A personal challenge for all photographers who shoot nudes

[Efergoh]

If there is a better place for this thread, Moderators, please move it and accept my apologies, but I figure that this is the most traveled forum on the board, so....

As of late, I have been shooting a lot of nudes. 4 models over the last month have dropped trou for my camera. The shortest set was 7 rolls of 120 film, the longest was 16. These young ladies have entrusted me with their modesty.

I have up til now had a rather cavalier attitude regarding nudes. I have been of the mind that with God being the greatest artist of them all and the creator of the human form, who are we to be ashamed of it. I have had this attitude only because I myself have not been on the other side of the lens wearing nothing but a smile.

Who am I to display images of these beautiful women if I am not also willing to display images of myself in similar fashion? Am I not a hypocrite?

I intend to rectify that situation. I have enlisted the aid of a fellow photographer to shoot more nudes....this time the subject will be yours truely. I also intend to shoot some self portraits in the buff.

I can no longer think of myself as an artist unless I am willing to do this, and show myself to the world as I have shown others to the world.

My personal challenge is this - if you shoot nudes of other people, and display them for others, do not shoot or display another nude until you have shot and displayed a nude of yourself.

I am making this challenge before I even shoot my own (partially to keep myself from chickening out), but I also promise that I will not post another nude photo until I have posted one of myself.

Now, forwarned is forarmed....I will tell you now that I am roughly 20lbs overweight, and I am a hairy ba$tard....without regard to how well composed these photos may or may not be, they will not be pretty.

See you in a few hours....

Anyone else have the cajones to step up to the plate on this one?

 

[brighteyesphotos]

This shall be interesting... and since I haven't done any nudes, I can't step up to this challenge. After all, I was one of the models. But I can say that my avatar is a self-portrait.

 

[Oldfireguy]

I don't mind shooting raw files but not in the raw. Some things are better not seen and I am referring to me, not you. I say go for it. You only live once.

 

[Puscas]

Go for it.
But why should you pose nude, just because you take pictures of nudes? I think I know what you're saying, but I don't completely agree.
You don't have to be or do everything your model is, now do you? It's an understanding between the photographer and the model.


but, once again, go for it!





pascal

 

[Ab$olut]

Some things are better not seen and I am referring to me, not you.

This is what I was thinking about myself aswell...

 

[oldnavy170]

Well this is one challenge that I do NOT want to take!!!

 

[Mr Avid]

I have to give away nudes of myself.....certainly, no one will buy them!
bada boom!
Thank you, Im here all week! Tip your waitress!

 

[RMThompson]

If there is a better place for this thread, Moderators, please move it and accept my apologies, but I figure that this is the most traveled forum on the board, so....

As of late, I have been shooting a lot of nudes. 4 models over the last month have dropped trou for my camera. The shortest set was 7 rolls of 120 film, the longest was 16. These young ladies have entrusted me with their modesty.

I have up til now had a rather cavalier attitude regarding nudes. I have been of the mind that with God being the greatest artist of them all and the creator of the human form, who are we to be ashamed of it. I have had this attitude only because I myself have not been on the other side of the lens wearing nothing but a smile.

Who am I to display images of these beautiful women if I am not also willing to display images of myself in similar fashion? Am I not a hypocrite?

I intend to rectify that situation. I have enlisted the aid of a fellow photographer to shoot more nudes....this time the subject will be yours truely. I also intend to shoot some self portraits in the buff.

I can no longer think of myself as an artist unless I am willing to do this, and show myself to the world as I have shown others to the world.

My personal challenge is this - if you shoot nudes of other people, and display them for others, do not shoot or display another nude until you have shot and displayed a nude of yourself.

I am making this challenge before I even shoot my own (partially to keep myself from chickening out), but I also promise that I will not post another nude photo until I have posted one of myself.

Now, forwarned is forarmed....I will tell you now that I am roughly 20lbs overweight, and I am a hairy ba$tard....without regard to how well composed these photos may or may not be, they will not be pretty.

See you in a few hours....

Anyone else have the cajones to step up to the plate on this one?

I think that is just silly, speaking as someone who is a sensual photographer as well.

If you are BEGGING women to get naked for you, I can understand your point, but if they are clients, or willing participants, then good for you.

It seems you might be feeling guilty about what you do.

Besides, there is a reason I shoot the shots that I do... the women want me too, and they are BEAUTIFUL, works of art.

My body is far from a work of art!

 

[Arch]

I'v moved this to the photographic discussions section, as i think its better placed here. fwiw... im not sure i understand the logic... nudes in my eyes are an expression of art.... but if your the artist, you should have reason for the expressive nature of your nudes... i.e. you are trying to convey an emotion... or your displaying a naked body purely for its aesthetic beauty and form.... to use the reason that you just want to do to yourself what you've done to others doesn't convey any artisitc direction to me... just my 2 cents... but just as a bit of fun... its a good idea

 

[morydd]

I can't really say how I feel about this one, as (thus far) I've never attempted to take/display nudes of anyone, but I do think I see both sides. While I don't think, for most people, they need to do nude self-portraits in order to feel that they are being "fair" to their art, I can understand the impulse to put yourself into that situation in order to have a fuller understanding of what you're doing.

That said, I do remember having come across an interesting series (I can't remember anything about where I saw it) of exactly what you were talking about. It was a series of nudes, in which a photographer shot a "typical" nude with a model, and then using the same pose and lighting, did a matching shot of themself. It was actually quite interesting.

I say go for it (speaing as a chubby (substantially more than 20lbs), hairy man myself.)

 

[Efergoh]

I'v moved this to the photographic discussions section, as i think its better placed here. fwiw

Roger that, thanks.

... im not sure i understand the logic...

I usually don't understand my logic, either. at least not right off. Perhaps that is why I am a photographer. I get a simple notion, and through the act of creating photos, I develop a notion into a line of thought. Works for me anyway...

I think that is just silly, speaking as someone who is a sensual photographer as well.

If you are BEGGING women to get naked for you, I can understand your point, but if they are clients, or willing participants, then good for you.

It seems you might be feeling guilty about what you do.

No, I'm not begging women to drop trou, they have all been willing participants, and they have all come back for more, frankly because I think that I make them look like the beautiful creatures that they are.

I think that this stems from the 10 years I spent in the Marine Corps. My leadership style as a non-commissioned officer was one that was hands on. I never asked or ordered any of the men in my command to do something that I either had not done myself or that I myself was not willing to do.

Brighteyesphotos, another member here on this forum helped me out last night, and we shot for about 2-3 hours. I have a good deal of weeding to do before I post anything, but I will post them tonight at the latest.

I did learna few things last night, as did Brighteyes. Photographers make horribly difficult models...never use a drafty room during the winter to take male nudes...I need to get my butt to the gym...and am I really this hairy?

 

[terri]

I actually follow the logic here, however strange or skewered it might seem at first glance. The idea, as far as it makes sense to me, is just about feeling it. We are symbolically exposing a great deal of ourselves just by putting our work out there; why not blast the metaphor?

I've already gone that route, personally, but I wouldn't post them. It may indeed feel like part of the journey for me, but that doesn't mean it has to be a public part of the journey.

I may do it again and, with a different series of images to inspect, I might feel differently. The whole premise of self portraits is sort of boring to me, but that might be masking discomfort and is therefore something I should possibly explore. I don't know.

 

[markc]

I've shot a couple of nude sessions, and I've posed for a couple of implied nude shots, but I don't think the photographer *has* to pose nude in order to not be a hypocrite. The model supplies a skill at modeling and the photographer a skill at photography. It really depends on the kind of image you want to make. I don't think I make a very good model, so my time is better spent behind the camera rather than in front of it.

But hats off to you for giving it a go. It takes some guts, but it also can feel rather liberating. It does seem like a good idea in that it helps you better understand the modeling side of it.

 

[Big Mike]

If all it does, at the very least...is to give your models a chuckle (and a more relaxed feeling)...then it's worth it.

 

[newrmdmike]

oh man, i'm in