Portraits, artistic nudes, boudoir or porn... Oh how a little bit of flesh can cause so much controversy!!

As a rule of thumb if a penis is more erect than Norway its porn ! or at least that is how it used to be viewed by magazines and therefore that is the rule I follow. Personally I'm more interested in artistic nude than either porn or boudoir, although boudoir can kind of cut across the lines into my idea of artistic nude.

I'm afraid I don't have any examples, unless you want me to add in a map of Europe so you can see how Norway hangs *grin
I used to really enjoy doing portrait work and hope to start dabbling a bit more in the future so you never know.. examples might just end up here or in the gallery at some point.


If you have an urge to try it out you might find some of the following ideas useful, they are pretty much the same for normal portraits so don't be scared off by the idea of nakedness.

Shop til u drop

Have a good scavenge around the thrift stores and charity shops, if you intend to try your hand at this you will want to build up a wardrobe of clothing, accessories and props. You would be surprised what bargains are to be had.

...hats, scarves, gloves, jewelry, belts, fake furs, handbags and purses, trench coats, sun glasses.. all of these items are just basic props that you can use to make a model take on a new persona. If you have a budget then add in a few gowns, wedding dress, top hats, canes, walking sticks and sporting equipment... If your model is relaxed and adventurous playing dress up is fun and the pictures will be so much more attractive than a model that looks like a wooden dummy with a pole up their ....erm back !

The main thing is to have fun... and don't try too hard. Invite your friends round.. grab a bottle of wine, some munchies and your camera and see what happens...and don't be scared to get out from behind the camera and strut your own stuff.. nothing relaxes your friends more than seeing someone else making a fool of themselves too...specially if they are taking the pics. You'll get some fun memories and if you are lucky some great shots you can use as well as present to them later.

Other useful props include colored bedsheets which can be used to drape artistically over nudes, used on a platform to hide whatever your model is sat or laid on and also as backdrops. Since most of us don't have a studio setup, sheets are cheap and easy ways to hide the clutter most of us have on our walls. Furry rugs, satin sheets, pilows .... use your imagination you may surprise yourself. Interesting furniture such as wicker chairs, mirrors, chaise long and stools also come in handy...

The most important thing about shooting any kind of portrait work is to have a rapport with your model, trust and comfort levels are crucial if you want to get good shots. If your model doesn't trust you not to put cheesy porn style pics of them up on the web.. you wont get the shots you want, so make sure both parties know exactly what will happen with the pics when you are done. There are so many ways to take a picture and disguise the actual identity of the model now... don't be afraid to try some of them.. filters and manipulation are a naked models best friend !!!

Having a good.. or in some cases bad sense of humor and the ability to put people at ease will be the best tool you have... most people feel a bit silly posing to begin with unless they are a professional..so make it fun.

Mood lighting can make a huge difference to your pictures, don't be afraid to play around. I know we don't all have studio lighting but even a cheap 3 bulb spotlight style floor lamp can help give dramatic shadows which is awesome on nudes. Not all portrait photography has to be fuzzy soft romantic filter ..or "chocolate box" portraits as I call them.

Just remember..its what you don't see that really makes a picture interesting when it comes to nudes, leaving a little something to the imagination can turn an ok picture into an awesome portrait that anyone would love to pose for. Sometimes the mystery of wondering what they look like can really bring a picture to life, so don't be afraid to make your models headless, facing away from the camera or hidden in the shadows.

Add a bit of texture ... get out the baby oil or a water spritzer..hell raid the fridge if you have a willing model with a sense of fun.. whatever grabs you.. just try it.

Just be honest and up front and don't con friends or lovers into baring all and then break the trust by embarrassing them. Make sure everyone involved is totally in the know as to what you have in mind for the images and what they are or are not comfortable with. It might help if you build a scrapbok of images similar to those you would like to achieve which you can show to them and say.. hey this is what I'd like to try and then you both have a good idea of what you are trying to achieve.