Nude

[wolfram]

I don't usually like the genre but you guys, especially David's body of work, do it so well... it really takes off from Wynn Bullock goes on fast-forward. Kudos.

As for myself, I associate nakedness with sexuality so most of my stuff isn't so pretty. I don't even like it, because deep down, I am a prude. I do it because I can, I want to challenge myself and make everyone uncomfortable and aware of it... but I did do a few prudy ones when I was starting out, in order to understand how to approach it. The first one is one of those shots, I would never show it in my portfolio anymore because it is just of a pretty girl and nothing more... it's Tiana Hunter, a popular art nude model who travels the world posing for "artistes". She already has a thousand shots like this, from a thousand photographers - nothing special with me, but it is pretty.

The others get creepier... the second is of Betcee May, a genuine Penthouse Pet, in a hooker motel in LA. Third is of Cat, one of the first Suicide Girls, it's the coldest, creepiest thing ever, makes my skin crawl. And the last is the infamous Meagan Sample, she had me do her first naked shot. Obviously she's done a few hundred since and if you see her now she makes a good cautionary tale for your daughters.

I'm glad I made myself do these, I probably don't have to do anymore. You learn a lot by pushing your boundaries and finding your limits. Oh and I really like blowing a hole in all the happy bullshit about the art and beauty of the nude female body coming from the typical middle-aged dweeb typing one-handed ;-)

If you find that you want to try naked woman photography, I recommend that you hire a professional like Tiana or Betcee and pay them well. They are the best teachers actually, very smart and saavy women. Cat got out of it and Meagan is busted.

[wolfram]

I love the meagan shot...
You have an interesting 'mix' of female subjects with stories to tell.

[wolfram]

Darlot 270mm Petzval lens, 8x10 Portra 160 convert image to B/W

[wolfram]

Love the picture... except for the repeated character. Not necessary.

[wolfram]

Love the picture... except for the repeated character. Not necessary.

Only found out after browsing through this entire post what the character actually means... I signed the petition for the release of Ai WeiWei. Unfortunately I only read the image as an image. My objection was to the block nature and repetition of the character. Had it a more natural or hand drawn element I would have viewed it differently. But... just goes to show that context is often a necessary evil, and an essay for raw eyes is often needed.

[DanK]

Lucy. 5x7 with dagor 180 at about f/11

Ash,

Wonderful Image.

Dan

[bobpin]

Only found out after browsing through this entire post what the character actually means... I signed the petition for the release of Ai WeiWei. Unfortunately I only read the image as an image. My objection was to the block nature and repetition of the character. Had it a more natural or hand drawn element I would have viewed it differently. But... just goes to show that context is often a necessary evil, and an essay for raw eyes is often needed.

Thank you for yr comment. I'll keep trying different approach.

[bobpin]

Here is another one:

[bobpin]

Bobpin,

I am very interested in the choice of Portra 160. (BTW, is that NC or VC?) Converting to B&W by simple removing color info or by assigning colors to different tonalities? I ask because I'm doing the latter. I have a feeling that it helps give us greater choice in the final output of the photograph, as opposed to using a B&W film in the first place.

Is this what you feel, or is this just happenstance that you had color loaded but B&W in your mind then or after the fact?

Asher

I used Portra NC, the color was simply removed on PS and the B/W tone was tuned a bit. I always test whether color or B/W is more appropriate for the shooting subject.

Thank you for yr comments.

[Asher Kelman]

Only found out after browsing through this entire post what the character actually means... I signed the petition for the release of Ai WeiWei. Unfortunately I only read the image as an image. My objection was to the block nature and repetition of the character. Had it a more natural or hand drawn element I would have viewed it differently. But... just goes to show that context is often a necessary evil, and an essay for raw eyes is often needed.

You were right, nevertheless! Simplicity is needed and Bobpin succeeds in the next picture to bring his work to a new level of clarity and he walks away from beauty and turns his back even on the value of the girl. It's all focused now, (as you realized is necessary), on just one symbolic statement.

Here is another one:

Bobpin,

There's no ambiguity. Still the same division of the image into a deep zone of discomfort, really OOF and then an aggressive posturing, and unlike the previous beautiful female, rather passive, but challenging and attractive feminine form, here you remove any pretense of or need to consider any beauty whatsoever! This is now not an angry complaint, it's a full blown explosive, government shaking protest! It's existential! There's only one Chinese character symbol this time and that's in focus and nothing more is needed to make the point more forceful.

This is a far more decisive image with no possibility for missing the point. For now we're as far from beauty as Tiananmen Square!

There it was one man with a shopping bag stubbornly blocking and facing off a tank! That scene, seared in our public conscience, is re-staged by seeing your new work by a woman stripped down to her flesh and the dismissed in the haze of disturbed vision with just the lone symbol for one man protesting and, in a way, it all resonates to make us remember. There are those victims massacred with no accounting. Now others who's lives are stolen are hidden behind prison walls. This work speaks to all that.

I appreciate you sharing your fine images.

If art is about moving us, then you have succeeded!

Thanks,

Asher