Male Art Nude ~ Brian

Okay, I now have a name for what I do.  I produce artistic nude images of the male form.  This is something I very much enjoy simply because I love the quality of light as well as the creation of a slightly more abstract view of a man's body. 

These images work really well in black and white, hence the reason I mainly produce this work in black and white. 

These images are of a man who has worked very hard and has been taking very good care of his body in recent years, so much so that it would be hard to guess his age.  I'll let you read on and view the images further so you have time to guess his age before I reveal it at the end. 

I must say I have amazed myself at how comfortable I am in producing these images.  It is a job and my mind is set on accomplishing the task at hand, albeit a creative and artistic one.  So in case you are wondering, no I'm not uncomfortable during the session and I don't feel my clients are either.  I work in a very relaxed environment and I do my best to make my clients comfortable too. 

I'm very much looking forward to the next commission of this nature.  Get in touch if you or anyone you know is interested.  I'd be happy to arrange a meeting to discuss the possibilities.  And of course there is no obligation if you decide you don't want to go ahead with booking a session. Also bear in mind that images of this nature don't always need to involve full nudity.  If you prefer there is no reason why jeans or pants can't be worn for your session.  If you have a body you are proud of and want to preserve in photographs so you can look back in years to come then consider having professional portraits created for you so you look your best. 

So, do you have a number in your head for this man's age?  Would you believe he's 51.  Not bad eh?

Runner Up in the Societies' Artistic Nude Competition

I found out this week that the above image took second place in the Societies recent artistic nude competition.  Very pleased to see that of the 136 images mine was chosen as second. 

If you wish to see the winning image click here.
If you wish to see all the entries click here.

I as very impressed with the quality of so many of the images which makes being runner up that much more rewarding.

Male Nude Masterclass at the Societies Convention in London

Here are the results from my masterclass at the convention just over a week ago.  During this talk I set out to show 3 different lighting techniques using just 2 lights and a white background.  I sometimes use more than 2 lights but I wanted to show that good photos can be produced with the minimum of kit.

For the first we used a beauty dish to light our model with a second light for the background to give us a high key result.  Had I been in my studio I would have used 2 lights to light my background but for such a tight crop the one light (centralised) was clearly good enough. 

For the second I used a softbox (strip light) on one side with barn doors on the second light on the other side.  In hindsight I wish I had a grid with me to soften the light coming from the barn doors side.  Not being in my studio I didn't have all my kit to hand so had to use what was available on the day.  I found the bare bulb a little too strong here.  Notice how we managed to get the white background nearly black simply by bringing the subect further from the background and making sure the lights were pointing away from the background. 

And the final image was done with a single exposure but with multiple occurances of the flash.  I would have prefered to have taken longer to set this image up in order to get the background darker and the model more accurately exposesd but with only an hour and a half class we were limited. 

I have found that a 6 second exposure works well in terms of giving the model enough time to move about.  From there its just a matter of working out the exposure for each burst of light.  If the room is dark enough, which it nearly was but not quite, it doesn't really matter what shutter speed we use in our light meter as only the flash is hitting our subject.  I would also have brought the model and lights further from the background in order to ensure little to no spill hit the background to keep it darker.  And finally I needed to work with the model a little more to get him posing the way I would have liked him for such an image.  Below is the sort of shot I was going for. 

 

I had an amazing time doing this masterclass.  I ended on such a high, feeling better than I have felt for any of my classes in the past.  I was so glad I stepped outside my comfort zone and had a go at giving a lighting demonstration.  Thank you to all who attended.  Your interaction and feedback throughout made it a great couple of hours for me. 

George

I recently had the great opportunity of photographing ex England and current Leicester Tigers player, George Chuter.  He kindly agreed to sit for me as a favour so I could try out some ideas. 

George turned out to be a great subject, knowing exactly what to do.  And in the end I was very pleased with the results. 

I'm still a little undecided about the above image.  The reaction of those who've seen the image so far has me believing they are just being polite when they say with noticable hestitation 'I like it' or 'its different'.  But thats okay.  Its not meant to be a clear cut, straightforward winning image.  It was meant to be different and unusual and to perhaps make a person spend a little longer thinking about it.  Afterall, we live in a world where our attention span is practically nonexistant.  If this image does nothing else but to force viewers to pause for thought a few seconds longer than its done a great job.  Although if you have an opinion you'd like to share please leave a comment.  I'd love to hear it. 

 

Now of course no shoot of this nature would be complete without a little nudity.  So again I've included my favourite pose with my favourite sort of lighting.  I love the softness of the light and the highlights and shadows that bring out his muscles. 

I can't wait to do more shoots like this and I plan to make a serious marketing effort in this area for 2013.  So if you like this sort of thing you may want to subscribe to the blog as I hope to be posting here regularly very soon. 

Joel

I recently had the great opportunity of photographing Joel Hicks. It gave me the chance to stretch my abilities and try out new things. And what a wonderful experience it turned out to be.

I tried out new lighting set ups. I got some practice in working on the male nude. And we tried out a sort of multiple exposure thing that Joel suggested which worked a treat. I shall definitely be trying this one again, particularly since my new camera (currently sitting under the Christmas tree waiting to be opened) actually has a mulitple exposure feature. How exciting.

This session was also used to help me prepare for a masterclass I am presenting at the Societies Convention in London in January. I'll be speaking on the subject of the male nude and I'm really looking forward to seeing the turnout. I've been attending this event for years but I've never seen any talks on photographing men. I'm curious to see how this will turn out. Will it be well received or not? Click here for further details.

The lighting and pose in the above image is something I truly love. Time and time again I keep coming back to it and it never lets me down. I love the curves, the tones and just the whole feel of it.

I really enjoyed this session and I think its about time I properly begin marketing this area of my business. Woman have been enjoying boudoir photography and similar for years so why can't men? If they are going to spend that kind of time and effort taking care of their bodies then maybe they would like a memento of this time in their life so they can look back on it in years to come. I wish I had photos taken of myself when I was young and fit and I actually plan on having some done this year myself before I again regret missing another opportunity.

I would love to get one more of these shoots in preparation for my masterclass in January. I am willing to offer this session for free. If posing for such a session appeals to yourself or anyone you know please get in touch. The session needs to take place the first week in January and I will require permission to use the images in my blog as you see here and my slideshow during the masterclass in London. 2 complimentary prints of your choice will be given in exchange.

Our First Official Client

It was at this client session when I realised this is what I want to do.  I was at my most relaxed (apart from the naked man in the room, but I can get used to that).  It just felt right.  Normally I spend much of my sessions and the build up to those sessions, worrying about whether or not I will get 'the shot', the one that makes me think, 'yeah, now that is special, definitely good enough to be a sample in the studio'.  

But during this shoot, it was more like, which one will be a sample for the studio.  Hence the reason I actually have 10 images in this post, more than I have ever included because I am so picky with what I want to show as my best work. 

With all of these sessions I like to start with my clients fully clothed (after a chat over a cappucino or tea that is), so we can get used to each other.  Then we work our way down.  A man in jeans is a beautiful thing too so I think its a great way to get started.  It gives me a chance to get the lighting just right and my client a chance to see how its going which hopefully gets them a little more relaxed and comfortable. 

 

Its also useful for those clients that want to show off their images without having to show the ones that reveal all.  This way there is a variety of shots for a variety of audiences.   In fact, if nude is going a little too far for some there is no reason why a session can't be booked with just topless jean shots in mind.  I have to say I love the images in jeans as much as the fully nude anyway. 

 

For anyone considering such a session I would like to assure you that I make it as comfortable as possible.  At no point am I in a position to see more than my clients want me to see.  I announce my every move, in the event that lights need adjusting, so clients have the chance to turn away when appropriate. 

I have found male nude photography to be just beautiful.  And having searched the internet for inspiration I found not many are doing it as elegantly or artistically as this.  On the whole, the images I came across are not the sort I'd be happy to hang on a wall or show the family.  In fact much of it looks a little like cheesy porn.  So I am hoping I have found a niche to specialise in which will provide something not currently available. 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed photographing Tom.  For someone who was quite shy to begin with he did very well.  Amazingly, he enjoyed himself so much he wants to come back again for another session.  His portraits, which he loves, have inspired him to work harder at the gym so he plans to come back after another few months of working out, not that I can see anything that needs improving.  Still though I am very much looking forward to his return.  We'll have to take the opportunity to try something new. 

If you or someone you know would be interested in such a session please get in touch.  I'd love to hear from you and you are welcome to come in for a free consultation before making up your mind.

And so it Begins

For many years now I have wanted to photograph the male form.  It all started with my husband when I noticed he had a wonderfully interesting back and bottom with beautiful curves. I just knew I wanted to photograph it and told him so at the time.  But at the time I wasn't a professional photographer, I had no lighting, and really didn't know where to even begin. 

8 years later and I finally produced the images that were developing in my head over the years.  My husband kindly agreed to be my test subject. 

At this point I still didn't really know what I wanted to produce.  All I knew was that I wanted nude photos that could never be confused for something pornographic.  An image that would have people wanting to study it rather than turn away in embarrassment.  An image that someone may even want to frame and hang on a wall. 

I was thrilled with the images my first session produced.  Since then I've had volunteers for practise.  And very recently started to receive interest from the general public.  So it is now, that I am ready to build this as a business and start taking this more seriously. 

For now I am showing just a few images from my two volunteers.  But my next post will contain images from my first client shoot.  I didn't want to detract from his amazing images by including them here in this introduction.  He most definitely deserves a post all on his own.  So stay tuned if you want to see more.  I'll be posting again shortly.