the third sex

A member emailed a few days ago to say how much he had enjoyed the set of a certain model named A in gallery 26 on the main site. I had to go scrambling back through the galleries, because that was quite a while back, and I had forgotten the model. Seeing the pictures however brought the shoot back to me, because A was actually a boy. He had told me his parents and his college disapproved of ladyboys and so he was compelled to remain a male until he reached independence. Consequently, the young man before me had seemed an average type, trim build, quite good looking, just a smidgeon of makeup, but undeniably male. There had been no female aura.

I had done my best with the pictures. A had been wearing neat little cut-off shorts and white pants, so we got some good shots there. His cock had been fully active (no hormones, of course) and so we had reached the orgasmic part very quickly. So quickly, in fact, that he had shot a load while standing up, which had deprived me of the puddle-on-tummy shots that I like. 

Although I had a reasonable set of pictures, I had been unsure of posting them on the site. This is, after all, all about ladyboys rather than young men in makeup. But I went ahead, and eventually forgot about it. I never met A again, unfortunately, so I never knew how things turned out. The enormous, churning community of ladyboys in Bangkok makes keeping in touch very difficult.

I do remember how I felt during that shoot, however, and it has been the same whenever I have photographed other models who have been male rather than ladyboy. I had felt a kind of detached interest. Rather like a doctor, I suppose, asking someone to strip off and produce their willy to show me that it’s in working order. The intense excitement of photographing a ladyboy has not been there. Instead, there has been an academic interest, the interest of the photographer intent only on getting good shots.

I had at one time contemplated opening up a gay site, as a commercial venture rather than for my own interest. I shot several gay-type sets of pictures, but the only feeling I had was a mixture of curiousity and mild embarrassment. 

The reaction between model and photographer is very different when it is male-male, rather than male-ladyboy.

With the ladyboy model, I treat her exactly as if she was female. Opening doors, offering a glass of water, asking if she is comfortable, getting her to talk about her home and anything else that will make her feel relaxed. Complimenting her on her makeup, hair, clothes, anything that I think looks especially good. All the sessions are relaxed, and when the model finally leaves it is almost invariably with mutual friendliness. I don’t remember ever having one bad session.

With the young guys, the gay sets, the atmosphere has however always been completely different. I quite simply don’t have that interest. Beyond normal courtesy, I’m not particularly concerned about how he looks and feels. I tend to think he is probably as embarrassed about the whole thing as I am, and that we both want to get it over and done with quickly. I’m wary about touching, and always ask before I do so. As to the posing, it presents a few problems. The model often feels compelled to puff up his torso so that he looks beefcake. The elbows-and-knees up-the-bottom shots that I so like doing with ladyboys just don’t happen with guys. The wanking-off sequence has often been a bit of a disaster. Usually the model has not been gay, and I am not gay, and consequently there is no sexual frisson in the room. If a ladyboy has a problem getting off, I am ready to lend a helping hand, or whatever. With boys, that doesn’t happen. So I gave up the idea of a gay site. My heart simply wasn’t in it.

I’m perfectly happy taking pictures of youngsters in the transition phase from boy to ladyboy, such as the pictures that illustrate this entry. It’s simply that there is a turning point,  a point where the male vanishes and the ladyboy comes into being. I have watched and watched over the years,and tried to figure it out. How it happens, when it happens, why it happens. I still don’t know.