This year I have had the pleasure of assisting with the promotion of a new community initiative – Tom’s Hide Out, a series of fundraiser events held at the Laird celebrating all things leather and leathermen. These events are part of 2025 Laird Leatherman BB’s efforts of raising money for Switchboard.
In November I completed the second promotional shoot for the event which brought together leathermen from Melbourne’s community to show off their best gear for upcoming event posters and promos.
On the Day – Good vibes, and so much leather!
We shot solo images of all of the participants as well as group setups inspired by classic Tom of Finland artworks to capture the cruisey masculine vibe of the events.
Aside from having the pleasure of photographing these gorgeous leathermen, the whole afternoon was a fun relaxed atmosphere, lots of laughs and a great sense of community spirit.
Oh, and if there’s one thing I learnt from the previous shoot – stretchy jeans and/or kneepads are a photographers best friend!
Anyone who has tried to bend or kneel while wearing leather pants will tell you…. it’s not easy if not impossible.
It’s about supporting community
While photographing leather,fetish, kink and such is absolutely my passion and reason enough for me to have offered my services to help promote Tom’s Hide Out events – for me it’s also about showing support for ventures that try to build and grow our communities.
Come check it out!
Tom’s Hide Out runs on the first Saturday of the month at the Laird Hotel.
If you’ve never been, I highly reccommend checking it out – great atmosphere, friendly leathermen, good music and even a playspace if you fancy some action.
