Great photo blogs!
If you are a beginner or a full blown pro, there are always new things to learn and inspiration to soak up. There are many great photo blogs, websites and videos where you can learn and get inspired all for free. To make it easy for you I have listed a selection of some of the best and most popular photo blogs.
http://www.joemcnally.com/blog/
Check it out:
http://manfrottoschoolofxcellence.com/
I will have to start with The Manfrotto School of Xcellence
A complete photo school with:
Joe McNally, Drew Gardner, Bill Frakes and myself; Ami Elsius just to mention a few of many contributing tutors.
You can learn and get inspired from us from live (or archived) webinars, still or video tutorials and blog entries. It’s a well of varied and precious information…for all levels of photographers.
http://www.joemcnally.com/blog/
Of course you have Joe McNally’s own blow which is one of the most popular photo blogs in the world…fantastic resource for flash/strobe users. Joe is the Author of 3 best sellers: A guide to digital photography, The hot shoe Diaries and The moment it clicks.
http://www.diyphotography.net/
Do it yourself tips for the handy person. A great site for economical and useful photo solutions.
I haven’t swashbuckled with pirates, nor have I swam the English Channel. I haven’t even been to Antarctica. But I have travelled to many far away places, created a lot of still and moving pictures for myself and others. And I’ve made it my life’s goal to be as creative as possible towards everything I endeavor.
Top Photographer Chase Jarvis…a very creative and inspiring person who generously shares his experiences and tips.
I really like how he’s written his Bio:
On a deserted island, I’d go insane without photography, film, music, my wife Kate and our family pets. Storytelling, creative innovation, and visual voodoo – no matter the medium – make my heart go thump thump; and sharing all this online with the world, plus as much of my professional experience I can muster, makes my soul sing. I’m fond of crows, and love that they’ll fly toward anything shiny. I can find humor in anything.
I have won a boatload of awards for my work, and I’m grateful for every single one of them, but I’ve always been unsure of whether I earned them or whether the jury was rigged. I was transparent long before it was hip to be so, and I believe deeply in teamwork, community, and collaboration. Let’s be friends. Better yet, let’s swim the English Channel.
http://www.chromasia.com/training/
David and Libby Nightingale’s blog
A beautiful and highly popular blog with great tutorials (some free and others cost) and stunning photos.
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/
A site that mainly focuses on landscape photography, with a special section just for tutorials.
http://www.1001noisycameras.com/
Heaps of different camera reviews collected in one place.
http://www.popphoto.com/how-to
Great and big variety of practical tutorials. There’s also a gear guide and a buy guide.
Magic reflections
How did I do that?
Photoshop genius? A spirit? Awesome light setting skills? Smoke?
Sometimes you just need to be in the right place in the right time…and keep your eyes open and have your camera handy.
Fact is I was just at the right place at the right time. The reflections are actually 100% natural. A late afternoon at my mums place, the sun, filtered through leaves shining in to the living room through a small gap in the window where the marquise didn’t reach. The rays played with the hand blown glass and bounced off the small stone pebbles that covered the bottom. I was there, I moved the bowl back and forth, but it was just in that position that you saw the magic and I could hardly believe what I saw; It looked like smoke dancing on the wall, but it was still and motionless.
I had it printed and framed and now it hangs in my mums house, on the wall right opposite where the glas bowl is. My mum took a couple of photos of the result and sent me….I like it and am tempted to do one like that for myself as well.
Business portraits
I will show you how you can take interesting, living and classy business portraits in small and crowded offices on a tight schedule.
You rarely get the time you would like for a business portrait and often you are asked to take the photos on location, where the majority of the staff/owners/directors/consultants are based.
Below you will find company portraits that I took for First Swedish Research and for Intermezzon, in Sweden earlier on this month.
Intermezzon (Intermezzon is considered one of the world’s leaders in practical measurable skills training.) had together with an advertising agency come up with the guidelines for the photo shoot. Working with performance management and being considered as one of the world’s leaders in their field, they wanted their portraits to stand out, to be warm and welcoming, crisp and personal.
We used their conference room and attached a middle tone grey fabric over the whiteboard. As they preferred a black background I didn’t shine any lights on the background and moved the chair, which I got everyone to sit on for the shoot, further from the fabric.
Imagine the model in the centre of a circle, the backdrop at 12 o’clock and I the photographer at 6 o’clock. At 10 o’clock and at 2 o’clock I put lights (quantum Q-flash Trio) with a warm tinted gel to back light the sides of the models.
At 6 o’clock right next to me, I placed a Hensel 3000 light with a silver reflector, just a little higher than their heads and pointing at their faces at the same time as bouncing light on a sun fire reflector I placed on the lap of the models. This way I got the nice light in their eyes and added warmth.
I used a concealer under the eyes and around the nose as well as some matt bronzing powder on the models to add a bit of a healthy sun kissed look instead of the pale wintry look, which is otherwise common in Sweden at this time of the year.
I also put bronzing powder on the hands that were used in the photos.
The combination of make up and lights made their eyes clear and sparkly and the skin nice and even. I haven’t done any retouching to these photos at all.
To pull someone out of a busy deadline or a crucial discusion for a photo shoot is not always popular and it can take a bit of wit to change the energy and facial expression from busy concentrated, even pissed off, to a relaxed spontaneous and welcoming look. A good tip is to get the model to remember and talk about something that makes them smile; could be a holiday, something naughty they did as a child, get them to talk about their children if they have any; anything to move their thoughts away from their mood.
I normally get my models involved in the shoot and show them what it look’s like on the back of the camera (or on my computer if I shoot tethered). I get them to move and try different angles, poses and expressions and show them what it looks like. That way they feel part of the process, in control of the result and relax easier. Remember that people in general are vain and want to look their best…if you can show them a photo where they look good it gives them more confidence to continue and experiment with different expressions and poses…till you get it right.
These photos are to be used for their new website. The idea is to have 3 photos with 3 different expressions of each person so that when you move your mouse over the image or click on it will change expression….I like that concept.
Here I have picked one photo of each person. It’s just to give you an idée of how you can vary and personalise headshots….and don’t be afraid to use hands in head shots. Just remember to shoot while they move their hands as it easily can look stiff and frozen other wise.
This next shoot I did for FSR (First Swedish Research), an FX Trading company that despite the crisis does really well and has been awarded Super Company of the year for the last 2 years.
My youngest sister Cecilia (above) works at FSR as a trader and also helped to organize this shoot. We have worked together many times before; with her in front of the camera as a model or a stylist and me as a photographer or make up artist. She changed career a couple of years ago, but still does some modelling on the side.
A part from portraits they wanted a bunch of image-shots for their website as well. It was decided in the last minute, not well organized and with a small, not the best-looking and very crowded office to use.
As my sister and I got very organized and the people at FSR were very helpful and understanding with the mess we made, we still managed to take 9 different types of image-photos and 25 portraits in just 7 hours.
Here are 6 of the 25 portraits…just to give you an idea. Also theese are totally un-retouched.
I used 4 different lights and the frosted glass wall that’s behind them. I will show you how I set it all up.
I use an on-camera flash, a Quantum Q flash trio with a small softbox attached on an extendible arm /flip grip attached to the camera. I use a Hensel light to bounche off the roof, pointing away from the model and another Q flash Trio light that I have pointed in to a sun fire reflector to the right of the model.
Behind the model is a frosted glass wall. Behind it I have put another Hensel light with a warm tinted filter on. As the tinted glass have a bluish green tone I wanted to neutralize it a bit and not make it so cold. I pointed the light away to not create a small point of strong light and a halo effect on the models.
In this shot I used the office light that was there, together with a sunfire reflector and a Micro Pro LED light from Litepanels with an orange filter. Behind the frosted glass I used a neutral Hensel light. Had I used a stronger ligtht you wouldn't be able to see the screen. Photo has not been retouched
This is what it looked like with a wider angle and without my lights. Big difference!
Another image-photo that's not yet been retouched. Just to show how a narrow angle and lights can make a huge difference. Check out the photo below
This is what it normally looks like
Don’t let small and crowded places scare you. Try to look at the place in small sections and see what angles you can be useful and remember that the smallar the place and the whiter the roof and walls, the more the light bounces. Use lights on low effect when you want to show something on a computer or TV. Hope you have found some inspiration for future business portraits.
Going PRO with AMI ELSIUS; Workshop in Taormina 11-13/11 2011
Click to download the full brochure with clickable links. http://www.amielsius.com/images/GoingPROwithAMI_ELSIUS.pdf
Pimp your snapshots
Random, crappy snapshots can be pimped through a polaroid application. It will add an aged and dreamy feel to the images and you will notice that all of a sudden, photos that you never thought would go together makes nice albums and series. There are photos and cameras with built in functions, but if you need to convert your files there are many programs that can help you with that.
I downloaded this really cute and probably the most authentic Polaroid feel application you will find….. for free at http://www.polaroid.net
Here are some of my random snap shots that I never dreamt of putting on my website…but looking at them like this, I start to warm to them. What do you think?
Make up and Light
Make up for photographers
Something that many amateur photographers miss, is that make up can make or break a photo. The skill of the make up artist is of course important however, the right direction and communication is crucial to manifest your vision and get the result you want.
There are some things that you as a photographer should know about light and make up. How different types of lotions, oils, foundations and powders give totally different results in different lights and angles and on different types of skin.
I will post an other article on how to get your vision across, direct teams and understand and interpret the vision of your clients…for now I will stick to make up and light
Tide line means the contrast on the neck or jaw line as a result of badly applied foundation in a contrasting colour to the skin tone.
Make up offers endless creative possibilities. Get out and get inspired! (or stay in and flick through a magazine, a book , watch a film or browse the internet)
Yes that’s right, it’s useful even for photographers to have a beauty bag with the most important items. It can easily happen that your make up artist or stylist has forgot something. It’s not fun if chipped black nail polish, a shiny forehead or a badly fitted dress should ruin your shot…when it easily can be avoided. *Chicken fillets means silicon shaped as chicken fillets, to fill out a bra or top if needed. Mainly used for catalogue photos where you use skinny flat-breasted models for clothes that are made for curvier women.
Only apply body lotion or oil to your model if you can do it in a non-sexual way. You want to use the same approach as you would when putting sun block on your child: effective, even non sexual and totally comfortable with his/her nudity. Make sure to bend fingers and legs, arms and feet to get the make up, oil or lotion also in the creases of the elbows, knuckles, knees and heals.
To apply powder on the face, light brush strokes (tap the brush first to get rid of excess) in an outward motion from the eyebrow centre. This is to avoid brushing agains the small hairs on the face.
Highlighter is best applied to the collarbones, neck and shoulders…any part that you want to stand out a bit extra and reflect some more light
In practice
Here I have used 3 different light set ups and 3 different types of make up. The photos on the right are taken with the light from the left and the photos on the left are taken with the light shining straight on to the top of the hand. Here you can easily see the difference between different make ups in different lights and with the light comming from different angles. Remember that different body parts respond different as well; ex. a oil might look good on the legs but terrible on the face. Power might work wonders on a shiny forhead but look like a joke on a hairy chest. Highlighter on the collarbones might look stunning but applied to the nose you the model might look like Rudolfs sister.
Easy studio lighting at home
If you don’t have a big space to turn in to a photo studio…it’s ok; hardly any photographer starts out with a big professional fully kitted studio. Actually, it can be beneficial to no have all the gear and facilities from the beginning…you get to improvise, be inventive and learn to adapt your lights, set up and poses to the present conditions.
Here’s an example of a simple studio set up taken in a home environment. Silvia, a dance teacher and performer showed up at my home in Milan (I haven’t got my own photo studio here yet) desperate to get some photos for her Burlesque classes that were about to start soon. As I was busy with other things I could only give her an hour, I had to find an easy light solution that would do the trick.
3 quuantum trio flashes and one reflector were used. Photo: Ami Elsius
I decided to use my Quuantum trio flashes with battery packs and wireless control. http://www.qtm.com/ They are small, easy to place, powerful and fast…with numerous light shaping possibilities. I have had them for less then a year and I just keep appreciating them more and more and finding new ways to use them all the time. I worked with the standard round diffuser with filters (one red and one blue) on two flash heads and a small square soft box on a third flash.
If you have other flashes you could buy gels and attach them on to your flash to get the same effect.
How to get small spaces to work for you. Photo: Ami Elsius
I used the Manfrotto Event Kit ( DIY03KIT) but in a slightly different way from what it is intended. I added a Manfrotto heavy duty flex arm ( 237 HD ) to the reflector holder (which can hold up to a 122cm diameter reflector) , which is included in the event kit; to add some hight. I used a sunfire reflector from Lastolite
Coloured gels/filters can quickly change the mood of a place. Photo: Ami Elsius
The left flash was supplied with a deep blue filter (part of the quuntum filter kit) and clamped on to a chair with the Manfrotto spring clamp with flash shoe ( 175F ) pointing at the reflector.The spring clamp has become a favourite; it’s ideal for photographing small spaces and interiors where a normal light support would be in the way. You can clamp in on to curtain rods, tables, doors, trees, windows etc.
In this light set up it's important to keep pointing the neutral light on the face of the model. Photo: Ami Elsius
The middle light is fitted on to an Manfrotto 233B bracket with the 026 swivel that can rotate and move the flash unit away up to 45 cm, which in turn is fitted on a Manfrotto black alu air cushioned mini compact stand (can be bought separate or in a 3 pack).
I used the quuantum foldable softbox for the midle light, without any coloured filters or gels.
For my third light I used my Gitzo ocean traveller with a mounted Manfrotto project/monitor holder 183, which I fitted a red light to. I pointed it through the frosted glass which made the light more pink in the tone.
From another angle. Photo: Ami Elsius
I moved the middle light from right to the left depending on the pose of the model, making sure that it was always pointing at her face.
Main light (the clear middle light with the softbox) from the left. It's hard to imagine that the photo was taken midday in a bright bedroom. Photo: Ami Elsius
Nude photography; inspiration
To grow and develop as a photographer you got to feed your inspiration, try new things, experiment and keep being curious. Finding your style, can take time: It is made up of your personality, preferences, experience and knowledge.
There are as many different ways to shoot nudity as there are bodies.
What is considered to be sexy with the body varies from person to person, from continent to continent and from time to time. As for the female body a lot of people would say breast and bottoms, followed by legs and the waist, but I have met people that find the neck, feet, diaphragm, ears, the back, sexual organ and shoulders the most attractive part of a female body.
Some like it model thin, some like it curvy, some like it very big, others prefer a strong athletic body. You can find people that gets off on bodies with amputated arms and legs, that want a lot of body hair, that prefer different coloured skins, with or without freckles. The body come in different, shapes sizes and colours…but if you think about it…it doesn’t really change all that much.
It’s funny, dogs for instance that comes in all types of colours, textures, shapes and sizes are often considered nice and cute no matter what. Or take a dolphin with a larger fin, smaller eyes or longer nose, is just as beautiful to us as an “average dolphin”. But when it comes to humans….the slightest variations can be interpreted as very ugly or very beautiful.
Don’t care about the trends, simply capture whatever floats your boat.
It might be good to pause and ask yourself what you would like to create, express, experiment with. Sexy, romantic, bold, graphic, documentary….there are many ways to portray the naked human body.
Get inspired from what some other photographers have done.
Enjoy!
Edward Weston
Man Ray
Ruth Bernhard
Herb Ritts
Helmut Newton
Peter Lindberg
Richard Avedon
Gregory Colbert
Sally Mann
Jock Sturges
Joyce Tenneson
Annie Leibovitz
Mary Ellen Mark
Robert Mapplethorpe
Patrick Demarchelier
Jeanloup Sieff
Thierry Le Goués
Terry Richardson
Nobuyoshi Araki
Davide La Chapelle
Jan Sudek
Hope you are inspired
Going Pro; Production
The process and management involved in a photo shoot.
The more practice you get, the bigger and more complex assignments you will be able take on; with peace of mind that your team is happy and safe, your clients are satisfied and you are able to create what you set out to do…within the time frame and budget planned for.
It’s a lot of things to keep in mind, especially when you do your own projects and don’t have assistants or a project manager to help you out. It’s all about multitasking. Don’t worry if you are a guy and terrible at doing two things at the same time; with the right questions asked, some planning, preparation and practice, you will be able to do it with bravura.
Ami in action. planning and practice makes perfect. Byron Bay Australia, Marstrand, Långedrag and Arendal Sweden
We will go through each one of the below questions in detail
Why? Is it for a client or yourself, what do you want to create
When? Weather, light, access, crowded or empty
Where? Photo studio, at home, nature, hotel, factory, castle
What? Photo equipment, lights, props, clothes, food, water
Who? Models, assistant, hair and make up artist, stylist
How? Transport, access, payment for location, contact person
Why?
What’s the reason for this photo shoot? Is is personal? Maybe for a learning experience, to express a vision, to build your portfolio, maybe for an exhibition or for a pitch; to attract a job.
Its always good to keep the “why” in mind and not to derail in to other ideas along the way. For instance; if you need to compliment your portfolio with a series of fashion photos to make it complete, but on the day of the photo shoot the model suggests some artistic black and white topless photos for boyfriend. Try to see the bigger picture and remember the reason you have put all this work, planning, maybe also money, involved people etc. to make it work. Ask yourself if it’s really worth it, just to see some boobs.
Maybe its for a client. A client can be a company a private person and adverticing agency, a magazine, a model agency etc. Try get as good picture of the end-user as possible…the client of your client….the one who will buy the product, read the magazine etc. Get clear of what the desired end result is.
*I will talk about communication in another post; how to get your vision across and how to interpret the ideas of your clients.. Keep an eye ot for that….it’s very important!
Ami in action. In deep snow in Sweden, in a luxury resort in the Philippines, in a hoard of raindeers in Lappland or on the highway. Photo shots can take place anywhere.
When?
Summer or winter, hot or cold? In the summer you might need to bring a hat and sun block if you are going to be out a whole day…in winter a thermos with hot tea and some extra blankets for the models to not freeze to death.
Night or day, dawn or dusk, rain or sunshine? The light changes a lot in different weathers and time of day or night. It you are going to do a photo series at dawn…you might want to split it in two days …as the dawn doesn’t last for very long.
Is the place empty or crowded? Maybe the day of the photo shot is a public holiday and the location is crowded with people…whereas when you first saw it was 10am on a work day and totally deserted.
By the sea; high tide or low tide can make a huge difference.
Empty or closed?…some areas have booms or fences that close the area off for the weekend or at night.
Damp or dry?….make sure your gear and the clothes and accessories are kept clean and safe.
The more you know about the location and how it changes in different lights, weather, days etc. the lower the risk of having to cancel the photos shoot, or having to work uphill trying to work around the problems….problems that could have been easily been avoided with some planning.
Where?
Studio, hotel, factory, ruins, beach, city, museum, under water, vehicle, church, barn, home, bar etc.
There are endless possibilities:
First you need your imagination, a good contact net can be very useful and for some places you need to have cash as well.
Ami at work. In a castle, in a restaurant, in a house, in a hotel.
Who?
If it is just a personal project it can involve you and any and all of the following:
Photo assistant, model, stylist, stylist assistant, make up artist, hair stylist.
If you work for a client the list can be a lot longer: art director, photo agency, advertising agency, producer, client etc.
Depending on the nature of the photo shoot it can also include more specific people like: a set designer, chef, lather expert, handyman, security, pet owner etc.
In other words the team can become very big…and the team have needs….everyone needs to eat and drink, be able to go to the toilet, the models need to be able to change in privacy and not freeze to death etc.
What?
A checklist is always good to have. It’s very frustrating to be out in the countryside ready to shoot and you realize that you have forgotten the memory cards at home. This list works well for me, but these days it’s an internal check list that happens automatically…. you can add or remove things to make it fit your needs. It’s just to get you to start thinking.
•Photo equipment: Camera, lights, reflectors, tripods, extension cord, batteries charged, battery charger, extra battery, memory cards, extra hard drive, laptop
•Bits and pieces: Clamps, safety pins, needles, tape roller, nail polish remover, translucent powder, wet wipes
•Energy: Food and drinks or check before where to refuel
•Protection: Blankets, hat, sun block, umbrellas, right shoes, knee pads, protection for your equipment and the people
•Logistics: Transport to and from location for everyone involved, filled up car, trolleys if the location is far from your transport, keys, passes, phone numbers, phone with battery
•Legal bits: Model release form, property release form
•Shoot enhancers: Props, music, clothes, accessories
You might wonder about some of the points, but I can tell you that I have been in many situations where all of these things have proven to be important….very important actually.
Imagine that the model shows up with black flaky nail polish when you have set out to do a clean natural health shot.
Hot summer day, far from the nearest kiosk…and you have forgotten to bring water.
Clothes are too big and everyone forgot to bring pins.
You show up at the building, doors are locked and you forgot the number to the owner/security guard.
You got to be one step ahead all the time and have back up plans. You don’t want to stuff up your first big job because you forgot to think. With practice this becomes second nature and actually quite fun.
Ami at work. In a greenhouse in Sweden, on a beach in Sri Lanka, climbing the Sicilian mountains, in a hangar and under a bridge.
How?
This is just as important as the first question of why. It doesn’t matter if you have worked out that you want the photo shoot to take place in Madagascar a misty morning in an open field with lemurs and 5 naked women on motorbikes. You might also know what lights to use and even the name of the nearest hotel where you would like to stay…if you don’t have the budget for it (or the right contacts or a lot of luck).
A feasibility rapport is good to establish;
Is it doable? Is it worth it?
If the answer is yes, then you can start to plan how to go about doing it.
Transportation – Of the team and all equipment
Budget – What does it all cost? Can you afford it?
Who do you know? – That can be useful
Practically – Identify obstacles beforehand
Planning – Is it doable? How to go about it?
Access -Keys, codes, gates, private property, crowded?
Contact persons -Get names and numbers of everyone
Multitasking
Production is all about multi tasking. You got to think and keep thinking of the following
•Planning: the why, when, where, what, who and how
•Direction and Communication: with models, hair and make up and artist, stylist, assistant…(art director, client etc.)
•Keep checking: the light, exposure, pose, expression, clothes, hair, make up, alignment and angles
•Basic needs: Safety (for people and equipment), food and drinks, temperature, time, toilet
It’s recommended to start with smaller projects and then work your way up to more elaborate ones.
Hopefully this proves to be useful for you
What are you waiting for?….start planning that next shoot!
Nude photography lesson one, back to basics
Nude naked and undressed
How natural is it to be nude?
This photo tutorial actually came about as a response to all the male amateur photographers that have asked me how start taking nude photos, how to get hold of models. I also saw it as an opportunity to educate and help hinder future model abuse from photographers. I personally know and have met many booth male and female models that have been exposed to various degrees of abuse from photographers.
Before getting in to the hands on practical stuff I would like to get back to the basics and address some primary things that are not talked about at photo school or mentioned in the photo magazines. You need to first understand where you are coming from to be able to identify where you want to go and how to get there.
You have a huge responsibility as photographer, whatever level you are on. There are unfortunately a lot of photographers that inflict suffering and insecurities… and sometimes even sexually abuse their models…without even realizing it
By understanding yourself and your models better, you will be able to establish a relaxed atmosphere and a platform of trust, from where you can be infinitely creative…without hurting anyone.
Even though all of us start our journey here on earth naked, fact is that most people have a charged relationship to nudity. …Booth their own and others. It normally stems from the type of family, society and religion you had in your childhood and what type of experiences you had about nudity. A person that grew up in a nudist family will often have a far more relaxed attitude about nudity than a person that never saw a naked body in their childhood.
Your relationship to nudity often stems from the type of upbringing you have had.
Photo: Huỳnh Công Ú
Huỳnh Công Út, known professionally as Nick Ut, born 1951 in French Indochina, took this photo of 9-year old Vietnamese girl Phan Thị Kim Phúc who was running toward the camera to flee a South Vietnamese napalm attack on the Trảng Bàng village during the Vietnam War, year 1972 . Despite the conservative times of the early 70-ties especially in the US…. The photo was at first rejected by an editor at AP (Associated Press) because it was showing a naked girl front on…..did not only made the headlines, it turned out to become of the most important photographs in photojournalistic history and has won the Pulizer Prize.
It shows that a great photo, no matter how shocking or provocative it might be, will at some point probably get recognized and accepted….maybe even praised, … if the cause/issue/subject is important enough and stirs enough emotions that is.
(Right after he took the photo he brought the girl to the hospital…she now lives in Canada and they are still in regular contact.)
Nudity can evoke a myriad of different feelings and associations in the observer
From freedom, joy, back to basics, feeling at one with nature to feelings of vulnerability, physical complexes and insecurities, to sexual feelings and fantasies. It can remind you of things forbidden, maybe suppressed feelings and desires or even fear and repulsion, sin and evil.
Not everyone assiciate nudity with freedom and the outdoors
The sight of a naked female body often arouses sexual feelings in men and both sexes can easily appreciate the beauty of the female curves. As for women, the male body can often be perceive as unattractive, threatening or even funny in photos.
I can easily take flattering photos of any woman, but find it much more challenging to portray the male body in a way that I find attractive. Old fat and hairy is by many considered to be unattractive, but for my dear Brazilian male fiend (which I can mention is commonly regarded as very handsome by booth sexes) these type of men are the sexiest, most attractive and desirable…the bears!
For women, the male body can often perceive as unattractive, threatening or even funny in photos.
- Soldiers and prison guards sometimes use nudity to torture and humiliate their victims, inflicting fear and a sense of vulnerability, but contrary to the flashers they use the nudity of their victims instead of their own naked bodies
- What can possibly be more disturbing than the image of the naked body of a suffering child? It evokes strong emotions and clearly sends a message of suffering, vulnerability, helplessness and victim…a reminder of the things that are wrong with our world. Maybe a memory trigger or a wake up call.
Nudity can successfully be used to protest or demonstrate for or against something or draw attention to an issue
Some people like to be naked all the time; nudists and different native tribes for example.
Others just take their clothes off when they go to work; here you have photo models, a prostitute, porn actors, two different types of art models, the bodybuilder…in this photo the legendary Arnold and last but not least the crusher
Some people are just looking for attention, to do a dare, be brave or naughty…nudity in public gets reactions
Nudity in art has existed for as long as mankind itself. Photographers like like Spencer Tunik and David Blasquez has taken it to another level and uses the naked body to make complex installations.
Sometimes nudity is used in advertising, to provoke, stand out and sell more
Naked celebreties on magazine covers often creates discussions, publicity and extra numbers purchased
ATTITUDE, How do you feel about nudity in general? Are you comfortable being naked at home by yourself? What about being naked with your family, in front of your children or partner? In public change rooms and showers? Have you ever been to a nudist beach?
How would you feel being the only person naked surrounded by dressed people? For some it is a dream… for others a nightmare.
How do you feel when you are dressed in front of a naked person? Uncomfortable, comfortable, aroused, in control, powerful, or wanting to also get your clothes off?
Think about how your upbringing has affected your view on nudity and sincerely ask yourself if you have a healthy and relaxed relationship to nudity. It’s ok if you don’t…most people don’t, but to be aware of it is the first and most important step. Once you know that you have an issue with nudity, you can work on improving it and start from where you are actually at.
INTENTION, Once you have identified how you feel about nudity and your thoughts about and relationship to it, you can then start to ask yourself why you want to take nude photos. Be as honest as possible even though it might be hard to discover that what you really feel and think deep down, doesn’t always correspond to how you want to to be…or the idea that you and others have about who you are.
RESPONSABILITY, Everyone has their story, their background, issues and hang-ups. What you might think is fun and exiting can be uncomfortable to your model. You might get sexually aroused while your model gets scared or disgusted. Be as open and transparent with your model as possible when planning the shoot and always check with him/her that they understand what you want and if he/she is comfortable with it. Show photos for your model during the shoot so that he/she knows what’s going on and can see how it’s turning out. I always try to create as a relaxed and safe environment as possible, keep showing them what the photos look like and making sure that they are comfortable. Many of my models have asked to take their clothes off themselves, without me having asked them, because they feel comfortable, like how the photos turn out and would like to have some nice nude photos of themselves. For most of my nude models it was their first time naked in front of a camera.
I will round it up for this time, hope I got you to reflect a bit…or a lot.