الشكل البشري .. الشخصيات .. كيف تلتقط أجمل الصور .. كتاب التصوير الضوئي

The human form .. Characters .. How to take the most beautiful pictures .. The book of photography

The human form

Nudity in traditional art bears witness to the charm and beauty of youth and the purity of human forms. Nudity also allows the study of drawing and painting: young artists work from the living model. The art of photography has known how to adopt this tradition. By photographing nudes, the photographer can choose his skill in lighting, studying the composition, showing lust or purity, and especially he can show his artistic sense and talent at their highest level.

The model is not an end in itself, but only an argument for expressing personal ideas and subjects. The model must of course have a beautiful appearance, but also a natural charm that appears in facial expressions, poses and all body movements. If the model knows how to stand and how to move, it is useless to force her to take a pose for the photo. Many professional models who are accustomed to standing in front of photographers tend to take artificial poses that should be avoided.

Facial expression is very important unless you want to abstract by removing your head from the composition, and thus the photo becomes anonymous. The boundary between artistic and innocent nudity and erotic photography is often found in facial expressions. In the latter case, the expression is directed from the camera to the viewer. The direction of the model's gaze plays a major role in the meaning of the photograph. The more the model's eyes appear to be staring into the viewer's, the more friendly the photograph will be. The greatest effect is achieved when the model looks directly into the lens as if inviting the viewer. Do not try to eliminate all notions of flirtation and eroticism from a nude photograph - eroticism is the salt of this type of photograph - because a nude without eroticism is no better than a photograph that seeks only eroticism.

Is it better to place the model outside, in the studio or inside? A natural setting usually gives a more rhythmic background than a studio, but avoid the false and innocent face of the pictures that advertise nudity magazines. One of the most attractive aspects of Arab photography is that it provides an opportunity for a direct representation of volumes and compositions: the success of some nude pictures lies in the visual and tangible impression they produce.

Lighting is of primary importance. Daylight shows well the texture of the skin, the volumes and the tones of colour. Light coming from a window or from side lighting gives a sense of volumes by the subtle gradation of light and shadow values.

If you want to prepare a soft and emotional image, use only light facing the machine so that the shapes appear well. If you want to eliminate protrusions and protrusions, use strong, facing light and take contrasting pictures. In this way, you emphasize the lines and shapes while the volumes and composition disappear.
If you are looking for the first thing you look for is the zigzag lines, a white wall or paper makes an effective background surface that clearly shows the tones of the naked body.

Center of interest: the human figure.

This picture was taken in daylight with a silvered reflector - look at the drawing to get details in the shadows. This lighting is appropriate for the girl's pose and expression. It contributes strongly to the atmosphere of the picture by melting the tones and shadows

and drawing attention to the face and chest of the model. Also note the choice of colors and style of dress.

Hasselblad 1/15 TA aperture 8 Octachrom HS

Center of interest: decor

The pose is not vulgar, although the presence of a naked woman on a bed might suggest that. The corners and edges of the picture have been softened by placing a frame on the camera lens that reduces clarity. The soft tones of the color and the frank expression of the young woman contribute to the atmosphere and climate of the picture. The lighting - look at the drawing - is soft, both diffused and directed, and was obtained by four lamps placed behind a diffuser and a reflector.
Hasselblad 1/60 sec wide angle lens f/5.6 Actachrom Model B

Study of Nude

In this reproduction of Seurat's painting (The Eccentrics) the accessories blend well with the subject and the period of the picture. I achieved this frame by blowing my breath on the lens and then taking the picture immediately afterwards. The lighting was done with electronic flash - see the drawing - and with light reflected from the ceiling and transmitted from two umbrellas.

Hasselblad with electronic flash f/16
Actachrom EX