Mateo purchased his first camera the same summer he began to explore this newly discovered side to his personality. Fetish and Erotic photography combined with dramatic lighting techniques is largely an extension of his love for the artistic nude.

Why Shibari? "While working in theater and traveling with the circus rope has always been a part of my everyday life. Rope was something I understood and could identify with. The intricate patterns of the Japanese style appeal to both the artist and the technician in me. Photography itself has become a playground where all the different facets of my life can come together and find expression."