Challenge: Fine Art Nude (Selected pictures from your submissions)..

[Asher Kelman]

No need for any special props. Not a glamor picture, just your photograph of the human form. Get rid of background distractions if you wish or leave them there if it makes the composition. Let the form be the art. Partially clothed is fine too.

Asher

Obviously, we would like pictures to be in obvious good taste. If in doubt, ask.

 

[Eric Hiss]

Here's two recent shots

Hi Asher,
Here's two recent shots that I did on the same day with a really great model, Jazmine. Both were done entirely with natural light and shot with my Rollei 6008 AF with phase P20 back.

Regards,
Eric W Hiss

 

[nyschulte]

I have been doing nudes for some time now, but only for private usage, so i did not have the rights for showing the pictures.

Last tuesday i had a session with Olya, a professional model from germany.
The goal was to shoot for both her portfolio and mine.

As i had already a shooting in december 2007 with her and i liked her way of posing, the second goal for the day was a shoot on location, i.e. in the woods. As i never did a session 'on location' before, i could keep all my attention to the technical part...

in the studio, 2 lights for the white background, elinchrom octa 'deep throat' as main.
One table with a white tissue. on top a sheet of polycarbonate(lexan,markolon,etc)
B/W conversion following an action i found while looking up the work of greg gorman

All natural light in the woods. we started early with the idea to catch the sunrise. unfortunately clouds did not play the game so i had to try other solutions. this one is amogst the last of the session, after 2 hours in the woods.
At 08:00 the sun was already high and lighting became tricky with highlights and shadows.

Nicolas

 

[Asher Kelman]

Hi Asher,
Here's two recent shots that I did on the same day with a really great model, Jazmine. Both were done entirely with natural light and shot with my Rollei 6008 AF with phase P20 back

Regards,
Eric W Hiss

Hi Eric,

Is this from your recent workshop or inspiration from it? You have chosen an athletic style of model and pose. She is well lit and really is expressive but not emotional in any way. I like this work. Did you use a reflector? Also what lens ans aperture did you use.


Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

I have been doing nudes for some time now, but only for private usage, so i did not have the rights for showing the pictures.

Last tuesday i had a session with Olya, a professional model from germany.
The goal was to shoot for both her portfolio and mine.

As i had already a shooting in december 2007 with her and i liked her way of posing, the second goal for the day was a shoot on location, i.e. in the woods. As i never did a session 'on location' before, i could keep all my attention to the technical part...

in the studio, 2 lights for the white background, elinchrom octa 'deep throat' as main.
One table with a white tissue. on top a sheet of polycarbonate(lexan,markolon,etc)
B/W conversion following an action i found while looking up the work of greg gorman

Nicolas,

She's wonderful. I like the lighting and the reflection. However, I'm puzzled by the lower trunk and pelvis being darker. This may well be the result of Greg Gorman's assignments of colors to tonalities making the tummy, which is exposed to more light, and hence might be more tanned and darker to falsly come out lighter??

So I'm sticking my neck out here because, of course we don't see the original color version! So how was it?

The picture in the woods worked out well. It's so much harder to schlepp the gear, set things up and do photography. I really think that field trips like this require at least 2 assistants. One to carry things and help with reflectors, cleaning away branches, leaves or whatever, and the other helping with laying out garments, hair etc.

I know as I have gotten absolutely exhausted. At the end of the day, each roll of cloth weighs more, nothing wants to stay as it is and the light fades fast. Given all the investment in time and effort, I really like to have assistants!

Well you started early and at least you can shoot! You did a great job even with the circumstances.

Asher

 

[Georg R. Baumann]

I can not really comment on technique or execution as I do not know bull about it.

The Lady on the stairs: Strange enough, it also does not trigger any emotions in me, she is like a scuplture, and very impressive, but a sculpture could trigger more emotions in me. Not sure why that is. One thing I really missed was to see her face which is competly hidden, on purpose I would guess. I am not saying I don't like the shot, but I just wondered why it leaves me cold.

The Lady in the window: I love the Light there, the curtains are like on fire. The only thing I do not like is her pose, she does not look really comfotable stretching herself or something, too stage managed it appears to me, and only because the rest is natural light it attracted my attention. This is different with the Lady on the stairs, extremly stagemanaged, but there it does not disturb me. The flask with greenish substance makes the picture talk for me.

B&W: This must be an excellent technical execution, and she is a beautiful woman, however, somehow the picture does not talk to me either.

The Lady in the Woods: That is the strongest for me, it has a lot of atmosphere and it "does talk" a lot. To me it reflects ancient female wisdom and power, long lost and long forgotten, a few still nurish and pass on knowledge about nature and the miracles of life, she is one of them. In the advanced stages of her studies, she connects, connects with her very spirit and the forces that created all this magic around us. Yeah, the light could be so much more magic in the woods. LOVE IT!

 

[Eric Hiss]

Interesting to read your comments Georg and Asher. I did sculpture before photography and actually when I do figurative work, my hope is that they won't be stirring any "emotions" - meaning I don't want them to be viewed as erotic but rather for beauty of form/line/shape. Typically when the viewer can see the face of the model, they can make an erotic connection so I don't show this.

 

[nyschulte]

Well, Asher i was lucky to had my dad as driver and assistant. Olya was both second assistant and model.

Concerning the darker part of the skin is not a partial tanning, but rather a different pigmentation.

Another pose on the table.

and converted:

just by switching off the main light, some interesting shadow play

Some time was left, so we played with a new lighting setup for me: an elinchrom spotlite mini

Not being a fresnel spot, i had to enhance the shadow on the studio back wall in PS.

Eric, the one thing i pay a lot of attention when showing the face is not to let the model look in the camera.

Georg, yes these classical poses do not seem to talk in the first place, but on the other side one comes back to them more often to dwelve into each detail (this is happening for me with Jazmine on the stairs)

As for oudoor work, this was one of my goals for this year. The first step is done and much left to do.

Nicolas

 

[Doug Kerr]

Hi, Nicolas,

Very nice work.

Of this set, I like the B/W (_D312682_bw.jpg) the best.

I would almost like to see the shading on the background completely suppressed for a complete "high key" approach.

 

[Eric Hiss]

I think I misunderstood Asher's challenge.....
He wanted simple nudes, and I posted art. Oops!

 

[Asher Kelman]

I think I misunderstood Asher's challenge.....
He wanted simple nudes, and I posted art. Oops!

Eric,

Nearly all the images convey a meditative blending of the physical form to some sense of gracious femininity and that is art.

Thanks

Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

Eric,

Let me add that this is supposed to be Art and the subject The Nude in a non-complex way without a lot of conceits. Let me rename this thread for clarity: The Fine Art nude.

As it says on the top of this forum, the posts are submissions and there will be a migration of posts to other parts of OPF so that what is left better falls in the classic meaning of "Fine Art nude"!

Thanks for the sharing of your work and your understanding that even a great picture might not belong here!

Asher

Also a reminder. All images shown here (and elsewhere in OPF) are the private property of the photographer and that person is the © holder. OPF only has the limited license for just showing them. Do not download, edit, sample or repost from this forum these nudes for any reason. If you do that will constitute a serious breech of the TOS of OPF.

 

[Andrew Rodney]

Eric, the first nude on white is absolutely spectacular!

 

[Matthew Blais]

Here's a couple of mine
All are shot with LF..a silver print and a lith print

Matt

 

[Matthew Blais]

Here's two more

 

[Matthew Blais]

And a recent print..untoned as yet

 

[Asher Kelman]

And a recent print..untoned as yet

Nicole is a lovely model. She does not accept an assignment unless she feels it might be something creative and new!

I like the fact that you have posed Nicole in a way that fits your own ideas, as this is so different from other poses I have seen of Nicole. This picture is only seen in an early stage of the making of the final image as it is not toned and the exposure may well be different.

I have my own take on this picture which you might find surprising. However, this is how I see the work. Her body is carefully made to compositional elements: the inverted V of the lower limbs and then the X of the crossed hands anchoring the picture.

The eyes do catch our attention, the torso is beautiful but we return to the powerful elements at the lower part of the picture, made of the form of the human frame, that is itself the composition that, she, the model, presents to us. It is as if she is saying, "Here is what Matthew made from me, look!"

 

[Matthew Blais]

Thanks Asher..you have quite the way with words, and I am equally impressed with you noticing the geometry in this image

 

[Asher Kelman]

I have another picture taken at the same LF shoot alongside with Matthew and will also share pictures of Nicole too. Here's a wonderful subject, an Hispanic model. I had to reach over a cluster of LF cameras, so this is a "squeezed-in picture". I am not sure it merits any star status but I do like the quiet mood and the relaxed pose to work with in the future. So you may critique freely!

The picture was in color but I am more fascinated with the B&W.

Asher

 

[Kathy Rappaport]

Color!

Asher,

I think your are in a Black and White mood of late. And I do think I saw this one in color and it was brilliant.
Maybe it's the light or my monitor, but, I found it stunning in color and in black and white it doesn't have the pop and beauty this lovely model deserves.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Kathy,

It's far harder to make the grade in B&W as there's so much great photography to be measured against. Color images are much warmer and the lipstick is seductive. I want to have form be the leader not the follower. I'll post the color version too as you have said such nice things!

Asher

 

[Rachel Foster]

I am not sure from the guidelines if submissions must be pre-approved or not. Therefore, if you choose to delete this, I'm fine with that. This image, firstly, is not the same as the other images in that it is of a male body-builder and he is wearing the competition garment. Secondly, it is not as sharp as I'd like. I think my studio lighting may need work. Thirdly, the effect is not *quite* what I'd hoped for. Nonetheless, this has a few interesting aspects. I like the angle and the lighting, while not "there" interests me.

Posted with the model's permission, taken iso 400, f/4.0, 24 mm, 1/100.

 

[Asher Kelman]

How the Artistic Nude might Differ From A Portrait!

Hi Rachel,

The picture you have posted is impressive. I like the way the body builder is emerging from the darkness. It's a portrait, in that in represents him as a person, with his particular occupation and interests. We can feel some of his pride and enjoyment in the "artform" of his body and his achievement in sculpting each set of muscles according to his hopes and dreams. So this picture informs us about the subject as a person with motivations and character.

This kind of picture, IMHO, differs fro the "artistic nude" where the esthetics of the body shape is celebrated not the person or their own imperatives. by contrast to portraiture, the "Art Nude" photograph is not about that model at all. Rather the way light plays on the human form to reveal shapes, patterns and texture which are beautiful in the simplest terms. This beauty does not require any purpose or identity of the subject nor claim to some social, spiritual or other purpose. In fact, this is simple art for art's sake, freed from any constraint, social, personal or erotic. Still, having a component of any of these might not necessarily disqualify a work from being an "Artistic Nude". However, when at it's best, the artistic nude does not need anything to decorate or qualify it. The best of these will be simple and beautiful and require no other context or consequences that pleasentness and awe.

Asher

So, this will eventually be moved to portraits or studio. Meanwhile, Congrats on the picture. Tell me how you lit your subject?

 

[Rachel Foster]

Thanks, Asher. I think the model will be pleased with the review.

The lighting was studio, black background, single spot from a low angle.

 

[Charlotte Thompson]

Rachel

so good to see your work again
but I really like the power play here
the black and white is used very well around all those beautiful muscles-
and his eyes seem to be saying- well what do you think?
should be on some book cover for studs and muscle
very nice!

Charlotte*

 

[Rachel Foster]

Thanks, Charolotte! I'll tell him that.

I've been working very hard, and I think it's beginning to show. I'm very happy with how far I've come but have so much more to learn......

 

[Andy brown]

Eric, You're right, she's a stunning model.
I love this image.
To me it goes to the edge of the area where athleticism and femininity are almost in conflict with each other yet accentuate each other.

Simply a stunning image. Brilliant.