Davide Baroni

You ask "how to improve this?", and the first answer that comes to me is "by improving the lighting". There's no "volume" in this photo, it looks kinda flat. I do believe that the proper lighting would donate "depth" to this picture, underlining the shapes and curves of the body, and making it more "tri-dimensional". I apologize for my English, it's not my first language, so it's likely that my choice of words isn't the best possible one. :-)
After that, I'd try and have her face slightly more visible. Just a little bit. Here it seems a "unfaced" body, there's no hint about her expression, which IMHO would be important in order to show the "Passion" you allude to in the title.
This is what comes to my mind. I'd wait for more experienced photographers to give their ideas though. I'm not a practitioner of this genre. :-)
Hope it may help.
Davide

John, there's a characteristic that I find in all your photos.
There's always some kind of "story" in them. Your nudes tell a story, and there are lots of clues scattered around.
This young lady is a beautiful woman (as always... You've got an incredibly high standard of beauty among your friends! ;-) ), very elegant. Her slender, perfect body has an elegant posture, underlined by that "necklace", and the arms and hair and expression are part of her elegance, though starting to tell the story. The setting is consistent with her, and there's the painting in the background, in the room in the left part of the picture, that is (to me) another clue about the story (or at least, the frame in which this picture has to be read). Also the other sculptures on the chest in the foreground seem to play a part in suggesting something about the situation... tell part of the story. Unfortunately they're too small for me to understand exactly what they are and represent, but that's the feeling.
There's some sort of "invitation", maybe to a more "intimate" situation (the room on the left), and there's a feeling of harmony, nothing is forced.
I like this very much.
Ah, one last thing. As always, or almost, the model's expression is totally consistent with the story the rest of the picture tells. And this is quite a rare, and fundamental, quality. :-)
Thank you for sharing your works.
Davide

John, I think the feature that makes your photos outstanding is that you are able to get your models with the "right" expression. They look "congruent", their expression is not contradicting the rest of the picture. And they look kinda spontaneous. Believe me, it's pretty refreshing. :-)
There's a consistency between body language, face expression, and general mood. I really REALLY appreciate it.
And I think there's no need to talk about "technical" issues, as your pics are usually very well executed, with no major technical flaws... which BTW I don't give much importance to, if they're functional to the photo (or at least don't wreak havoc with the "message"). You seem to use the "right" technique for your photos. And there's a particular "lightness" to them... I could tell your photos from the thumbnail before I see the author. You got a style.
That makes you my favorite nude portraits photographer here. :-)
Keep up the good job.
Davide

This picture reminds me of the movie "1984", from George Orwell's novel. Maybe the shaved heads, maybe all that black background, maybe her body language (it seems to me that, while he is standing strainght, she is kinda leaning backwards, as if she wanted to put a little more distance, likely out of tension or inquietude; and also her face doesn't look exactly "relaxed" and loose).
Yet there's more lightness here, and this picture leaves more room for a "positive" outcome.
There's a whole story here, told by their bodies and expressions. I like this pic.
Good job.
Davide

Nice pic, with that "retrò" mood and impression (the colors make for a lot of it, actually). But... It is not a Vespa. :-)
It's a Lambretta, the arch-rival of Vespa in those years. :-)
Nice job.
Davide

Just back from a week in Lapland... Hunting for the Northern Lights.

And it's been a lucky hunt indeed.

Here's one fo the Auroras we saw.

All critiques and comments will be appreciated.

Davide

The "Igarapé Santo Antonio" is a small river in the Northern Amazon

jungle.

To me, it's a Paradise.

The stillness of the water is so perfect that it becomes difficult to

understand what is "real" and what is "reflection".

All critiques and comments will be very welcome.

Davide

Same place of my previous post, but different post production. Here I

did NOT use the "Paint with light" action in PS.

Comments and critiques are very welcome.

Thank you,

Davide

Marty, thank you for the feedback.
What looks like a Tonal Contrast filter is actually the result of applying a PS action called "PaintWithLight"... which I applied only on clouds and trees. But you're probably right. :-)
I will post a different pic in the next days, which does not have that kind of treatment. Would you mind to tell if you like it better, and if it'd be an example of what you meant?
Thanks again,
Davide

"Igarapé" means "small river". This "small" river takes 3 days with a

small motor boat from the mouth to the place closest to the source you

can reach.

The incredible thing here are the quietness and the stillness. Even

canoeing, the water is so still that the reflections are just mirror-like.

At dawn, otters play in the water, and huge, colorful butterflies

flutter around almost everywhere... and hummingbirds go around the

trees. But when I was here at dawn I din't have my camera with me. :-)

However, it's a small, quiet paradise down there.

Critiques and comments are appreciated.

Davide

This river is a tributary of the Amazon River, and, believe me, it's

HUGE. :-)

So huge that, even when traveling on it by a quite big passengers

boat, the water looks as still as this... a natural mirror that was

amazing to me.

But so many waters, there, ahve this very capability of reflecting

thigs as if they were actual mirrors...

This is taken from the travelling boat.

Critiques and comments are welcome.

Thank you.

Davide

The small house on the right is the farm of a indio family I met in

2009 in the Amazon. The pole with the flag is the actual border

between Brasil and Venezuela. And the big rock, which is in Venezuela

already, is called "la Pedra", which means "the stone".

This place is a marvel. The photo doesn't do justice to it.

All critiques and comments will be appreciated.

Thank you,

Davide

This girl was wandering around me with a group of kids, in a small

Indio village in the Amazon. At a certain point she came with this

leave she had shaped by cutting it somehow, and showed me that small

thing with an unforgettable look... and here she is. :-)

Critiques and comments will be appreciated.

Davide

Hi Bjorn,
I have to say that I like this photo so much. It captured my attention and I'm still here watching it. It's NOT the usual nude pic... There's this BW, and the grain, and (ehanced by the above mentiond things) the body language and expression of the model. It looks to me like a quite "accusing" pic. I feel as if the model was looking at me, the "male observer", straight in my eyes, and DEFENDING herself from me. And at the same time kind of "accusing" me... "Is this what you want?" or even "Look what you are doing to me!". Her posture is so "closed", yet she is naked, and she doesn't look like she's forced to this... just she "has to", I feel it to be against her will yet accepted, but she's making her point. "I do this, but it's you who wants this".
It's very strong.
Of course, this all could be a projection on my side... Well, this is what I get from it, the emotions and thoughts it evokes in me. And it's the best I can do describing them. :-)
I won't go through the usual "technical" comment stuff. Enough said, the choices you made are in my personal opinion perfectly appropriated to give an incredible strength to the "message".
Thank you, this goes in my "favourites".
Davide

A small "urban landscape" detail... Right on the corner of a house in

Longiano, Italy, in the late afternoon sun.

Critiques and comments are appreciated.

Ciao,

Davide

Actually, there's only a couple things I don't like THAT much, in this photo... and they're likely about me, and not the photo itself. :-)

The first thing is the makeup. I understand it's made to underline her eyes... but IMHO it has exactly the opposite effect. It distracts my eyes from hers, and much more so as it's of such a similar colour.

And the second one are the gloves. I admit I never understood what "accessories" have to do with naked beauty. I can overcome this, though... the contrast between the white gloves and the black background is nice, and adds a bit of light to the scene. Doesn't add anything to the "story" though, IMHO.

Also, I don't like so much the current fade of totally depilated bodies... but that's really ME! :-D

I love the lighting, here, and how you managed the white and the skin tones.

Also, there's something about "symbols", and the pose and expression of the model, that makes this a sensuous, sensual image.

Well done! :-)

Ciao,

Davide

Well, it's not really a still life, nor a studio photo, but I didn't

find any category that would fit... :-)

While visiting the Longiano "Museum of Territory", I've been blessed

by this beautiful, natural light provided by the late afternoon sun

passing through a window. I just had to wait about 10 minutes to have

the light exactly were I wanted...

Critiques and comments are truly appreciated.

Ciao,

Davide

Thank you a lot, Richard. Actually, I don't even look at the ratings. What I'm after in posting my photos is a feedback, i.e. comments telling me the impressions and feelings and thoughts that my photo evoked in the observers, as well as technical suggestions that can make me improve my skills. So, it's true comments and critiques that I look for. And the more articulated, the better... I mean, a comment like "Wow, I like it!" wouldn't tell me anything but that I met the taste of that particular observer. Same for "Bleah, it's awful!"... Au contraire, a comment like "This makes me feel so and so" fits my need, and more so if it includes some hints like "...because of the light/compo/whatever, and by this and that caracteristic of the image". This gives me a true feedback about what my photo communicated... and possibly how it did it.

BTW... this is a spot of a monumet to Italian Sailors, which happens to be a fountain... hence the falling water. :-)

Thanks again,

Davide

When I saw this door I thought of "The Truman Show"... and of a story

about Venice, and three special doors hidden there through which you

can go forever "into other places and other stories".

Natural sunset light, almost no postwork.

Comments and critiques are appreciated. :-)

Ciao,

Davide

...not a bee at all. :-)

It's a fly, mimicking a bee. In italian it's called "Sirfide", I just don't know the English name. I fell for it many times, until someone explained me what it was... And the same do many predators, so this is sort of a protection strategy by the fly. :-)

Beside that, the photo is nice enough. I like the subject in a center position, which accentuates its steadiness. And the transparency of the wings. I like less the reflections on the fly's back, but they don't seem to be soooo terrible. :-)

Still, I have the feeling of some lack of sharpness.

I'm no macro expert though, so take my opinions with a grain of salt. :-)

Ciao,

Davide

...pineapple! :-)

Nice idea, although I'd have preferred not to see the empty corners on the right. ;-)

Ciao,

Davide

During a "big band" concert in Montefiore Conca, one of the sax

players had this instrument that I found beautiful, and his touch on

it was delicate and soft...

So I decided to take a photo.

Critiques and comments are welcome.

Ciao,

Davide

Well, again, I don't know if this photo really belongs to this

category or to another one. I always have troubles sorting out

categories for these pictures... Anyway.

This was taken in the Castle of Montefiore, which is open only a few

days per year.

Critiques and comments are appreciated.

Ciao,

Davide

A pretty interesting, unusual nude.

A very hard light and a high contrast seem to be the main characteristics of this picture. I like a lot the composition, though, with this body right on the diagonal, and no face in sight... almost an abstract. The impossibility to clearly see the body's details adds some sort of mystery. I'm not totally sure I like the light on the left, seemingly on the model's right arm, and the shadow of light (yes, I know, it's an oxymoron) on the background... but they are not bad either, particularly the latter.

At least, I can't be sure of the presence or absence of pubic hairs... so I can imagine they are there, where they should be. I can't stand the current fade of totally depilated bodies. Hairs are there for very good reasons... ;-)

That said, I only have to ask: is this results what you planned for? If yes, kudos. If not, well, the photo is still interesting... but I'd say it'd be kind of "less good". :-)

Ciao,

Davide

Well, Mauro. Some things I like a lot, some I just don't, but likely it's just me. :-)

I like a lot the use of light, the softness of the tones, the pose, the almost perfect shape of her body (it reminds me of a particular strip of the comic "Valentina", by G. Crepax), the use of a white background, the composition and distribution af "masses" and the almost perfect symmetry. But....

I just don't like accessories. Gloves (especially those gloves), shoes, even the necklace... what in the heck have these things to do with a naked body's beauty? But, again, it's probably me. It's just that I feel disturbed by them. :-)

Now, if the photo were a commissioned photo for, let's say, advertisement of those objects... I'd understand. Thay would likely have a counter-effect on me, but I'd understand anyway. Otherwise, I admit I see no reason at all for such things being in the picture.

To me, they take all sensuality away.

Sincerely,

Davide