male nude on beach

What makes a good male-nude?

 

So many female nudes show the woman in either a submisssive role or hyper

sensual role. Which I often find silly, in poor taste, or stupid.

 

How do you model a male? In the shot above I somewhat swiped a pose from a

famous rock. Can you name it?

 

Is the audience for a male-nude women? Gay men? Or can it be looked upon

without sexual overtones? What stops you (if you are a straight male

photographer) from shooting more male nudes?

What makes a good male nude? Same thing that makes a good female nude: the subject. The photograph should give us some insight about the person we're looking at. As you say, so many female nudes are silly. They usually look like "found shots" of discarded headless mannequins draped across chairs, beds, or just the floor. I don't know what rock you are talking about, but your photograph is of a bare ass. As is typical of so many female nudes, there is no face, no person. Plenty of gay men, as well as straight women, enjoy photography depicting the nude female, so there is no reason gay women or straight men wouldn't enjoy photography depicting nude males, if there is artistic merit. This looks either like a personal fantasy, a desire to splash around the surf in the raw, or like a photo of someone's lover, straight or gay, it matters not. I think it has artistic merit, but it says much more about the photographer than the subject, and I usually prefer it the other way around. Overall, it's nice work.

The rock became "David" and the guy with the chisel was Michelangelo. This is somewhat the pose.

the dick... see, I have one so the fascination pretty much ends there. plus i come from great hetero stock(loving, secure, intact family) and they wouldn't like me enjoying male nudes.

umm, it's a postcard from hell, that's fer sure.... but not a good nude photo.

Hi de Aubrey,

 

It took me a while to get the whole 'David/Rock' thing... it's a bit of a stretch to get there I think.

 

I am not crazy for the shot really. I find it a bit detached and a bit stark. I don't get much of a feeling about the environment or the subject.

 

It does raise an interesting question though..

is that because I am a straight male who would probably be more inclined to look at shots of women nude? Maybe... but as for this particular shot - even if it were a woman I'd still think the image has the same anonymous or disemobodied feel.

 

In regards to your questions:

 

>>>How do you model a male?<<<

-- I think it all depends on what kind image you want to make. Is it a personal image or one with commercial purposes. What is the concept you have in mind? Are you after something sensual, erotic, abstract, literal??

Give us some more info.

 

>>>Is the audience for a male-nude women?<<<

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Again depends on how you've shot it and how it's presented? By audience what do you mean?

Here at Photo.net, on the news stand, on the internet in general?

 

>>>>Gay men?<<<<

Again it depends on how it's presented and what the context of the image is.

 

>>>>Or can it be looked upon without sexual overtones?<<<<

-- Again - yes and no.. it all depends on how

you set up the shot. I see female nude shots all the time that don't even give me the slightest sexual thought - and then other times I see shots that I look and well... you get the picture. ;-)

 

>>>>What stops you (if you are a straight male photographer) from shooting more male nudes? <<<<

--- probably that males nudes just don't get me that excited. The same way I don't go out of my way to shoot sunsets, highschool grad. shots, wedding shots.. etc. etc. etc... it has to do with personal interests.

Does it have partially to do with me being straight?

Yeah, probably - a lot of it is probably subconscious. Would I shoot a male nude?

Sure if I got an image in my head that I wanted to create and it required the male nude. The challenge is there to create whether or not it's male or female, nude or not nude.

 

I think that being a straight male might make it a bit harder to find non-pro straight male models willing to pose nude. It seems lots of non-gay males might feel a bit uneasy about posing nude as well.

Then again I haven't asked a whole lot either way.. straight or gay?

 

Though come to think of it my gay friends would instantly jump at the chance simply because of their sexual preference. I think it's a very situational thing and depends of lots of things.

 

Anyhow - only my .02 cents worth. On a very interesting topic - thanks for posting.

 

ciao,

Luc

The key for a good male nude is a proportionate/proportional body... so "Proportion" is the answer.

 

Regards

 

OG.