An Interview with Hardy

Hardy: How are you Jon; I hear you have been busy?

Jon: Yes....it's been a long winter, and I have covered a lot of ground, but I have met some very cool people and some unbelievable ladyboys.

Hardy: And now, you have returned to my fair island; what brings you back?

Jon: Ladyboys! And of course the weather, the beaches, the friendly people, and the amazing selection of bars and Katoeys that work in them. And you, of course, Hardy.

Hardy: Awwww........ thanks. The scene is still happening here, that's for sure.

Jon: Yes; I was out on the streets last night and there were 5 ladyboys for every one interested man.

Hardy: So, what is new with the site? Where are the girls coming from these days?

Jon: Well, as you know, we find a lot of our models right here on Shemale Island and always will. But I spent a few weeks in Pattaya this year and got some more models from there, and we will always have a steady stream of Bangkok girls; we actually have more models than we have time to work with them in Bangkok.

Hardy: I understand you were in Chiang Mai recently also; how did that work out?

Jon: Unbelievable. I only could find about 8-10 models there; it's a very small scene and very underground. But the ones that we DID find, WOW! I believe that the 5 girls we add on the 15th, all from Chiang Mai, will be the 5 cutest girls we have ever added in one update.

Hardy: And Indonesia? What can you tell us about that place?

Jon: There IS a thriving ladyboy [Waria] scene in Indonesia, but you must look for it. In Jakarta we made contact with a few and they helped us out, and I truely believe that I was able to work with the cream of the Indo ladyboy crop while I was there. I also did some jobs with Balinese ladyboys; extremely rare and no other website has anything like Monica and Naomi and Fiona. Maybe they are afraid to go there? We aren't.

Hardy: I remember when we first met and your site was small and you were only doing occassional jobs and loving it; now you work full-time and the site has gotten international recognition; do you feel the pressure and do you still like your gig?

Jon: Yes, I DO love my job, but only the part where I deal with the ladyboys and travel is when I do the actual photo shoots, which is about 10% of the time. The rest is tedious and rather boring, but it's all worth it in the end. I love working with these beautiful ladyboys because they are some of the sweetest people I have ever met.

Hardy: We have talked privately about the difficulty of shooting outdoors in direct sunlight, and getting good results. Some of your recent work from here was outstanding; do you find it hard to work outside?

Jon: Yes! Working on the beach, with the strong sun directly overhead, is NOT the ideal situation for photography, and only about half of all outdoor footage is usable because of shadows and wind and other problems. Add in the fact that what we are doing is not allowed [nude ladyboys on the beaches is a no-no anywhere!], so the shoots are hurried, and it's a wonder that we can get any footage at all. But we try our best, and we use as many as possible from a shoot. This isn't the sports Illustrated swimsuit edition; this is porn and we have to make it quick.

Hardy: Your jungle footage looks great; is it easier there?

Jon: Yes, easier because there is a canopy and you can kind of control the sun and where you pose the girls. But it's still rather risky taking these girls outside naked, and they don't appreciate the 1/2 mile walk to the photo locations. But they are all troopers and give us some great material to be sure.

Hardy: No other site has ever run anything like the footage you are putting up from Shemale Island; are you proud of that?

Jon: Extremely. We wanted to offer our guys more than the standard fare of 'ladyboy walks into hotel room and takes off her street clothes' like the other sites have, so we spread our wings a bit. And we are happy we did.

Hardy: There seem to be a few smaller sites trying to break into the scene now, with ladyboy content. Do they scare you?

Jon: Not at all. Bring it on. Web-saavy ladyboy-lovers know there is really only our site and 1 or 2 others that are any good; the rest are just pretenders.

Hardy: And? the Future? Since your 2 -year anniversary is on June 12th, you must have big plans to bring in your 3rd year, am I right?

Jon: Of course you are; this site has only gotten bigger and better since the day we started, and that will never change. 2003 will feature more hardcore than we have ever had; girl-on-girl, and girl-with-boy suck and fuck scenes that will blow your mind. We also have the Chiang Mai special coming on June 15th, and features and special hardcore galleries throughout the summer and beyond.

Hardy: And what is this AsianTS Clubhouse? Is that a seperate site? Do the members have to pay more to see it?

Jon: No way! That section is free and is inside the main members area forever now. The Clubhouse will be where members turn to FIRST, to see what is new in the news and in ladyboy activities, see who the Girl of the moment is, and to see coming attractions and future events. This is a site-within- a-site and is fully interactive; anyone can write a column for the Clubhouse, and it will be read by hundreds of ladyboy-lovers.

Hardy: I am really happy we had this chat, Jon. In the 3 years that I have known you, you have gone from wide-eyed ladyboy-loving tourist to a first-rate photographer, and I see your photos regularly all over the web. Keep up the great work on the site and good luck to you.

Jon: Coming from you, that is a real compliment, seeing that you are one of the premier ladyboy chaser's and photographers on the planet! I am just happy that the site has taken off like it has, and if the members and customers are happy with what they see, than we must be doing something right. Cheers, old friend.

Hardy: Cheers, Mate