A gallery of my lady Madame Rosebud and myself from last year.  Please enjoy.  Followed by a burlesque performance by my queen.

Photos by JM Darling

Model: Sovereign Syre

Direction: JM Darling

Editing: Bob Lopez 5000

Of course, a gallery of stills:

The hat was lying around and Josh wanted to test out a new lighting set up.  He ended up just taking a bunch of candids of me topless.  Everything always ends in being topless.

These were taken at the end of May this year.  Enjoy.

As these things happen, things didn’t exactly go as they should have. The makeup artist went overboard and the result was pretty heavy handed. I showed up for the shoot and it was obvious that the makeup was going to be a problem. I spent a panicked 20 minutes in the bathroom trying to tone down the makeup and then went out and tried my best to act like everything was great. I knew that the shoot was going to be a dud though. That’s just kind of how those things go. I was new to modeling. I didn’t have a big wardrobe and I had even less confidence. It led to many awkward shoots and images. Like most independent models, I’d give my right arm to get rid of half the images that come up if you do an image search of me.

I came home at the end of the day dejected. JM Darling decided we should take advantage of the strange makeup and try to bust out a moody shoot. In about ten minutes we did a shoot with some Crystal Delights Toys that had come in that day. I’ve been something of a spokesmodel for Crystal D and they had sent us some product. These are still some of my favorite images to date. Also. I show some pink.

Enjoy, Sovereign’s no good very bad day:

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Over the years I’ve shot for a number of escort agencies in NYC. The flavor of agencies themselves have varied greatly. From Japanese massage type work where they needed pretty cliche glamour poses, a couple Russian mob groups where I’d have to shoot at hidden locations at 3am while I could hear the girls servicing clients in the next room and, most notoriously, for the two biggest agencies with which had to do with the falling of Governor Spitzer.

If any of you had followed that story, you’ll know that these weren’t the traditional image of say, like, a Time Square crack hooker from the 70s. These were totally modern, young, smart, mostly college educated, fashionable NY gals who were making RIDICULOUS money. The powers that be who threw this together had a knack for identifying not necessarily the most beautiful girls, (while they were always hot, of course) but certainly all possessing an all American accessibility. When I was asked why this group was so successful, my answer had always been that the guys dropping the cash for these ladies were newly successful guys buying the company of girls they knew in college (but possibly couldnt attain) or even high school.

I don’t know why I was hired. I never felt like I was the right man for the job as they generally wanted glitzy glamour shots that was then outside of my portfolio. But the girls liked shooting with me and the bosses knew I’d get the job done without any funny business. What they didn’t know is that they girls would invite me to go out, party and shoot outside of work. I’ll never forget a random phone call to come by the W at 4am to share about 12 bottles of Dom Perignon with two of the gals I had befriended and watch them roll around in the 18K they had made that day, all in the bed. All I was thinking is: “Ladies, you’re ruining those $100 bills”. But yeah, this life exists in NY.

Most of these shots I can’t ever show, they were given directly to the bosses. But every now and then I’d hit it off with the gals and they’d throw me a few frames after the shoot, sign the model releases and give me a kiss before they headed out the door to brave the jungle of NY and find their own stories. I’m still friends with many of these girls and feel privileged to have a window into the lives of our world’s oldest profession. I’ll be sharing some these portraits moving on. This is Georgia.

Clicking on these makes them larger:

It’s hard to describe the unique phenomenon to both be both an insider and outsider to this country at the same time. Growing up an “international” (Brit Dad, Filipino/Chinese/Russian mother) on a sailboat sailing to over 60 countries taught me to blend in real quick, especially if it meant I could be around pretty lasses on stable shore. I did visit the States in small pockets of time, a year here and there and did some schooling here too once.

I had a few years of schooling in the US. In Florida. I had a best friend, Kent, we’d romp around sandboxes and play Star Wars.  I was head over heels in love with his sister Heather a couple years older than me. The three of us would carouse in the pool, play Star Wars (I was always jockeying to be Han to her Lea but ended up an Ewok or whatever Chewbacca was) as well as racing through the steamy Flordian woods. She was dark haired and ivory skinned and would call me to join her up in a tree to eat an icicle. Roger shared his vast toy collection and got me in the Cub (Boy?) Scouts. I think. They don’t have this in Bay of Biscaye, just waves and death.

Heather however was blossoming quick, being a couple years older and caught the attention of a blonde blue eyed apple pie strapping boy. They were soon going “steady” and I was crushed. No one knew of course and it would only a given that Kent and I were asked to guard the house while they kissed on the roof. We’re all friends right? I immediately hated this.

I played my one and only game of baseball that summer (still don’t get it). One of the kids accidentally batted a ball through someone’s window and, without warning, the irate owner bolted out and immediately spanked the boy over his knee and left without warning. The whole incident happened so fast everyone was dumbfounded. I took the lead in righteous indignation, seeing an opportunity to posture:

Me: “If that was me, I’d take this bat and BASH him!!! (referring to the spank giving adult). “Like this!!”

And without thinking, I swiftly and deftly demonstrated by swinging down the baseball bat smack down onto Heather’s head.

I didn’t mean to do that…

All I remember is screams, some blood and then a posse of 6 boys pummeling the life out of me. Then blackout.

When I woke I was along on a bloody, empty baseball field Heather and Kent bringing me me to.

She knew I hadn’t meant to hurt her and lifted me to my knees. Turns out I was more hurt than she. Three of us hobbled home to her house where she lied and told her father she fell off her bike, I think.  I just remember those siblings getting in more trouble than me and that’s not too good, is it? sorry…

I sailed away for good at the end of summer but the flavors of sunny summer, free spirited youths and American innocence have always romanced me. I’ve come back as an adult to experience America. And a few American beauties.

Sovereign is a mercurial actress, easily morphing from the vampy vixen you all know her to be, but just as well into the most precious, open hearted, vulnerable beauty I’ve ever met. It’s that Sovereign that -I- get to have, mornings in bed chirping happily away and planning more American adventures.

Here she is in that vein that I adore so much.

Enjoy.

Click on the pictures to enlarge, they’re enjoyed better that way.

Happy Fourth of July, friends.

Being funny is very, very serious.  This is our resident bastard.  Keith.

Sometimes the best shoots happen with no planning. This is Sovereign Syre and JM Darling (me!) on a 15 minute break between another model’s shoot just to shake it up and work it out. We like it and hope you do too. Special thanks for the big bling provided by Crystal D Toys.

Featuring Sovereign paying homage to and playing the spirit of timeless, beautiful Norma Jean.

Artist.Muse\Teaser_2.mov from JM Darling on Vimeo.