Why is Nude Photography So Many Photographers’ Number 1 Choice?
Nude photography makes up a surprisingly large percentage of the market. Why is that? Is it even a good idea?
New Markets
The Internet has opened up huge new markets for everyone, including photographers. But for nude photography, it really hasn’t helped a huge amount compared to just about every other area of photography. Very few quality sites allow the showcasing of nude photography. So why do so many in photography put so much focus on nude photography?
There are more reasons than I will discuss in this article, but there are two that certainly jump to the front of the line.
The Obviously “Adult” Angle
One is that many male photographers and some female photographers like seeing people naked, especially if they are young females. It’s not necessarily that they consciously choose nude photography for this reason, but more that they gravitate toward this choice, convinced that it is a worthy art form and they are artists. More on that later.
Easy Fame?
Others, it seems, think that there is no better way to get views and fame than by publishing lots of nude photographs of young women. But they make a major mistake with such thinking – it’s more often than not not art! Photography of any kind – good photography – requires a careful study of the subject, the interaction of the subject with light, backgrounds, timing, shadows, apertures, and the list goes on.
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Art
Good photography – the kind that ends up in quality galleries – is real art and requires a lot more than hiring or otherwise acquiring a model, getting her to undress, then snapping a bunch of photos. In fact, it is much more difficult to create real art this way than it is to work in almost any other medium (I say “almost,” just to leave it open a bit in case I’ve missed something.).
People as Subjects
People are fantastically interesting subjects. There is no limit to the possibilities when you photograph people. Eyes, alone, can tell many intriguing stories or draw you in to know more about the subject. I could spend a great deal more time just photographing people between their forehead and their nose!
Photographing fully clothed subjects allows the photographer to work with a very wide array of backgrounds, lighting, and costumes. Each carefully composed portrait should inspire, draw in, and hint at a story, something that will intrigue the viewer and create a desire to know more. Where was this? What was happening? Is this part of something much bigger?
Older and even aged subjects are fantastic to photograph. As people age, their faces say so much! The deeply lined face of a man who has tilled the fields for all his life, or someone who has experienced much sorrow… An elderly woman who has worked hard, experienced sorrow, yet laughed often has such an incredibly interesting face!
More Difficult, Not Easier
In fact, nude photography is not an easy art at all. Only a few really are good at it, and often what makes their work real art is their reliance on form and light, rather than on “showing it all.” In fact, those who are looking for the latter would probably be disappointed!
If you want to become an artist behind your camera, start working with stills and landscapes. You will learn a vast amount about light working outdoors! Study light and shadows. Learn the best time of the day to shoot in the country, and the best time to shoot in an urban environment. Work hard, study, read, learn how to get the most out of your camera and your lenses. Shoot with your smartphone! You can really hone your photography skill shooting with a fixed lens.
Go Natural
Photograph people where they are. Learn to capture expressions. Focus on the eyes! If you get the eyes right, your photos will draw the observer right in and give them a much greater appreciation for everything else.
Nude photography may sound like a good idea at first glance (yes, pun intended!), but it’s not as easy as most people think. In fact, it’s really hard to reach the level that could be called art. So, if you really want to be an artist, think carefully before going in that direction!