How I Build A Nude Image
- August 30th, 2010
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Here is my list of priorities in building a nude image. These are specific to me, and vary widely based on individual photographers. However there are many photographers with a similar background to mine that follow this general hierarchy of steps for building an image. I have a parent who is an artist, an older sibling who is a university art professor, and I have an art degree where I studied more than just photography. I grew up overseas and have been to museums in dozens of countries. Since my exposure to art, from childhood through college as been mainly non-photographic art, it has influenced my thinking on building an image.
#1: Composition. Any image is perceived by viewers as an abstract composition first. Before you can process what an image is (context) you see how it is composed. We’re hard wired to do this, and it’s not just my opinion. Without a solid composition, the viewer’s attention will go elsewhere quickly. Quick test: convert your image to black and white and reduce it to about 200 pixels wide, if it’s a strong composition it will still look interesting.
#2. Context (mood): What is the image about? Context tells you what the mood of the image is, not necessarily a story (context is the what not the how). The mood is not always beauty, sometimes an image can be intentionally jarring to communicate the context.
#3. Beauty. Context and content can feed into beauty, but do not have to. Beauty can be flattering to the subject in traditional ways, but is more about intriguing the viewer — sometimes with an unusual approach. Don’t underestimate the power of beauty; my mediocre shots of extremely beautiful models win more appreciation that the most meticulous shot of a just slightly beautiful model. Capitalize on the innate beauty of your subject, don’t try to put her in the role of something she’s not.
#4. Illustration. I’m not talking about pen and ink here, but story telling through images. This is not essential to a good nude photo, but most good nudes tell some sort of a story. Not surprisingly, the story is often somewhat ambiguous and thus open to interpretation.
#5. Technical aspects. A favorite Ansel Adems quote goes “Nothing is worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept.” I’m not saying that technique isn’t important. It is very important, but it comes after good form. A poorly executed image can be distracting and sabotage a good concept.
Just following the above, doesn’t make an image successful. Nor am I recommending anyone could use this as a recipe for success. This is food for thought, an insight into my process.
