Our product is tailored to adults whose basic fetish identifies with females in bondage.  We use our product as a vehicle to express the sexual power of the bound female.  The bondage scenarios dramatized in our product demonstrate various acts used by lovers to intensify their physical and spiritual closeness. 

In our work, the female subject is tightly restrained and gagged - of her own free will.  As a willing submissive participant, she becomes even more beautiful to our viewers as the bound, yet protected focal point of their personal desire.  It is to please and satisfy this desire that we create our bondage imagery. 

SPI does not advocate violence against any person for any reason.  We view bondage as a normal activity practiced between consenting adults.  The material we present to viewers as representations of domination or submission are considered as forms of fantasy role-play and are regarded as healthy demonstrations of affection between sexually active, imaginative and creative people.

We hope to inform and educate viewers about various forms of sexual expression, and to clearly demonstrate how safe bondage play can enhance the intimate times between consenting adults.  It is our belief that all adults have the basic rights of choice and expression, and also have the right to view such material. 

Our product has absolutely nothing to do with demeaning, harming, or humiliating anyone.  Our viewers, male and female alike,  wish to personally experience consensual acts of submission and restraint for either deeply psychological reasons or because it actually feels good, safe, and comforting. 

SEETHER

PREFACE -

Much of what is seen in the bondage web community at large today was influenced by the creative imagination and keen photographic eye of Bill Richards, AKA "SEETHER."  Bill's presence as a producer, photographer, and creative consultant to other producers is wide spread and well known within the bondage community. His images are legally featured on over 100 sites worldwide, and continue to set the standard for much of the industry.

Bill began his career as a photographer and bondage master on the east coast of the US in 1997, and moved his business to the Pacific Northwest in 1999.  Bill is best known for his ability to seek out, recruit, and photograph beautiful young unknown women in tight "fantasy oriented" bondage situations. Bill takes great pride in being the first to shoot Tobi, Taylor, Justine, and Rhiannon in bondage, and was among the first to shoot Lydia McLaine, Bridgett Harrington, Liz Tyler and Julie Simone before their respective rise to fame.

Bill Richards is the Owner, Producer, and Chief Operating Officer for Shadowplay Imaging, which provides digital imaging and web consulting services to fetish erotica web sites world wide. Bill's work is in demand, and is featured on numerous websites around the world. His impact on the internet has also influenced the creative styles of others who emulate his camera or rope work.

Bill has ranked consistently in the top 20 bondage producers/riggers in the world, and he is considered to be a stalwart beacon in a seemingly endless line of independent fetish producers.  Comparably, within the fetish industry, Bill's work is considered by most to be an artistic portrayal of the "Damsel in Distress."

Bill is a full time fetish producer, but is also a well educated and highly decorated former military officer with a formal background in foreign cultures and business management consulting.  Bill is a self taught photographer, ropemaster, and webmaster who has been involved in the business of fetish erotica since 1997.   Bill has had a strong on-line presence since 1998, when he created "Seether's Lair" known now as Shadowplay Imaging.

Shadowplay Imaging specializes in providing custom fetish, bondage, & erotic imagery and video products to Private Collectors, Webmasters, Electronic & Print Publications and at-large consumers world-wide.

Since 1998, Shadowplay Imaging has continued to develop strong working relationships with their loyal customer base through recurring orders of custom "Made-to-Order" fetish imagery and video requests.  Much of what SPI creates is scripted by customers who design their personal fetish fantasies using SPI's models and the keen photographic eye of Bill Richards, AKA "SEETHER," who brings their ideas to life.

Over the years, Shadowplay Imaging has established high levels of customer satisfaction through dedicated attention to customer detail, limited editorial license, and astute creative ability.  Shadowplay Imaging uses only the most beautiful "Girls-Next-Door" in the Northwest US, and boasts a large and ethnically diverse modeling pool with enough variety to please everyone.

IN THE BEGINNING -

Bill Richards, AKA SEETHER, started his web career in 1998. His first site, doraeme.com, was immediately recognized as a winner by most in the industry, and his photography added a new dimension to the realm of fetish erotica. Bill immediately realized the potential for success on the internet, and went to work discovering and recruiting new faces to the web for his bondage work. Bill was one of the very first to shoot Julie Simone - known then as Brandi - and bill was the first to ever bind, gag, and photograph Krystal Chardonnay. Before Bill's move from Maryland to Oregon, he began shooting custom images - by request contract photos for collectors - and became one of the first in the modern era to pioneer "made to order" bondage photos and video. Bill's talent was also realized by Bondage.org and House of Gord early on, but Bill's move to Oregon postponed any real working relationship with them for several months. At this point, doraeme.com offered members 50 photos a month, with one monthly update.

GO WEST, YOUNG MAN -

Once in Oregon, Bill again began recruiting models - specializing in young girls between 18 and 23 - who had never modeled before in their lives, and focusing on models who had never done any bondage modeling before. Recruiting the likes of Tobi, Rhiannon, Kelly, Draven, and Alia, Bill once again gained the attention of Bill Majors - owner and founder of B&D Pleasures. After some negotiations and an offer to become a full-time staff photog for Bondage.org, Richards and Majors came to terms on an arrangement allowing Bondage.org to purchase and lease images for their various sites. The word was out, and soon SEETHER was a household name, acclaimed by some to be the next Willie or Klaw. As Bill's photos became more prolific on the web, more and more people flocked to his small site to see his work, his unique and exclusive models, and to arrange custom photos and video of their own. Certainly, something special was happening in Oregon - conspicuously underneath the radar.

FREE FALLING -

With demand came more custom work, and with more custom work came more demand. Bill soon realized that he would need to take a leap of faith, and a great risk, and leave his "work-a-day job" for a full-time venture as a bondage erotica producer. Understanding the powerful draw of his lead models at the time - Tobi and Rhiannon - he focused his efforts on working with them, and soon saw the need to branch out with sites that featured them. Shebound.com and Tobisplace.com soon were born, along with the two-girl legend of Tobi, Rhiannon, and what would soon become Shadowplay Imaging. Around the same time in 2000, Bill hosted the very first West Coast Bondage Photographer's Forum, sponsored by a joint venture between Bondage.org and his new company - then only a concept and a name - Shadowplay Imaging. Success was in sight, but not yet within reach. Something was missing, but Bill had not yet discovered what was missing, or how powerful that missing element would be in the evolution of his enterprise.

COMING OF AGE -

As Tobi and Rhi grew older and their own lives began to flourish with school and relationships, their interest in running their own sites waned. Bill bought out the content of their sites and combined them with his own to form the base content for his brain-child, Shadowplay Imaging. Wanting to be able to express himself more as an artist and publisher, and still not fully understanding the direction that Shadowplay Imaging would take, in 2001 Bill opened a fourth site - seether2001.com, which was an e-zine with stories and commentary for members. It was at this time that the mainstream of the erotica industry noticed Bill, and when the idea of Shadowplay Imaging became a reality. Wanting to remain "clean" but also desiring to found a name for his company and for himself, Bill delved into the realm of contract shooting of video and photography for other websites, and released his own exclusive content to the fetish world. Bill's photos and his exclusive Northwest US models are now featured on hundreds of sites world-wide - with emphasis on feet, nylon, pantyhose, schoolgirl fantasy, bondage, and other "tame" fetish erotica.

MASSING OF FORCES -

In March of 2001, Bill finally left his 9 to 5 job and became a full-time photographer, working with his exclusive pool of models to provide the fetish web-world with the content it desperately needed to freshen things up. Things soon became more than Bill could handle on his own, and Tobi needed a job to pay for her education, so Bill hired Tobi on as a production assistant. With Tobi's help, Bill continued to develop Shadowplay Imaging, with Tobi as the face of the organization - as well as the power behind the scenes. This allowed Bill to focus on shooting and web development, and opened the door for SPI to move to the next level of production - feature video. As the work became easier to handle, it also became somewhat overwhelming. The need to consolidate all four sites into one was no longer a thing to ponder. In June of 2001, Bill hired an independent webmaster - a really good one - and officially opened Shadowplay Imaging as a full-blown site - with all the bells and whistles to go along with it.

SOWING THE SEEDS OF SUCCESS -

Bill's new webmaster, known as TC in the industry, was well founded and highly respected - having also been the webmaster for some of the biggest names in the bondage business. With TC's help, along with Tobi's contributions during production, Bill was able to spark a flame that has kept SPI alive and well through some of the leanest times in recent industry history, producing custom and feature video to entertain the bondage consumer masses. Starting with behind the scenes videos and self-bondage recorded web-cams of Tobi, Bill was able to compile enough footage to add to the site, and to bring a new dimension to his enterprise. People no longer had to endure static images of his exclusive local ladies, but could now enjoy the in their bondage in living color - with sound and movement. This revolution was the final stage in the evolution of a company which now stands on it's own - with exclusive content, exclusive models, and a somewhat exclusive clientele. Today, SPI is an industry leader in independently produced bondage video, and releases 5 new hour-long feature videos every month - in both DVD and VHS format.

SHADOWPLAY IMAGING (SPI) -

Now a recognized name and formidable force in the industry - with photos and video produced by SPI on various site world-wide - Shadowplay Imaging continued it's quest to be recognized as an industry leader. . Over the years, Bill, Tobi, and SPI consistently finished in the top-20 SIGNY AWARD finalists. The best finishes for SPI came in 2004 & 2005.  In 2004, Bill and SPI finished 12th in both the "Rigger" and "Paysite" categories respectively. Tobi also finished as the 19th Best Model in 2004, with her best finish as 16th in 2001.  In 2005, SPI competed in the "Best Rigger", "Best Photographer", "Best Model", and "Best Company" categories.  SPI finished the 2005 SIGNY at a best-ever 10th place as a company, and Bill finished as the 15th best rigger - marking the 5th consecutive top-20 world-wide finish for them both.  It seems only fitting that a company who has contributed to the industry in so many ways should be recognized for their hard work and sacrifice.

EVOLUTION SPELLED WITH AN R -

As SPI continues to grow, it recognizes the evolution of the web as well as the increased demand for easy content delivery. SPI now offers over 150 of it's 250+ inventory of videos in DVD download format, as well as hosting almost 3000 downloadable video clips and over 290 feature broadband videos. SPI also offers Token Photo sets for those who still desire to collect our photos. In addition, SPI members have access to thousands of photos and numerous videos - all for the same membership cost as the day we first opened the door in 2001. Most of SPI's content is offered in a "Pick, Pay, Play, and Enjoy" format, with delivery to the customer in mere seconds. 

ALL GOOD THINGS MUST END -

As the industry began to lean toward the more "dark" side of bondage, Bill became disenchanted.  Increased regulation by the Federal Government, combined with declining revenue, and pressure within the industry to "raise the bar" and compromise the integrity of the SPI brand led Bill to the conclusion that it was time to close production.  So - in December of 2007, he announced to the world that SPI would no longer create NEW material for web consumers.  It was a sad but inevitable conclusion, and one that did not come easy for Bill.  Hard-core porn and bondage had melted together - erasing the mystery and eroticism from the scope of entertainment.  Unwilling to take SPI in that direction, Bill closed up shop - with the promise to keep his material live for people to enjoy as long as he could afford to do so.

DOTTING THE I -

Having started out with one site that offered 50 photos to members in 1998, and with so many other sites idle with fear from federal prosecution for failing to conduct themselves as a professional enterprise, we feel that SPI's growth over the years  to be quite an accomplishment. SPI stands steadfast as a landmark in a vast sea of sites, proudly founded on hard work, sacrifice, innovation, and beautiful exclusive models. As the digital age continues to redefine itself, so then will SPI continue to evolve with it - in order to serve the needs of bondage consumers, and well into the 21st century.  Bill has always taken great pride in bringing the girls next door to your computer and TV screen - strictly bound and thoroughly gagged - for your bondage entertainment and viewing pleasure. SPI will always be the place where "Helplessly Bound and Gagged Young Girls Struggle and Moan Through Packed and Ballgagged Mouths!"