Pascal Beatens. Nude Photography: The Art and The Craft. — New York, 2007

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction 8

 

1 the history of nude photography

 

2 defining styles & approaches

 

3 exploring techniques

 

4 postproduction

 

5 photographers' gallery

 

Frequently asked questions 250

Index 252

Acknowledgements 256

 

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For me, a successful image is one that has an immediate impact on the viewer, that grabs their attention, and makes them dream, smile, think, or simply enjoy it. I tend to think that technique, though important, plays a more humble role: it is the servant of the image.

 

Photographic technique is like a language. The more refined your language, the more subtly you can express yourself, but if you have no story to tell, no feeling to get across, your words will remain hollow. So my focus in this book is to make you aware of the artistic implications of your technical choices, rather than to discuss the photographic technicalities as such. There are plenty of tips to improve your pictures, but it's mainly a guide for training your eyes to look at nudes with a photographic understanding.

 

Positioning your model with side light to sculpt his or her body with light and shadows, for example, has nothing to do with your equipment, but everything to do with understanding the possibilities and uses of light; where you place your model in the frame reflects your understanding of composition; guiding your model into expressing the atmosphere you want to create is all about your vision and communication skills; and so on. And you can work on all these elements with even the most basic of cameras.

 

Once you've read about the history of nude photography, the many ways you can sharpen your vision, and how to bring a particular look and feel to your image, and when you've considered the postproduction techniques you might to choose to apply and looked at the gallery of how other photographers have approached this branch of photography, there is a final chapter yet to be written—by you. I can only offer you a book full of photographic ingredients, and tips to help you discover more. Learn to choose them carefully, and to find the perfect mix for your images. Enjoy!

 

 

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