Working With Nude Models

Earlier this year I co-taught a workshop titled “Photographing the Artistic Nude” at the SOPHA in Manchester, NH.  It was a great opportunity to put together key points for successfully working with nude models, or really any photoshoot.  For those of you familiar with the SOPHA, these draw heavily on the Tao of Bud.

First, and arguably most important is to have a concept.  Without a solid idea of what you mean to accomplish in the final image you are likely to spend the session meandering.  Lacking some vision of what the final image (and message) should be, you risk producing nothing more than a photo of a person without clothing.  That’s fine, but I am looking to create something more with my art- hopefully to convey some feeling or message.  So I start with a concept.  Now, your concept can be pretty vague- something along the lines of “let’s explore this cool old building and look for interesting light” can work just fine. But you should be able to articulate it in some way, which brings us to the next key-communicate your concept to your model.  Seems simple right?  But many photographers neglect to do this.  Communication can take many forms, whether it is rough sketches, example images, a verbal description or you acting out the pose for your model (which by the way can be a great ice-breaker/comic relief).  As great as many experienced art nude models are, I have yet to meet one who can mind read!  They need to know what you are looking for and how you work best.  For instance, I tend to shoot slowly and to explore multiple angle on a pose.  So the typical rhythm of pose, click, pose, click doesn’t work for me.  I ask models to hold each pose for a minute or two.  We then quickly establish a new working rhythm.  Working with a nude model (or any model) is a two way collaboration.  Models, especially those who have worked for art classes, most often have a very well developed sense of pose and aesthetic.  They know their good angle and how to produce a particular shape with their bodies.  Their input can be invaluable to creating the final image, so utilize it to your best advantage.  If you are not quite getting the image you want, show the model what has been produced so far and describe what is lacking, even if it is something descriptive like “more angular”.  Also, be open to suggestions.  Some of my best images are a result of a model looking at the camera back, then asking “what if I did this?”.

With a concept well established, the next question is how to light it.  Take a few minutes to imagine what the final image looks like, then consider where the light is coming from and how to manage it.  This is true when using natural light as much as when shooting with studio strobes.  In general, less is more when it comes to lighting art nudes.  Shadows play an important role in defining the human form.  (I’ll post more later on my favorite lighting techniques.)  Consider color and exposure carefully.  Classical portrait photography has tightly defined rules governing “correct” exposure and color management.  Who wants to look green in their family photo?  But in art, there is nearly infinite room for experimentation.  Choices of exposure and color can be used to express the artist’s concept in addition to the subject matter.  Take a look at how Robert Mapplethorpe or Thorsten Jankowski use extreme contrast to sharply define the body.  Then compare their approach to that of Edward Weston– same subject matter but an entirely different feel.

Finally, pay attention to the composition as a whole and reduce excess clutter in the image.  Look at how lines flow through the frame.  The best way to do this?  Slow down!  In workshops I see far too many photographers in “rapid fire mode”.  Having the highest frames per second is not an advantage here.  Consider each element of the composition and ask “is it necessary?” then remove everything that is not essential.  One thing I see repeatedly in nude work is a lack of care to background or environmental details.  It’s easy to do, especially when it is something small like a stray leaf or gum wrapper, but if you can catch it removing detritus before is easier than photoshopping it out later.

Hopefully these points will get you thinking about how to maximize your next photo shoot.  In the next post I’ll talk about hiring nude models and how developing a strong working relationship contributes to creating strong images.  Stay tuned for part 2!