The background photography is from Ukinspired Photo Studios
Artistic nude photography is one of the most complex genres and is often confused with something more vulgar, it is given a wrong definition in society, in this publication I want to introduce you to this photographic genre in a basic way, give some tips for the realization of artistic nudity and finally explain the differences between what is sensual, erotic and pornographic.
The human body is a carrier of stories and personalities, the body is the most vulnerable thing a person has, undressing in front of someone else always requires a lot of value because it is the most personal thing we have, what nobody knows, and it is the breastplate that surrounds what we are. It is full of marks, stretch marks, folds, hairs, scars of accidents or pregnancies, and each of these tells something.
The artistic nude is one of the genres that expresses the maximum beauty of the body precisely because it not only exposes a body vulgarly, but because it captures the beauty of all that set of unique characteristics found in each body. The fact that a person accepts to show himself in the most vulnerable way and be photographed is something that makes this discipline even more beautiful. The sensuality is the predominant in the genre of artistic nude.
The main objective of the artistic nude is to show the body as something aesthetically beautiful, to show all those folds and curves, with the help of lights and shadows, highlighting the figure and the movement of the body, although this depends on the intention of the photographer.
The genre of nude photography is often confused with pornography, because people are not familiar with the difference between these terms.
Gabriela, 2015 - From my first Artistic Nude Photoshoot.
The light that is used in nude photography can be artificial or natural, -I prefer natural light- the artificial one is what is commonly used to highlight specific areas in commercial nude photographs.
Artificial Light Example
Natural light is very good ally, as long as you know at what time the lighting is softer, this is very convenient for both the photographer and the model, after all, you should not make him feel uncomfortable.
Natural Light Example, Lucien, 2018 by me.
As for the color, this is something that depends on the taste of each photographer, at a gray scale the photograph takes a certain sensuality and elegance, disappearing natural elements of color in the areas of the body that could distract the look. A color can acquire greater strength if you learn to use the color palettes correctly, our eyes appreciate when we use the complementary colors in the right way.
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It is necessary to define each of these terms and identify within which of them the artistic nude photography takes place.
Sensual
This term comes from the sensory word, if one speaks of a sensual photograph, it is that which awakens the senses or seduces, it is true that it can pretend to awaken the sensual excitement, but it does not show everything. Sensuality can be transmitted through looks, words, insinuating movements.
Erotic
The erotic is strongly related to the love of couple and the sexual as the romp before a sexual act, when we refer to an erotic photograph this is usually about something loving, this is more linked to the relationship with sexual and passion between couples. In erotic photography we usually see the red color knowns as the color of the passion.
Pornographic
Pornography expresses human sexuality in a crude and vulgar way, with no intention of leaving anything to the imagination, it is cold and has no purpose other than to excite and only that. In pornographic photography the sexual act is shown in a somewhat false way, women and men are represented as sexual objects, in this genre if the genitals are taught in a crude way, as the only relevant thing in the human body.
I will not give examples of this term because I do not want to ruin the aesthetics of my publication, and you already know how these photographs look.
1 - These photographs should be composed with great care, since it is sought that the body stands out in the image in a harmonious way, for this it is important to take into account the environment where the photograph will be taken. Create a small scene would be ideal, where the fund does not have anything to distract the look, usually use unicolor backgrounds for this type of photographs, but you can also use textures, flowers, among other things, everything depends on what is sought achieve with the image.
The elements within the composition that accompany the body should be soft and delicate, like very soft fabrics without wrinkles, fabrics that are transparent, all this will depend on the intention of the photographer.
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2 - It is important the comfort of the model, many times the models are new and can be paralyzed before the camera, more than in a common portrait, for this it is important that there is a good relationship and trust between the model and the photographer . Complicity between both is necessary.
3 - That there are no marks on the skin, so the skin is not marked by clothing leagues, or brands of bras, the model should undress for a while before the shots begin, it is suggested between 30 - 20 minutes before.
4 - Establish confidence with the model, some photographers do not know how to do this, my suggestion is that the first photographs are of practice, let the person little by little go feeling comfortable and not force her to make poses that affect your self-esteem directly.
5 - Respect, this work is very delicate and there should always be professionalism between photographer and model, you should attend with great delicacy and care to the person who is photographed, make her feel comfortable and that she can feel free of embarrassment .
Finally, remember that there is a small thread that divides the sensual from the erotic, and the erotic from the pornographic, if it could be classified in scales from the least suggestive to the most explicit, I would say then that the sensual is the first level, the erotic the second and the pornographic the third.
All this remembering that photography is free and that everyone can make photographic nudes to their style, is an interesting genre that all people who like to practice photography should try.
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©2018 María Zerpa
