights went out and the stage was immersed in total darkness. Tony Mitchell and I were up front on the floor photographing as the performers followed through with their scene. I was close enough to hear RubberDoll tell Anastasia to keep going, proving what professional performers they both are. The light from our flashes was the only illumination for the finale, and I actually heard later that many in the crowd thought that the strobe effect was intentional!

The lights came back up shortly thereafter, and the final performance was a beautiful fire-play scene with Master Arcane and his submissive. It was difficult to capture the flames as they swept across the body of a beautiful female sub, so the photos could not possibly do justice to the intense, fiery performance. At midnight, the tables were supposed to have been pushed aside, and the real play could commence. The doors opened to late-night guests who only wished to attend the after party, which was to have been an “Eyes wide shut” themed play party, lasting until early morning. However, that’s when the evening really started to unravel.

The venue for the event, The Entertainium, had been described as one of LA’s best-kept secrets. It’s a fully licensed downtown movie studio with numerous theatrical sets and themed rooms. However until very recently, the venue had been shut down for throwing sexual encounter parties without proper licensing, and since then had been sold to new owners. The party contract had been signed with the old owners, and according to Robert Fluty, he was only informed of the new ownership two weeks before the party! He had little/no time to find a new venue, and either had to cancel the party or try to make it work. The new owners panicked because they were apparently still under constant scrutiny by the authorities, and also because alcohol was being served at an event where the potential for nudity and sexual play was very high. Of course, they neglected to tell the Masque organizer this until the middle of the evening!

I noticed that the crowd began to thin dramatically just after midnight. Rumors began traveling through the venue as the staff informed people that they must cover any exposed nipples and genitalia. Unsure of what was actually happening, and fearing that there was a potential raid, nearly everybody left except for a few die-hard players. It was nearly 1:00 in the morning by the time I caught a cab back to the hotel, disappointed in the turn of events , but overall satisfied with what I had been able to photograph.

Even though Masque did not go as well as anticipated, Robert Fluty assured me that the event will go on. In an email to me he stated, “As you are aware, this was only one of three parties that I produced as part of the LA KinkBall weekend. From the feedback I have received, the other two parties were very well received. But Masque was in fact the party I had really invested the most energy into, as I truly believe people want this type of event and have little doubt that this event will grow into something very special, as evidenced by two consecutive sellout Masque parties.  Finding the right venue(s) is the biggest obstacle ahead of me, but I am determined . I never was one to take a bitch slapping very well, so rest assured Masque will be back…with a vengeance.”

And after meeting and talking to Robert… I have no doubt he’s a man of his word.

Click here to see the entire Masque 2007 photo gallery.