Pony Play & Kink Photography

Fetish Photography - Reliving Fetish Scenes & Kink Art

Written by cPony on Apr 11 2008
Last updated on Sep 19 2025

Many ponies (as well as bondage bottoms in general) enjoy having photos/video of their time as a pony (or as a bondage bottom) - I know I certainly do :). I find that it's a great way to remember and relive the scene as well as a means to share you fun ponyplay experience with others. In fact, your photos may give another pony inspiration for a scene they had not considered, or, conversely, another pony may offer suggestions on how you can enhance your own scene doen the road.

Photography has been a hobby of mine (and recently videography/cinematography as well) for about as long as I've been into pony play (though my interest in bondage predates it). I find it actually pairs well with being a pony and active in the kink community because, as mentioned above, many in the ponyplay community enjoy having photos of their pony self but don't necessarily get many opportunities since both them and their handler are engaged in the pony scene when it's occuring. As for myself, I'm no exception: I love filming my scenes since I love to relive them later (for ahem personal purposes :).

Self Bondage

I'll start with self-photography since it's the trickiest. When I was a single pony, I would engage in self bondage and self ponyplay. At first glance, one would think doing pony play by yourself would be impossible since you don't have someone to train you. However, you do in fact have someone: yourself. Of course there are challenges, but most of them can be overcome with ample preparation.

However, when I did self ponyplay, preparation and planning was often in short supply due to the simple fact that when I did self play, it was on a whim because I would be sitting around, get horny, and think "being a bound pony sounds really fun about now" then go off and quickly get into my gear (or at least as much as I could get into by myself.

The best strategy here is to have separate sessions for fun and for getting content. For the former, just enjoy yourself, and if your get photos or videos, great! And if not, no worries. Now, for the content sessions, you will need to spend significantly more time preapring the setup for the photos than you will spend on the actual filming or scene.

• A tripod
• A remote shutter if you have the ability to press a button (or have your camera setup to either take photos every so many seconds, or have your camera connected to your computer which can activate the shutter every 3-10 seconds). A final alternative, which has been made possible in the last ten years or so, is to use an Arduino to activate the shutter of your camera in a number of ways:
  • Connect a motion sensor to the Arduino and have the Arduino activate the camera's shutter whenever the motion sensor detects movement. Look into what your camera needs to activate the shutter: for Canon, it is when the remote shutter hits a zero point (i.e. when it's shorted to ground).
  • Have the Arduino run a timer and activate the camera's shutter every so many seconds (this can be useful when your camera does not give you the option to continuously take photos every few seconds). To do this, you just have to write a simple script to have the Arduino short the camera's remote shutter input to ground (Canon typically activates the shutter based on when the remote shutter input is at ground (~0V). However, this may vary by camera manufacturer, so please do make sure to check).
• Lots of light - do not ever underestimate how much light you need to get good photos! Also make sure that all the lights you use are balanced to the same color, otherwise you will risk having a color cast gradient across your photos.
• Sufficient space to capture the scene you want to capture and an appropriate fical length lens. If you are doing this indoors, you will likely need a fairly wide angle lens.

• Using your video editor to dynamically pan, zoom, or tilt the frame.
• For still photo, consider taking video and pulling individual frames from the video - this will give the shots active feel.

If you want to take things a little further - and have the budget for it (sometimes good deals come up on Craigslist or eBay), you can use a tilt shift lens, which affords significant creative control over the focal plane.

As a side note, I'm also into photography outside the visible spectrum. The visible spectrum is ~ 400nm - 700nm (there is a reasonable amount of individual variability there as well as the fact that it's not a sharp cutoff but a gradual reduction in sensitivity as one approaches the bounds of the visible spectrum).

I first became interested in near infrared photography after seeing some beautiful shots taken with Kodak's Aerochrome (a false color infrared film) and was further enamored after seeing some black white prints taken with infrared sensitive film taken with a relatively long cufoff filter (~850-900nm). The latter rendered skin silky smooth, foilage a briliiant white and the sky pitch black - it gave the scene a dreamlike quality, that I fell in love with.

My Current Gear (Camera Bodies)

At the age of around 12 (several years after puberty had started for me, and at least 3-4 years after I was regularly performing self bondage), I was able to save up enough money to get my own SLR (a film camera, since digital cameras as whole were very, rare). Now, naturally, in addition to nature and sports photography, I also wanted use my new SLR to photograph myself while tied up. This posed a number of challenges, the most unique of which was that I could not get the fim developed at a store, so I learned to develop film myself - this necessitated all my bondage photos being in black and white (developing color film in a home darkroom is not something that is easily or cheaply done).

I was mostly disappointed with the results: motion blur, indufficient light, bad framing and posing, and bas timing (if I was going for a particular type shot). On top of all that, film cost money, so I was burning through the cash I was making at my part time job to achieve, at best, mediocre results. This sort of put me off BDSM photography for quite awhile. I did still photograph a lot of other things such as dogs, cats, horse, equestrian sports, soccer, baseball, basketball, wildlife, still life (like natural scenes/beauty as well as buildings/bridges), cars, and underwater phtotography.

I was actually an avid scuba diver and lucky enough to live in an area where diving was accessible: I lived in a suburb of Sydney, NSW, AUstralia for some of my formative teenage years. I was fortunate enought that where I lived in Balmoral (or Mosman before that) was only a short walk to a beach where I could literally just walk into the water from the shore and be surrounded by a plethora of colorful underwater wildlife from rays, to fish and sharks, and vibrant coral, sea anemone, and little crabs scurrying around. My weekend dives helped me polish available and low light photography techniques and macro photography.

Over the following few years, I learned a tremendous amount from trial and error and from speaking with other photographers (most of whom were actually eager to give tips and tricks to a youngster). As my free time dwindled near the end of high school, I found myself photographing less and less, such that I had completely stopped taking photos by the time I started college.

Fast forward a 6 years later, and I found myself in Best Buy with a friend when we strolled past the digital camera display, and we noticed that digital SLRs (DSLRs) somewhat widespread, and the cost for an entry level camera (a Canon Rebel XTi with kit lens) was at a level that a graduate student could (barely, with the promotional 0% over 12 months financing) afford. Getting that first DSLR was a game changer for me! No more film, no more waiting for shots to be developed, and, best of all: taking a photo was free (no film or development costs), and even better, you could review how it looks instantly! I could review the photo and adjust exposure or framing as needed. Incredible!

That little rebel got me back into photography, and best of all, it catapulted me into erotic and bondage photography. Without hacving to worry about someone seeing my photos during development, I went toally wild and started taking photos everytime I tied myself up, and, when I had a partner, showed them how to use it, and let them take phtoso of the scene (always the easiest).

Initially, my self bondage photos came out terrible. Like really terrible. Even though I had experience in the basics (and even in the intermediate and advanced areas as well), I was generating uninspiring and poor quality photos.

Although I'm always in love with the equipment I have at given moment, I don't ever see any one piece of gear as permanent. There are always improvements to technology, and it's equally fine to upgrade periodically when you find a new feature you like as it is to stick with what you have if it's still doing it's job well for you :)

Full Spectrum and Non-Visible Light Photography

However, some photographers are interested in using light with these higher (or lower) wavelengths to form an image that we, as humans (and, to a degree, as horses), would not be able to see. The most common is with the use of near infrared light (>700nm, typically from 700-1000nm) because foilage tends to reflect light in that wavelength, giving the photos a characteristic, striking look.

Less commonly, but, in my opinion, just as interestings, is photography with light under 400nm, namely ultraviolet photography. This is a bit more challenging than infrared photography because even when the hot mirror filter is replaced with a clear quartz glass, the glass used in optical elements of most lenses strongly attenuate ultraviolet light. There are special lenses that allow ultraviolet lighht to pass, such as the Nikon UV-105, 105mm f/4.5 Multispectral Imaging Lens, which allows UV light all the way down to 200nm (most lenses used for UV photography only allow light down to 350nm at the lowest, and usually only to 380nm, which is basically just deep violet visible light. I recently purchased the Nikon UV-105 and have been excited to play around with it to get actual ultraviolet images. You can use this lens with an inexpensive adapter with a Canon (or other) body, and the aperture and focus is manual, so the adapter does not need any. eletrical contacts.

Below are three examples of the different looks you can achieve with a full spectrum converted camera (in my case, a full spectrum converted R5C) by carefully choosing what wavelengths of light to allow in to the sensor. The first photograph is with a filter that allows in infrared light (~ ≥720nm plus a little bit of blue light as well (bandpass in the blue range around 430-450nm), the second photo used a filter that was designed to emulate the look of Kodak's Aerochrome infrared film (the "IR Chrome" filter, which lets in infrared light as well as some visible light), and the third photo is taken with a filter that only lets in deep (in the sense of photography, no deep IR in the physics sense) infrared light (≥1000nm).

In the above photo, there is enough blue light to create good contrast with the infrared light and create a unique false color look. In the photo below, the filter mimics Kodak's Aerochrome infrared film, which provides it with its unique look.

Finally, the deep infrared filter looks almost monochrome becuase the ≥1000nm light penetrates (or is attenuated roughly) equally all three of the Bayer filters above the photosites.

Photography and Videography Products I Use and Reccomend:

1. Kolari Vision - Kolari specializes in conversion of DSLR and mirrorless cameras to full spectrum, UV, or infrared (various cutoff wavelength options available) as well as unique filters (e.g. one which emulates old school Kodak Aerochrome IR film on a full spectrum converted body, astrophotography filters that UV/IR but pass H-Alpha wavelngth, etc.):
   
   
   • Infrared conversion of a DSLR, mirrorless, or point and shoot (or even a cinema camera) camera, which removes the hot mirror filter and replaces it with a long pass filter of your choice (720nm is the typical IR conversion many people choose, but you could go all the way down to 1000nm or even up to the mid 600s or 500s to add some color for a unique look) - USD $299 (+$150 or more depending on specific camera model).
   • Full spectrum conversion of a point and shoot, DSLR, or mirrorless camera where they replace the hot mirror (that cuts infrared light from making it to the sensor and contaminating the image) with a clear quartz glass giving decent transmission from around 150nm through to about 1400nm) - USD $299 (+$150 or more depending on specific camera model).
   • Kolari also sells a multitude of specialized filters for visible, UV, IR, and astrophotography as well as filters to achieve different different effects. They sell them in a few different formats/attachment methods including:
     
     
     • Traditional circular screw on filters (screws on to the end of your lens)
     • Drop in filters (e.g. compatible with the Canon EF to RF converters that have a filter holder
     • Clip on filters that go in front of the lens.
     
     Kolari has way too many filters to list. Additionally, they offer (not sure if they still do, since it's been 14 months since they were actively promoting it) a service whereby they will create a custom filter for you if you can provide the coating or a largish section of coated glass that they can then cut to size and mount in a metal ring for use as a drop in, screw on, or magnetic filter. This is especially useful if you want an uncommon or esoteric transmission spectrum.
     
     For example, let's say you are interested in either ultraviolet or deep near infrared photography, you can go to Edmund Optics (or somewhere similar), search for the optical properties of the filter that you need, such as a shortpass filter for UV photography with a cut-off wavelength somewhere in the 300s of nanometers (e.g. 350-380nm), or a longpass filter with a cut-on wavelength around 1100nm for infrared¹.
     
     You then find that Edmund makes something roughly matching your criteria for the deep IR that blocks 200nm - 1050nm and transmits between 1100nm - 2100nm². It comes in a 25mm x 25mm (roughly 1" x 1" square) for $329.66, which might be enough for Kolari (or another vendor, or perhaps even yourself) to cut it into a circle and mount it into a holder that would fit into Canon's EF to RF adapter.
     
     Once you found the apprpriate filter glass, the next step would be to contact Kolari to see if they still cut and mount filters and how much they charge, then order from Edmund (or wherever you found it) and send it over to Kolari and they should send you your new filter in a week or two.
     
     While that is great for some esoteric applications, for the most part, you should not need to go the custom route. You will be able to get striking, beautiful photos with just a few common filters. Kolari has a reasonable selection of infrared filters. Just note though that you will need to use these IR filters with either: a full spectrum converted camera (this is the route I took as it offers maximum versatility), or, alternatively, you can use them with an infrared converted camera provided that the cutoff of the filter in the converted camera has a shorter wavelength than the filter you are adding on top/in front of it (e.g. you can use a 1000nm screw on or drop in filter with a camera that's been converted to infrared with a 720nm sensor filter, but not the reverse³, or, rather, the reverse would not be any different than had you not used a screw on or drop in filter)).
     
     Kolari's selection of infrared filters is useful to achieve different effects (or stronger effects):
     • 720nm screw on or 720nm drop in - It's $149.99 for the drop in or between $34.99 - $184.99 for screw on depending on size (37mm - 112mm)
     • 780nm screw on or 780nm drop in - It's $149.99 for the drop in or between $34.99 - $184.99 for screw on depending on size (37mm - 112mm)
     • 850nm screw on or 850nm drop in - It's $149.99 for the drop in or between $34.99 - $184.99 for screw on depending on size (37mm - 112mm)
     • 930nm screw on or 930nm drop in - It's $149.99 for the drop in or between $34.99 - $184.99 for screw on depending on size (37mm - 112mm)
     • 1000nm screw on or 1000nm drop in - It's $149.99 for the drop in or between $34.99 - $184.99 for screw on depending on size (37mm - 112mm)
     
     Enhanced infrared photography, that is infrared photography with some visible light included as well, has a unique look to it and was (somewhat) popularized with Kodak's Aerochrome a few decades ago. In order to do enhanced IR photography and make use of the filters for it, you will need to have a full spectrum converted camera (since some amount of visible light is needed by definition though the amount varies). In addition to long pass filters with cutoffs in the visible range, Kolari also offers a filter that seeks to mimic Aerochrome's look (I am pleased with the results but slightly prefer the look of their Blue IR/NDVI):
     
     
     • IR Chrome screw on or IR Chrome drop in - It's $199.99 for the drop in or between $89.99 - $849.99 for screw on depending on size (37mm - 95mm + cinema 4 x 5.65).
     • Blue IR screw on or Blue IR/NVDI drop in - It's $149.99 for the drop in or between $34.99 - $184.99 for screw on depending on size (37mm - 112mm).
     • Hydrogen line pass screw on filter or UV/IR Cut (H-alpha pass) drop in- It's $149.99 for the drop in or between $89.99 - $849.99 for screw on depending on size (37mm - 95mm + cinema 4 x 5.65).
     • UV/IR Cut Hot Mirror Pro 2 screw on filter or UV/IR Cut Hot Mirror Pro 2 drop in- It's $199.99 for the drop in or between $79.99 - $274.99 for screw on depending on size (37mm - 95mm). This acts like your camera's original hot mirror, so with it in place, your full spectrum converted camera will behave like a stock (visible) light camera, exactly as it did before you had a full spectrum conversion performed.
     • Ultraviolet bandpass filter - A narrow range bandpass filter for those interested in UV photography (345nm - 380nm), nevertheless, it is a good place to start with pure near ultraviolet (UV) photography. It's $249.99 for the drop in or between $149.99 - $349.99 for screw on depending on size (37mm - 77mm)
     
     If you like to experiment with different looks, you can also but a set of 5, 7, or 10 filters, which is plenty to play around with:
     
     
     • 10 IR filter set (screw on) or 10 IR drop in filters and you get: 550nm, 590nm, 665nm, 720nm, 780nm, 850nm, Blue IR/NDVI, IR Chrome, UV/IR Cut (H-Alpha Pass), UV/IR Cut Color-Correcting Hot Mirror. It's $999.99 for the drop in or between $499.99 – $939.99 for screw on depending on size (49mm - 82mm).
     • 5 IR filter set (screw on) or 5 IR drop in filters and you get: 590nm, 665nm, 720nm, (780nm only included with drop in filter set) 850nm, and UV/IR Cut Color-Correcting Hot Mirror. It's $674.99 for the drop in or between $289.99 – $649.99 for the screw on filter set depending on the size of the filter needed (37mm - 82mm).
     • 11 drop in neutral density filters and you get: 1-stop, 2-stop, 3-stop, 4-stop, 5-stop, 6-stop, 7-stop, 8-stop, 10-stop, 15-stop, and 20-stop. It's $1519.99 for the drop in or between for screw on depending on size (49mm - 82mm).
     • 11 drop in neutral density filters and you get: 4-stop, 5-stop, 10-stop, 15-stop, and 20-stop. It's $679.99 - $919.99 for the screw on filter set, depending on size you need/want (49mm - 95mm).

Footnotes

²Absorption of Liquid Water: If you start exploring infrared photography, you will soon find that visible light is actually rather a nice range when it comes to interference from one of the most abundant molecules on the plaet: water. Given how much water there around us, we need to be cognizant of which wavelengths it absorbs so as not to interfere or cause artifacts in our images. As we moved into the near infrared, we find that water absorps enought to notice at around 730nm and 820nm.

Once we get to 900nm, the absorption starts to gets stronger with another peak at 1200m, which is already approaching the limit of what we are photographing, which is fortunate for us since water's absorption spectrum gets stronger still further into the IR, with very strong peaks at 1450nm, 1950nm, and 2900nm. Fortunately for us, aside from 1450nm, which, while uncommon, is stil occasioanlly used in hobby photography 1950nm and 2900nm are well outside what we, as photographers, image (or what our equipment is even capable of imaging for that nmatter).