Make The Nude Your Own

As the director of a nude themed art event, I have seen over the years, hundreds of submissions of nudes. I find artworks consistently fall into common categories. While each of these categories has a distinct place in the history of the nude, at the same time, their commonality of these nude themes can detract from establishing an artist's uniqueness.

The following is a list of common nude themes seen repeatedly in art portrayals of the nude human form. After considering each of these themes, also consider how you might create nude art "outside the box" to highlight your own unique art through the beauty of the nude.

1. Nude and Mythology. Nudes of antiquity dating back to the time of ancient Greece and Rome have portrayed the nude with mythological gods, goddesses and legends. Particularly common themes include nudes of Prometheus, nymphs and fawns, Venus, etc. Similar to the worship of mythological figures and their perfection, this format allows the nude to be worshipped in its perfection as well. Also included in this genre include angelic nudes. Mythological portrayals of nude figures with beautiful wings seem to be a natural inspiration for many artists.

2. Adam and Eve Nudes. Eve with the snake; Eve with an apple; Adam with an apple, Eve and Adam in the Garden; all of these themes are ubiquitous with numerous submissions annually portraying the nude, or nakedness, in relationship to the Original Sin. Being unique within this theme is a particular challenge for an artist.

3. Classic Posing Nudes. We have all seen these classic forms of a nude figure reclining on a chaise or sitting in a fixed posture. In these nudes, the primary focus is on the pose itself and how it accentuates the features of the nude human form. Less focus is placed on the model themselves and more on the actual positioning of the body.

4. Nude Contrasts. Whether it is guns, leather, machines or chains, contrasting the soft, beautiful nude form with hard, rough images is a natural focus of many nude artists. By contrasting the two together, the nude is elevated in its natural elements of shape, beauty and perfection. This method is commonly used by artists to deconstruct their perception of the perfect nude ideal.

5. Nude and Nature. A female nude along the soft dunes of a sandy beach; a male nude juxtaposed in a setting of brush and craggy trees; exposed human forms sprawled along jagged rocks; to an extent this is also a contrast of images, but also a theme that accentuates the natural state of the nude body. Nature and the nude share a "nakedness" and a beauty of creation that has made this theme universally common.

6. The Nude Sketch. Simple and often two dimensional, the nude sketch is a basic, beautiful portrayal of the nude. In addition, the nude sketch is timeless and routinely appeals to many. When you are at friends homes, you may actually notice how common the nude sketch is as well as its popularity. These are consistently easy pieces of art to sell when priced correctly.

7. Black and White Nude Photography. Black and white nude photography is also a popular choice among art viewers and often has a great chance of being sold. Black and white photography in particular is flattering to the human nude form and can be manipulated to hide flaws and present the nude in the best light. Proper lighting is critical when dealing with black and white photography, and settings can be used to emphasize exotic or other features an artist wants to portray. As digital photography continues to advance, these themes of the nude will undoubtedly remain common.

8. Nude Portraits. Finally, everyone is accustomed to seeing a nude portrait displayed. In its own right, these portraits can either portray a specific individual, or painted or sculpted anonymously allowing the viewer to envision themselves in the portrait. This concept of anonymity can pertain to other nude themes as well.

As an artist, the human body offers a beautiful subject to express your artistic talents as well as your inner emotions, thoughts and perceptions of the world. The nude has represented this for artists since the beginning of time. But in choosing how you want to portray the nude, consider breaking new ground outside the common themes that are repeatedly seen at events, art shows and galleries.

Nude Art Photography

Nude photography is the genre of art photography, whose subject is the representation of the naked (full nude) or partially naked (half nude) human body.

The aesthetic value of nude photography and its boundary to erotic photography can only be determined with difficulty and inter-subjectively and is also affected by its numerous overlaps with pornography. In consequence, nude photography and erotic photography always find themselves branded in multiple ways, and labelled as works of artistic freedom, aesthetics, kitsch, junk or provocation. The boundaries of nude photography, erotic photography and pornography are so undefined and continuously changing that they are always determined and defined by the subjective moral view of the individual and the generally accepted cultural confines of "customs and tradition".

Whether the picture itself is art or junk always lies in the eye of the beholder. One (subjective) definition of the worth of a nude photograph is: "A nude photo is then good, when the Model shows it around at the coffee table at her grandmother's birthday party and receives positive feedback." (Günter Rinnhofer) Other definitions have been by far more controversial. For Horst Werner this art form has always been about provocation and evoking of emotions. He prefers disgust, shock and aversion (as evoked for example by his photographs of nudes at a cemetery or of disabled people) to indifference, which in his opinion, is often the only reaction generated by other, more conventional art styles. Additionally, it is nowadays no longer such a taboo to depict the primary sex features of a human being. However, in contrast to pornography, nude photography does not actively pursue to excite the audience, although this does not exclude that it is consumed with this intention and effect.

Tasteful nude photography is often regarded as high skilled photography as besides technical knowledge and the ability to manipulate light the nude photographer also needs strong communication skills and the ability to build a positive relationship with his model. A modelling contract between photographer and model often includes additional remuneration to the model besides payment and publication rights.

Guide to Glamour Photography

Many photographers do not find much difference between glamour and fashion photography. True they are similar in certain aspects, but glamour photography is more about photographing a female model with little or no clothing, while Fashion photography is all about the clothing! Glamour photography is not intended for endorsement purposes. During World War II, glamour photos were called pin-ups, and consisted of scantily clad movie stars. These were extremely popular among American soldiers.

It's believed the most important change came with the introduction of Playboy Magazine! This was the first magazine to focus on nude models and its target was the mainstream male consumer. Hugh Hefner published the first issue of Playboy in December 1953 with Marilyn Monroe on the cover. Nude photos of Marilyn (the reason I started in photography), were also printed on the inside, which enhanced her image as a sex symbol and helped to subdue the public protest. In recent years popular men's magazines have started a trend by focusing more on the "glamour" and less on nudity. Some of these magazines include Maxim, Stuff Online, and the UK's FHM.

Photographing female models has evolved over the years, and as a photographer you need to understand this evolution before you can ever become a professional glamour photographer!

As a glamour photographer, there are some key elements that you need to master and understand. First you must understand the sharpness of your models eyes is critical. As a beginner with auto-focus cameras, most promising glamour photographers tend to focus on the nose, chin, or shoulder. This lesson is to learn how to focus on your models eyes while shooting. Photographers may experience a problem when using auto-focus cameras. This type of camera will tend to focus on the center of the image by default. Always be careful with your settings, and be sure to understand just how your camera operates!