Good nude photography instruction book (B&W)?

[phillip-robert]

Hello,

I am interested in learning a bit about nude photography, but more of

a B&W style, where the shape of the body is studied; not so much a

glamour or boudoir style of photography. More along the lines of a

nude and the curves of the body, not the whole body per se.

 

Any suggestions on good titles? Also, I do not want to get into an

entire "studio" set up, just some shots at home with basic lighting,

maybe a simple black back drop...

Thanks!

Phillip

[patrik in sweden]

Look after books by the British photographer Bill Brandt for inspiration, great studies.

[bobtodrick]

Two shooters of the nude who use Leica exclusively are Jeanloup Sieff and Ralph Gibson. Both work in B&W. Sieffs' work tends to be more eroticized, whilst Gibsons's work is more personal and exploratory. Two books are Sieffs' big compendium (40 Years of Jeanloup Sieff) and Gibsons' Apropo de MaryJane. The Gibson book is especially good (IMO) in that it documents his lifes partner in a very personal way...Sieffs's work, as I mentioned is much more erotic and stylized. Nearly all the images in both books were done on M3/4/6.

[christopher.]

There are many fine examples in the gallery on this web site. While they may not come w/ instructions I am sure those who made them would be happy and flattered (sp) to give you some pointers.

[Rob F.]

"The Book of Nude Photography: A complete guide to the Art and Technique of Photographing Nudes" By Michael Boys. 1981, Alfred A, Knopf Inc. Look for it in used book stores.

 

"Glamour Shots" by Roger Hicks and Frances Schultz. Though not specifically about nudes, it has some; and every shot is accompanied by a illustration of the lighting setup. Very informative. From the Pro-Lighting series published by Rotovision SA, Switzerland. 1994.

 

"Successful Glamor Photography" by John Kelly. Lots of info on posing, model selction, etc. Amphoto books, 1996.

 

Look for anything by Peter Gowland. Another used book store hunt.

[._._z]

Hedgecoe's 'Photographing The Nude':

 

http://snurl.com/3650

[art waldschmidt]

Your interest seems already to lean toward the abstract or minimalist approach in your concentration on the "lines of a nude and the curves..." that you wrote about. I would suggest that you obtain a copy of NUDE:THEORY edited by Jain Kelly. Some copies are available through www.alibris.com. While not a "how to" publication, it offers a lot of insight into the philosophies and techniques of some fine masters of the genre (photographs and essays by Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Harry Callahan, Lucien Clergue, Ralph Gibson, Kenneth Josephson, Andre Kertesz, Duane Michals, and Helmut Newton) - of the photographers represented, Gibson is undoubtedly closest to the approach that interests you.

[tom h.]

Phillip, your best way to learn about photographing nudes is to

photograph them. As Frank suggested, the Weston nudes are a

very worthwhile road to take (the body as object) and are worth

studying. An approach that's always worked for me is to have an

idea for a couple of shots in your head (this will give you a

starting point, and other shots will suggest themselves once you

actually start the session), find an unselfconcious model, use

natural light (near a window works fine), have an uncluttered

background, and load 400 speed film. If you can use a red or

orange filter, all the better, it really smooths out those skin tones.

The quicker you start getting your bad shots out of the way, the

quicker you'll get to the ones you like. Hope this helps.

 

Tom<div></div>

[tom h.]

one more (these were for a client, who said she wanted pictures

to remember her pregnancy).

 

Tom<div></div>

[david_chananie]

Louise Khornak (sp) has a nice book on nude photography in b&w. It is available in paperback.

 

Also, looknsee.com has an interesting site in which he shares his exercises in nude photography with copious discussion of how he set up the lighting, the background, etc.