Alexey Nikolaev
Consumer Magazine, Photo & Video Cameras N3 2000

Introduction

I note that the material was written from an “amateur” point of view. This means that the approach to photography is to focus on creating positive emotions rather than producing a commercially viable image that will sell. That is, we set ourselves the task of capturing beauty, and not making money. We will also not consider such examples of professional photography of people as wedding photography, advertising, etc.

What is nude and act

Let's look into the encyclopedic dictionary.

ACT - (German Akt), in fine art, an image of a naked human figure; same as nude.

NU - (French nu - naked, undressed), image of a naked female body; a genre of fine art that reveals in the depiction of the naked body ideas about beauty and the value of earthly sensual existence.

As we see, we are talking about art and beauty, and not about physiology. Many amateur photographers begin photographing nudes by capturing primary sexual characteristics. Of course, you yourself determine what and how you want to shoot, but artistic taste is something that you need to cultivate in yourself if you want your photos to be beautiful and interesting not only to you. This can be achieved in various ways, for example, by studying the works of recognized masters.

In this regard, I highly recommend getting acquainted with the classics of the genre, for example, the works of Gunars Binde, Janis Gleizds, and, of course, Rimantas Dikhavicius, whose works radiate the aroma of beauty and harmony. Completely different in spirit are the works of another classic - Helmut Newton, whose unique erotic-ironic style can be unmistakably defined.

About types of shooting.

It is quite difficult to describe how “should” shoot nudes, as it is a very individual process. Each person sees and feels differently, so there are very different approaches to photographing people. Some photographers try to capture the sexuality of the model, others try to reveal the personality, others try to capture some fleeting state, and so on. Each of these genres, of course, requires a different approach to shooting, very likely even the participation of different models, etc.

Photographing people can be divided into staged and reportage. When shooting staged, you come up with a plot, lighting, clothes, maybe makeup in advance, and shoot thoughtfully and slowly. Reporting, on the contrary, involves a significant amount of spontaneity when filming. In this case, you only have to be a witness to the action, and the main thing here is to be ready to capture that unique moment that turns out to be the most beautiful, interesting or curious. In this case, reporting does not imply filming in a bathhouse or on a nudist beach. It’s just that the model is given much more freedom in choosing poses, etc. - that is, a kind of participation in the creative process.

About models

What should the model be? Probably, it should be like this in order to inspire the author. Otherwise, why photograph her at all if, as we agreed, our goal is not to make money?

Of course, there is the well-known stereotype “90-60-90”, but it is worth noting that even many “supermodels” have a figure that does not always correspond to these parameters. The main thing is that the model’s figure is proportional and harmonious. Sometimes a seemingly imperfectly built model is able to “give it all” when shooting so well, to show such internal states that the result is captivating.

It is very important that the model has good skin. Moderately tanned skin often looks very advantageous in photographs. On the other hand, “white spots” from a swimsuit on a tanned body do not always look aesthetically pleasing. You can try to “fix” minor skin defects with foundation, or use softening filters when shooting.

There is no doubt that there must be trust between you and the model, otherwise everything loses its meaning. During the shooting, it is important to create all the conditions so that the model feels as confident and calm as possible. For example, she must be sure that no one will unexpectedly enter the room, etc. Naturally, there should be no extra people present during the shooting. To make the model feel more confident, it is useful to have a mirror of sufficient size in the studio, in which the model could see herself directly during the shooting.

The best subject to start with would probably be the author's wife or girlfriend. The difficulty of photographing loved ones or relatives lies in the fact that they have developed certain stereotypes towards the author (and vice versa), which can interfere with the successful completion of the plan. This means that we will have to overcome these stereotypes.

If this is the model’s first shoot of this kind, then it is wise to start with a portrait, gradually moving on to more nude poses.

Many of the photographers who shoot in the “Dichavicius style” use mostly non-professional models for shooting, since what is primarily required here is not the longest legs or a wasp waist, but sincerity and purity. Love your model and idolize her, then you simply cannot take bad pictures.

While one model may look very good in nature, another, “urban” one, will simply be unable to feel comfortable in such an environment and therefore the shots will be unnatural at best. Ideally, for each location shooting you need to look for “your” model.

In order for the model to show her individuality during the shooting, give her this opportunity! To do this, you don’t need to put strict boundaries on the model and command it. Just watch and observe. Many people are very constrained in life, and sometimes they have to spend a lot of effort to get the model to “switch on” to the state the author needs. One of my friends, who photographs girls in nature, gives them time to walk alone in nature to get a feel for the situation and acquire the appropriate mood. In any case, it is very desirable to most accurately convey in the photo the author’s vision and mood, what the author admires at the moment.

Sometimes it can be quite difficult to shoot professional models if she shows dead learned poses and you want to show her as an individual. In such cases, you should have a “conversation” with the model so that she tries to get out of her head what she was taught that may be a hindrance to your shooting.

When photographing people, you always have to take into account various human characteristics (character, mentality, taste, etc.). It must be said that the ability to interact with people for a photographer is no less important than the ability to shoot. Humor and patience are the main qualities that allow you to achieve your plans.

Legal "aspects" of creativity

We all live in a state and therefore are automatically subject to the laws in force on its territory. For a photographer shooting nudes or just people, it's a good idea to keep the following in mind.

The right to one’s own image is a personal non-property right of citizens, protected by civil legislation (Article 2, 150 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation). Reproduction and distribution (including publication) of images of citizens without their consent will be a violation of this right.

The most reliable way to resolve this problem is to issue written permission for the RIGHT TO REPRODUCT AND DISTRIBUTE THE IMAGE of this person. The fact of paying a remuneration to a photo model for a photo shoot does not confirm the right to distribute the image, but may only mean payment for her working time. Conversely, the right to distribute the image may be granted free of charge.

Citizens under 14 years of age are considered incompetent, from 14 to 18 years of age - with limited legal capacity. Thus, the right to depict them (and especially their naked bodies) should be obtained from their legal representatives (parents, guardians, trustees). Otherwise, the case may move into the sphere of criminal proceedings (a number of articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, for example, Art. 132, which provides for liability for violent acts of a sexual nature, including (Part 2) committed against a person known to be a minor).

How to photograph people

There are several purely technical points that are good to keep in mind when photographing people, and, in particular, nudes:

When shooting full-length or so, it is not advisable to use a shooting point higher than the model (unless special effects are required), as this will lead to shortening of the legs and distortion of the body proportions in the picture.

If your model's legs aren't long enough or you want her to appear even longer in the photo, use low points. You can also achieve interesting shots by combining wide-angle photography with a low-angle lens.

Often, when photographing people, they use optics ranging from 50 or 85mm, and if they use 50mm lenses, it is usually when shooting full-length. It should be taken into account that lenses with short focal lengths distort more the linear dimensions of the object being photographed. Therefore, if some part of the model turns out to be a little closer to the lens when shooting (for example, the nose or part of the hand when shooting portraits), then this part will appear larger than it actually is, which usually confuses the viewer and does not look very aesthetically pleasing . This is why portraits are classically shot at focal lengths of 50 and 85-135mm. Although everything should be approached creatively, because... In art there cannot be rigid “dos” and “don’ts.” That's why it's art.

If you want to emphasize the volume of a model’s breasts, you should not lay her on her back. Ask your model to strike a variety of poses and you'll be able to find a variety of interesting camera angles yourself. When shooting, carefully ensure that there are no folds in the skin (most often on the stomach or around the waist due to excessive rotation of the body). The ribs showing through the skin look quite unsightly, so if you want, say, to emphasize the shape of your breasts with a curve, then you shouldn’t overdo it.

Sometimes you can very successfully use when shooting anything that comes to hand and is typical for the place where the shooting is taking place. This could be daisies growing nearby, trash in the basement of a house, a mop that came to hand, etc. It is also good to have with you a certain supply of various kinds of items that may be useful during filming. For example, pieces of transparent material, various kinds of decorations, artificial flowers, etc. It is often appropriate to show the relationship between the model and her environment in a photograph; this gives the photograph liveliness and dynamism. The photographs of Helmut Newton, who loved to photograph people in the midst of some suitable disorder (for example, his photographs of Pina Bausch or Grace Jones und Dolph), are very indicative here.

do not forget to remove watches and jewelry from the model before shooting, if necessary.

watch the background, don’t let the horizon line cut your head off from your body, don’t let trees grow “out of your head,” etc. You should also evaluate the brightness and color of the background so that the photo turns out to be technically competent! To assess the spread of brightness of the model and background, it can be useful to measure the brightness of the light for the model and background separately.

Be creative with your use of depth of field. If you need to separate the model from the background, use telephoto lenses with a focal length of 100mm or more. You can get interesting shots by focusing on certain parts of the body and shooting at an open aperture with high-aperture optics.

very often photographs are cropped in such a way that people “have somewhere to look”, i.e. In the direction of view, empty space is usually left.

They use portrait photography in profile, frontal, rear and three-quarters. You can also often find an interesting shooting point well above eye level.

Turning the head of the person being portrayed means a lot. It is advisable to use shooting points where the face looks best.

Reflections in the eyes are a very important element in portrait photography. It often looks unnatural when multiple light sources are reflected in the eyes. Conversely, the reflection of one flash enlivens the portrait, adding sparkle to the eyes. Sometimes a weak flash is used for this purpose, which has virtually no effect on the light pattern, but produces glare in the eyes.

Often in portrait photography, relatively small apertures are used to achieve a shallow depth of field. In this case, the focus should be on the eyes of the person being portrayed. With this approach, it is easy to hide small skin defects, if any.

Many people don’t have a very beautiful nose in profile, so keep an eye on this when taking pictures. In general, you should carefully study the model before shooting and decide which side it looks best from. You can ask the model to tell you about your shortcomings so that there are no unnecessary disappointments after the shoot (although over time you will learn to see the “critical spots” yourself).

watch the shadows! The eye sockets should not “fall in”. The shadows of the nose and chin should not be too sharp. Often in color photography, lighting is used so that the contrast on the face does not exceed one stop.

It's worth using fill flash or a reflector to highlight shadows and lower contrast.

choose the right time of day and/or weather for filming.

Traces of underwear usually remain on the body, so when shooting nudes, the model should be undressed 20-40 minutes before shooting. To make her feel comfortable, you can give her some kind of jacket or loose cape.

When shooting, it is useful to use music that suits the mood and genre of shooting

If possible, study what has already been achieved by photographers and painters. You should not necessarily try to repeat their works, although copying in itself is a very difficult task.

If you're shooting nudes for the first time and your knees are shaking, don't worry, that's normal. Apparently, it makes sense to warn the model that this is your first shoot of this kind.

What should I take with me to an outdoor shoot? As a rule, the minimum kit should include a camera with a flash (or a reflector instead of a flash), a good lens (usually a telephoto lens) and enough film. Sometimes it's useful to grab a tripod. You may need something warm to temporarily shelter the model from the cold, but the clothing should be loose and easy to shed. When filming outdoors, it is advisable to take with you a remedy against flying blood-sucking insects. In this case, it is better to use spray products in cylinders. It is a good idea to take some food and a plastic water bottle with you. Have your model bring a reasonable amount of makeup.

and most importantly, photograph the way you like. After all, this is exactly what everything was started for...

Personally, my favorite lens when photographing people is an 85 or 90mm lens. A lens with such a focal length allows you to shoot both a half-length portrait and a full-length portrait, without having to step far back. The 85mm lens allows you to separate the model from the background, and at the same time show the environment in which the model is located (especially good when shooting outdoors). Optics with a focal length of 100mm or more make the image too flat for my taste. It should be remembered that any lens distorts the image around the edge. This effect is usually almost invisible when using telephoto lenses and is most noticeable when using wide-angle lenses. Therefore, when photographing people with optics with a focal length shorter than 70mm. try not to place anything at the very edge of the frame that could be spoiled by this kind of distortion.

Often, when shooting outdoors, film with a sensitivity of 400 is used. It is quite difficult to imagine how it is possible to shoot, say, in a forest, even in the summer during daylight hours, with amateur zooms with an aperture ratio of 5.6. It’s good to have optics with a fixed focal length in your arsenal, especially since such optics (in addition to high aperture) usually work better against light, have better optical characteristics (and often their own pattern), etc. Plus, by using prime lenses, you'll be able to feel the frame much better and be able to think more (since instead of mindlessly turning the zoom ring, you'll be using your feet and looking for the best vantage point).

It is very good to have fast optics for filming, since often beautiful natural light can be quite weak, and using a flash ruins everything, since the flash gives flat, unnatural lighting. Sometimes a fast standard lens and 400 film (or higher) are the salvation of a photographer who does not want to spoil the beauty of natural light with flash.

B/W or color?

Many nude photographers use black and white photography. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, black and white photography is traditional and the nude or portrait in black and white has a long tradition. Secondly, when using black and white materials, the photographer receives more degrees of freedom (since in black and white photography there are a huge number of creative techniques that are, in principle, impossible to implement in color photography), and therefore more scope for creativity. Thirdly, color when filming acts is usually excessive and is a distracting factor that prevents you from focusing on the essence of the work. Although, of course, the choice of “b&w or color” always remains with the photographer.

It so happens that nowadays it is much easier for an amateur photographer to take a color photograph than a black and white one. However, in my opinion, a fairly small percentage of photographers who shoot in color make good use of color in composition. I think in this regard, it will be useful for the reader to get acquainted with the work of photographer Uwe Ommer, for example, with his album “Black Ladies” published by Taschen, which, according to the author, is not just a work of art, but also an excellent example of the use of color in photography in general and when shooting nudes in particular.

Photo materials

In this section I will try to characterize some photographic materials and their combinations that can be used for shooting, based on my experience. Moreover, if with color materials everything is more or less clear, then in black and white photography there are extremely many film/developer combinations that can give different results.

Black and white films.

Perhaps no other black and white film has generated as much controversy as the Kodak T-MAX. From unconditional worship and admiration, to statements that ultra-modern hi-tech film containing little silver, in principle, cannot give anything good. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. Kodak T-MAX films are indeed very specific and require precise exposure and processing.

Many photographers working with this material do not use the T-MAX at its nominal sensitivity. To obtain excellent results, it is usually overexposed (to one stop) and developed softer (i.e., development time is reduced, see Kodak F-32 for exact data). Kodak in its technical documentation indicates the need for this approach when printing on a condenser enlarger (more information about black and white photography is written in Consumer No. 10, 1998).

(Apparently, it’s worth clarifying that enlargers on which you can print black-and-white photographs can be of two fundamentally different types. The first type is condenser enlargers, in which light from the lamp passes through a lens system - a condenser, and then hits the negative. The second type of enlarger is an enlarger with a diffusion light source (usually all enlargers for color printing are of this type.) For black and white photography, the difference between these enlargers is that condenser enlargers generally require less contrast negatives, and diffusion enlargers require more contrast ).

Different developers develop T-MAX differently, just like any other black and white film. It seems to me that the most universal developer for T-MAX is D-76 (or its analogue from ILFORD ID-11). At the same time, good results are obtained when using D-76 in a 1:1 dilution (one-time use, i.e. the solution is poured out after use). This combination gives high sharpness and satisfactory tonal gradations.

The T-MAX developer is quite good, and perhaps even better than others at taking advantage of the advantages of T-MAX film. When using a combination of T-MAX with T-MAX developer, grain is practically invisible to the eye at a magnification of up to 30x40 from 35 mm film, but this combination does not provide high sharpness. Of course, this is not always a bad thing, and when shooting portraits and nudes it can be a desirable quality.

Some photographers successfully use FX-1 and FX-2 developers, which provide high contour sharpness and good gradation in the bright parts of the image. The composition of FX-1 is simple and you can prepare it yourself.

The combination of T-MAX + Rodinal diluted 1:50 gives very pleasant tonal gradations, while the resulting sharpness is not maximum, however, it seems to me that with portrait photography "just right".

T-MAX and Kodak XTOL developer work well together, the grain is very fine, but the sharpness is not maximum. The structure of the grain is a little unusual (say, compared to what the classic D-76 produces), the grain is not pronounced and a little “soapy”.

T-MAX films require precise exposure and processing conditions, and slight deviations from these can cause significant deterioration in the quality of the negatives.

The closest analogue of films from the Kodak T-Max family are ILFORD Delta Professional films. It should be noted that these films are not so capricious in processing and usually the image obtained from them is more plastic. The grain of Delta films may be slightly larger than that of T-Max, but still noticeably less than that of classic (non-T-Grain) materials. Some photographers feel that Delta films are somewhat inadequate in reproducing the light tones of human skin.

Fuji Neopan Professional films are well suited for nude photography due to their rich tonal gradations. They are usually shown in D-76 or its modifications.

These films are characterized by the fact that they are made using conventional, not “T-Grain” or similar technology (more information about T-Grain technology is written in Consumer No. 10, 1998) and contain more silver. It should be noted that the listed Kodak films are the most “ancient”, and therefore the range of compliance with the law of interchangeability (you can read about the law of interchangeability in Consumer No. 11 for 1999) is less than that of other films.

The listed films can be developed with anything, D-76 or ID-11 is often used. The PMK developer is popular in the West, giving, among other things, very good gradations in the light areas of the image (which is important when shooting nudes). Agfa films are optimally developed in Rodinal.

There is a unique film for fashion photographers (i.e. photographers who shoot fashion), Kodak Tri-X Pro Pan 320 (not to be confused with the film of the same name, but with a sensitivity of 400), which has the coarsest grain in its class, and with the richest tonal gradations. It is this film that Helmut Newton shoots on and believes that only this film properly conveys the plasticity of the human body. It should be added that such film comes only in wide form (type 120) and is not yet available in Russia.

It should be said that the vast majority of modern black and white films have increased sensitivity. Of course, if you shoot the film "at par" you will get a completely satisfactory result, but if you still want to get well-developed deep shadows, then the film is usually overexposed and slightly underdeveloped. By the way, using this technique usually produces negatives with normal contrast (for printing on a condenser enlarger), while using the manufacturer's recommendations will produce high-contrast negatives in most situations.

In the West, infrared materials are widely used for nude photography, which have an interesting and unusual tonal rendering. However, unfortunately, infrared materials are not yet sold or processed in our country.

Color films.

Any color film can be used

, anything, the main thing is that the material is of high quality. My personal favorite negative films from Fuji are Superia Reala 100, NPS 160 and NPH 400.

Superia Reala has an “optimistic” view of the world, giving bright, vibrant colors, however, without excessive contrast, often inherent in amateur films. This film has exceptionally fine grain and high sharpness, making it easy to produce large prints.

Fuji NPS 160 film is primarily a portrait film (although it can be successfully used in other areas of photography). With reduced contrast and soft midtones, it is especially suitable for romantic portraits of women. Portraits shot with this film look great to me.

Fuji NPH 400 is also a fairly soft film, has very fine grain (for a film of its class) and can be recommended wherever shooting is carried out in low light conditions. It should be noted that NPH film is particularly sensitive to underexposure.

Of course, the choice of film (and developer) seems very important, but it is still not the most important thing, and therefore the main effort should not be focused on this. Learn to work with one material to understand the intricacies of its processing and begin to “feel” it.

Some standard lighting schemes

Lighting is one of the most important aspects, because photography is light painting. Poorly placed lighting can completely ruin the entire shoot, even if the most luxurious model took part in it. And vice versa, with good control of light, even a not-so-beautiful model can be photographed very beautifully, focusing on her best features and hiding her flaws. For example, the shape of a model's breasts can be emphasized by using harsher lighting from the side or even from above.

The types of lighting used when shooting in black and white and when shooting on color film are different. When shooting B&W, you often use fairly contrasting light, sometimes even from one direct light source. In general, playing with contrasts is often used in black and white photography. When shooting on colored materials, on the contrary, softer and even light is usually used, and the contrast on the face and body does not exceed one step.

Let's look at outdoor photography first. As a rule, rarely does anyone dare to photograph people under direct bright sun, since this creates very deep shadows on the body (and especially on the face), which look unaesthetic. Therefore, care should be taken to avoid the appearance of such shadows.

One way to "brighten" shadows is to use fill flash. Fill flash is a technique that involves using natural light and flash light simultaneously and in a balanced manner. In this case, the flash usually does not make the main contribution to the exposure, but only reduces the contrast on the face and “fills in” the shadows. Using fill flash requires some skill as the flash output must be precisely adjusted. If the flash power is incorrectly set to a lower value, the flash will not give the desired effect. Too powerful an impulse will overexpose the foreground, and the background will fall into darkness. As always, the best results are obtained by using a flash meter and/or manually calculating the flash power.

Typically, the flash output is set to about one or two stops less than natural light. For example, if metering a scene gives an aperture of 16, then the flash power is often chosen so that it gives an aperture of 8 - 11. It’s not bad if your flash “knows how” to synchronize with all shutter speeds processed by the shutter, however, you need to remember that the flash power in the mode high-speed synchronization drops significantly.

Fill flash should be used with caution, as possible glare (on skin, clothing, tights with lycra, etc.) can ruin the photo.

Another way to shoot in the sun is to use reflectors. There are special reflectors, also called light disks, which are an elastic rim on which a special fabric is stretched. This design can be folded quite compactly and, if necessary, unfolds almost instantly. The stretched fabric is usually different in both directions, for example, pure white and silver, or white and warm yellow. Reflectors of this type are very practical, however, in order to hold such a reflector, an assistant or a special tripod is required, which is not always convenient. But the light disk (unlike the flash) is a predictable light source, i.e. already during the shooting you know exactly what will happen in the photo. In cinema and professional photography, a flash or reflector is used very often, and in almost 100% of cases in contrasting lighting (the most striking example is shooting on the seashore).

A very important point is the choice of time of day. It is good to use the morning or evening for filming, when the sun is not high above the horizon and the light from it is not so harsh. The light from the evening sun has a very pleasant warm tint to the eye.

During the day, you can successfully shoot in the shade (for example, trees), but there is quite a bit of light, and you often have to use 400 film.

Grass can give quite noticeable reflexes (their intensity depends on many factors, for example, the height of the sun); Such reflexes are usually green in color and can slightly spoil the picture when shooting on color film.

If we talk about indoor shooting, there are also different lighting options. The simplest thing is to use a flash. I note that I have not yet encountered photographers who like to use flash voluntarily. The fact is that the flash is a rather limited light source (in terms of both quantity and quality of light), and what is most unpleasant is unpredictable. Those. if you did something wrong, you will only be able to find out about it after the film has been developed (when it is too late to correct something).

Direct head-on flash is used very rarely in art photography, as it produces very “flat” lighting and unpleasant sharp shadows. Sometimes, to obtain so-called shadowless light, a ring flash attached to the lens is used, but this option is quite specific and cannot be recommended as a universal one.

When shooting portraits with flash, he often uses special diffusers (for example, from Lumiquest) mounted on the flash. They can be very different, ranging from white visors to mini-softboxes or special inflatable balls, inside of which the flash is placed. However, all the same, these types of diffusers produce harsh light and work effectively only at short distances. In addition, diffusers “eat off” a lot of power from the flash (up to three stages, depending on the type of diffuser).

A flash can never have too much power, so whenever possible you should use the most powerful flash available, with a head that can be rotated in any direction. This will make it possible to use light reflected from the ceiling or walls.

When using flash light reflected from the ceiling, the contrast will not be as high and the picture will be more pleasant. However, keep in mind that using this type of lighting may make the bottom of the photo appear too dark. The ceiling or wall from which the flash light is reflected must be white (at least when shooting with color film), otherwise the color balance of the photo will be far from ideal.

Window light is sometimes used (although usually quite little). This is a very pleasant and even type of lighting, and most importantly natural, since this is what the eye is most accustomed to.

Of course, the most interesting option for indoor shooting is studio shooting. Although, of course, few amateurs can afford such luxury.

Modern studios are usually equipped with pulsed light. This means that special powerful flashes are used as light sources, and halogen (sometimes ordinary) “pilot” lamps are used to simulate the light (all this is done in one unit). Typically, the power of the pilot lamp is made proportional to the power of the flash, and the photographer can use the pilot light to estimate in advance the light pattern produced by one or more sources. Sources can be triggered either via a synchronizing cable or by using a light “trap” (light synchronizer). Those. the sources track the light pulse given, for example, by the flash on the camera and fire simultaneously with it. Some types of such illuminators also have the ability to be triggered via an infrared channel.

Of course, for amateur photography you can use less expensive options. For example, these are halogen lamps (say, the “Photon” type). When using halogen lamps with black and white film, there are no problems, but when shooting in color, special conversion filters are used or a special “evening” photographic film with the index “T” in the name of the film is used.

You can also use multiple coordinated flashes. For example, some models of domestic FIL-type flashes have built-in light synchronizers. It should be noted that FIL-type flashes have certain problems with pulse power stability and reliability (etc.), so they are often subject to serious modifications before they are used.

You can use any other flashes and synchronize them using synchronizers sold separately. There are flashes that screw into a regular cartridge and are also equipped with synchronizers.

Generally speaking, it is very difficult to imagine the light pattern that several flashes will produce, even using a flash meter.

Typically, when photographing people in a studio, the following lighting scheme is used - one source ("drawing") through an umbrella, softbox, fabric or directly shines on the object, and the second source (it should be diffused, for example a white umbrella or softbox) "fills" the shadows. Wherein. Often, the key light source is placed above and away from the subject, and the fill light shines from the camera, smoothing out harsh shadows. They also use just one light source, or one source with a reflector/reflectors, etc. There are an endless variety of lighting schemes beyond the scope of this article, if you are interested, please refer to the relevant literature.

Low key & High key

Low Key and High Key are translated into Russian as “low key” and “high key”. Shooting “high key” means shooting when the entire photograph is taken in a light tone, usually everything is low-contrast and soft, there are no deep shadows at all. Low key, on the contrary, implies a predominance of the dark tonality of the photo.

High-key shots typically involve multiple light sources, some of which are directed at the background and make it pure white or almost pure white in the photo, while the model itself is also illuminated from all sides, often with soft diffused light. The model, naturally, should not be dressed in dark, much less black, clothes. To achieve a more pronounced effect, some deliberate overexposure is done (usually about one stop) to further brighten the photo.

To achieve low key images, use a black or dark background, dark clothing and appropriate lighting schemes. I have seen recommendations for the use of deliberate underexposure, but this is extremely controversial, since general underexposure will simply lead to the failure of shadows and a decrease in the contrast of the image. Low key is, first of all, correctly constructed and measured light. Apparently, in most cases, metering should be done on the most illuminated part of the composition.

About photographic equipment

Of course, you can photograph people with almost any camera. Of course, the medium format results in higher image quality and, importantly, allows you to better convey the plasticity of the light-tonal pattern of the human body. On the other hand, narrow-film technology is very convenient due to its efficiency, and sometimes, thanks to this circumstance, it turns out to be completely out of competition compared to medium format equipment. With the right approach, a 35mm camera provides good quality in many cases.

After light and the ability to use it, the quality of the optics is very important. It is completely ridiculous to argue which is better - Canon or Nikon, or, say, Mamiya or Pentax. The optics should be such that it turns out beautifully. You can use softening, vignetting (i.e. darkening the edges of the frame), spectral and other filters. A monocle or special soft-focus lenses also provide very interesting shots. Don't forget about the easiest way to soften the image - simply pull a piece of black nylon stocking over the lens.

One way to get “something unusual” in a photo is to shoot on slide film and develop it using the C-41 process. This procedure is called "cross process". Cross-processes result in “non-standard” colors and contrast. So if you like all kinds of experiments, you can try this technique. The main thing is not to overdo it with special effects, when there are a lot of them they are tiring.

The technique is just your working tool for taking a picture, nothing more (and nothing less). The main thing in photographing people is to convey the state, to show the beauty of a person and his inner world. Everything else is secondary.

I wish you all success in this difficult field of photography!

Alexey Nikolaev

You can get acquainted with the work of the most interesting professional photographers on the page

(Chinese prince of oxen) - in Chinese mythology, the god is the patron saint of oxen and cows. His images were hung near the barnyard.

Nyugandat – Dahl's Dictionary

olon. to screw up the arch.-whom. from Karelian mumble, speak quietly or sluggishly; | to sneer, to sneer. Nyuganda vol. nyugandun m. mummy; goon, goon.

Nygorsvoll –

(Nygaardsvold) Johan (1879-1952) - Prime Minister of Norway in 1935-45 (in 1940-45 in exile in London), leader of the Norwegian Workers' Party.

Nyudurguns – Dahl's Dictionary

m. pl. (pull? or from Mongolian?) Transbaikal. sleeve cuffs.

Nyu-wa – Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

in Chinese mythology, a female deity with the body of a snake who created people from clay. Fu-si's wife. Often depicted with Fu-xi, intertwined snake tails.

Nyuk – Dahl's Dictionary

m. arch. The top cover of the Samoyed chum is made of reindeer skins, with the wool facing out.

Nyukzha – Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

river in Transbaikalia, right tributary of the Olekma. 583 km, basin area 32.1 thousand km2. Average water consumption approx. 310 m3/s.

Nux – Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

See Nikta.

Nyukta – Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

See Nikta.

Nurses – Dahl's Dictionary

and. pl. jowls, jowls, lips: saggy, drooling lips; saliva flowing down the lips. hang up, sit with your mouth open, sluggishly, lazily; dissolve the nurses the same; | burst into tears, cry or roar childishly. hang up, think, get bored, become sad, hang up. to roar, to roar, to drink, to cry uncontrollably; whine, whine sib. Nurse vol. sib., crybaby, roar, whiny child; | a sluggish open mouth, a stupid mouther. Nyunka tamb. Sparganium plant, blackberry, cardover. | Semolina grass, water wheatgrass, Festica fluitans, the seed of which produces a tasty cereal, herbal manna.

Nyunka Vladas Yuozovich – Philosophical Dictionary

(1907-1983) - owls. scientist, academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Lithuanian SSR. Author of a number of books, brochures and articles devoted to criticism of modern times. clericalism, ideology and politics of Catholicism. Basic works: “National Liberation Movement and Religion” (1972); "The Modern Vatican" (1980).

Nurse – Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

Thor is a crybaby

Nyura – Dahl's Dictionary

and. olon. with Corels. underwater stranded Nyuriki m. mi. arch. summer leather shoes, pistons.

Nuremberg – Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

(Nurnberg) - a city in Germany, Bavaria, on the river. Pegnitz and the Main-Danube Canal. 497 thousand inhabitants (1992). Electrical engineering, machine tool industry, precision mechanics, non-ferrous metallurgy, woodworking, printing, light industry, food industry; production of toys, pencils. Metropolitan. German National Museum. City art collection, museums of crafts, toys, House-Museum of the German artist A. Durer (b. in E). Sser is mentioned. 11th century In the Middle Ages (from 1219) a free imperial city. Castle (started in the 11th century), late Gothic churches (13-15 centuries), town hall (14-17 centuries). In 1945-46, the trial of the main war criminals took place.

Nuremberg Citizenship and Race Laws – Historical Dictionary

(Ghetto Laws), adopted by the Reichstag on September 15, 1935, were two laws that determined the status of Jews in the Third Reich with the aim of limiting their rights in the political and social life of Germany. The first of these, concerning citizenship in the Reich, introduced a distinction between “citizens of the Reich” and “those belonging to the state.” Citizens of the Reich had to document that they had German blood in their veins, because only they could enjoy political rights to the extent that these rights existed in the Third Reich. The second law for the "protection of German blood and German honor" prohibited marriages between Jews and Germans, as well as extramarital sexual relations between them. On his way to power, Hitler constantly fanned a vicious anti-Semitic campaign (see Anti-Semitism), not disdaining any methods, he tried to fuel German hatred towards Jews. Hitler's supporters attacked Jews, beat them, humiliated them by forcing them to wash the streets, picketed or closed Jewish businesses, and declared Jews to be swindlers, speculators and traitors. After reports of Nazi brutality against Jews were published abroad, German goods were embargoed in many countries. As a result, a new wave of anti-Semitism broke out in Germany: Jewish-owned shops were closed, Jewish doctors and lawyers quit their jobs, and Jewish students were expelled from universities. Gradually they were excluded from all spheres of life. “A Jew can only speak Jewish,” Hitler declared. “When he writes in German, he lies.” The Nuremberg Laws laid the foundation for various executive orders which, with sadistic pettiness, "regulated" but actually made more difficult the living conditions of the Jewish population of Germany.

Nuremberg Party Congresses – Historical Dictionary

Annual pompous propaganda events held by the NSDAP in 1933 - 38 in Nuremberg in order to demonstrate “national unity” in the Reich. They were given various names: “Congress of Victory” (1933), “Congress of the Reich” (1934), “Congress of Freedom” (1935), “Congress of Honor” (1936), “Congress of Labor” (1937), “Congress of Greater Germany” (1938). The congress planned for 1939, ironically called the “Peace Congress,” did not take place due to the German attack on Poland and the outbreak of World War II.

Nuremberg Trials – Legal dictionary

The trial of the main Nazi war criminals, held November 20, 1945 - October 1, 1946 in Nuremberg. 24 Nazi leaders appeared before the International Military Tribunal. The defendants were charged with planning, preparing, unleashing or waging an aggressive war with the aim of establishing the world domination of German imperialism, i.e., crimes against peace; in the killing and torture of prisoners of war and civilians of occupied countries, the deportation of civilians to Germany for forced labor, the killing of hostages, the looting of public and private property, the aimless destruction of cities and villages, devastation not justified by military necessity, i.e. war crimes; in extermination, enslavement, exile and other cruelties committed against the civilian population for political, racial or religious reasons, i.e. crimes against humanity.

Nuremberg Trials – Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

the trial in Nuremberg (Germany) in 1945-46 of the main Nazi criminals, which was carried out in accordance with an agreement between the governments of the USSR, USA, Great Britain and France and the charter of the International Military Tribunal. Almost the entire ruling elite of Nazi Germany was in the dock - leading Nazi politicians, industrialists, military leaders, diplomats, ideologists, who were accused of crimes committed by the Hitler regime. The Tribunal had to consider the issue of recognizing the organizations of the Hitler regime - the leadership of the Nazi Party, SS, SA (assault troops), Gestapo, etc. - as criminal. The indictment was based on the concept of a common plan or conspiracy formed by the defendants to achieve world domination by committing crimes against peace, war crimes or crimes against humanity. Among the defenders were prominent German lawyers. None of the defendants pleaded guilty. During the Nuremberg trials, 403 public sessions of the tribunal were held. The accusation was based mainly on German documents. The accused and their lawyers sought to prove the legal inconsistency of the Tribunal's Charter, blamed Hitler, the SS and the Gestapo for the crimes committed, and made counter-accusations against the founding countries of the Tribunal. The final speeches of the chief prosecutors were based on general principles. At the end of September - beginning of October 1946, the tribunal announced a verdict, which analyzed the principles of international law, the arguments of the parties, and gave a picture of the criminal activities of the entire state over more than 12 years of its existence. The tribunal sentenced G. Goering, I. Ribbentrop, W. Keitel, E. Kaltenbrunner, A. Rosenberg, G. Frank, W. Frick, J. Streicher, F. Sauckel, A. Jodl, A. Seyss-Inquart and M. Bormann (in absentia) - to death by hanging; R. Hess, W. Funk and E. Raeder - to life imprisonment, W. Schirach and A. Speer - to 20 years, K. Neurath - to 15 years, K. Denitsa - to 10 years in prison; G. Fritsche, F. Papen and G. Shakht were acquitted. The Tribunal declared the SS, SD, Gestapo, and leadership of the National Socialist Party (NDSAP) criminal organizations, but did not recognize the SA, the German government, the General Staff and the Wehrmacht High Command as criminal. A member of the tribunal from the USSR, R. A. Rudenko, stated in a “dissenting opinion” that he disagreed with the acquittal of the three defendants and spoke out for the death penalty in relation to R. Hess. After the Control Council for Germany rejected the convicts' requests for clemency, those sentenced to death were hanged in Nuremberg prison on the night of October 16, 1946 (G. Goering committed suicide). was an adequate response to the atrocities of fascists and militarists, unprecedented in world history, and became an important milestone in the development of international law. The court completed the military defeat of Hitlerism with a moral and legal defeat, and created a barrier to the revival of fascism in the future. For the first time, officials responsible for planning, preparing and unleashing aggressive wars were brought to criminal responsibility. For the first time, it was recognized that the position of the head of state, department or army, as well as the execution of government orders or a criminal order do not exempt from criminal liability. The Nuremberg principles, supported by the UN General Assembly as generally accepted norms of international law, have entered the consciousness of most people. They serve as a basis for refusal to carry out a criminal order, and warn of the impending responsibility of those leaders of states who commit crimes against humanity.

Nuremberg Trials – Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

trial of the main Nazi war criminals. Held in Nuremberg 11/20/1945-10/1/1946 at the International Military Tribunal. The highest military and government figures of Nazi Germany were brought to justice, including G. Goering, V. Keitel, E. Kaltenbrunner, A. Jodl, A. Speer, J. Schacht, G. Krupp; 12 people were sentenced to death, 7 to long terms or life imprisonment. The following were considered criminal: the leadership of the National Socialist Party and the security (SS) detachments of this party, the Security Service (SD), and the state secret police (Gestapo). exposed the essence of German fascism, its plans for the destruction of entire states and peoples, the danger of fascism for all humanity. At the Nuremberg trials, for the first time in history, aggression was recognized as the gravest crime against humanity.

Nuremberg Trials – Historical Dictionary

trial of the main Nazi war criminals in Nuremberg (Germany) 11/20/1945-10/1/1946 at the International Military Tribunal with the participation of representatives of the USSR, USA, Great Britain, and other countries of the anti-Hitler coalition. Among the defendants are G. Goering, W. Keitel, E. Kaltenbrunner, A. Jodl, A. Schneer, J. Schacht, G. Krupp. 12 people were sentenced to death, 7 to long terms or life imprisonment. N.P. exposed the essence of German fascism, its plans to destroy entire states and peoples, and the danger of fascism for all humanity. At N., for the first time in history, aggression was recognized as the gravest crime against humanity.

Nuremberg Trials – Historical Dictionary

Trial of the main Nazi war criminals in Nuremberg 11/20/1945-10/1/1946. at the International Military Tribunal. The highest military and government figures of the Third Reich were brought to justice, including G. Goering, W. Keitel, E. Kaltenbrunner, A. Jodl, A. Speer, G. Schacht, G. Krupp and others. 12 people were sentenced to death executions, 7 - to long terms or life imprisonment. Recognized as criminal: the leadership of the NSDAP and the SS security detachments of this party, the SD security service, the state secret police of the Gestapo. For the first time in the world, aggression is recognized as the gravest crime against humanity.

Nuremberg Trials – Historical Dictionary

The trial of a group of major Nazi criminals, which took place in Nuremberg (Germany) from November 20, 1945. to 10/1/1946 at the International Military Tribunal. As a result, 12 criminals were sentenced to death. It was the first international trial to punish war criminals and recognize aggression as the gravest crime against humanity.

Nuremberg Trials – Historical Dictionary

The trial of the main fascist war criminals. Held in the city of Nuremberg (Germany) November 20, 1945 - October 1, 1946. Senior military and government officials of the Nazi regime were brought to justice. At the trial, the following were recognized as criminals: the leadership of the National Socialist Party and its security detachments (SS), the Security Service (SD), and the state secret police (Gestapo). 12 people (G. Goering, E. Kaltenbrunner, A. Jodl and others) were sentenced to death, 7 to various terms of imprisonment (including life). At the Nuremberg trials, for the first time, aggression was recognized as the gravest crime against humanity. The trial was carried out by the International Military Tribunal, created by the Allies.

Nuremberg Trials – Historical Dictionary

The trial of a group of major Nazi war criminals. Held in Nuremberg from November 20, 1945 to October 1, 1946. The highest state and military leaders of the Third Reich were put on trial: Hermann Goering, Rudolf Hess, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Wilhelm Keitel, Ernst Kaltenbrunner, Alfred Rosenberg, Hans Frank, Wilhelm Frick, Julius Streicher , Walter Funk, Karl Dönitz, Ernst Raeder, Baldur von Schirach, Fritz Sauckel, Alfred Jodl, Arthur Seys-Inquart, Albert Speer, Constantin von Neurath, Hans Fritsche, Hjalmar Schacht, Robert Ley (hanged himself before the trial), G. Krupp (was declared terminally ill and his case was suspended), Martin Bormann (tried in absentia because he went into hiding and was not found) and Franz von Papen. All of them were charged with forming and carrying out a conspiracy against peace and humanity (killing and ill-treating prisoners of war, killing and ill-treating civilians, looting public and private property, establishing a slave labor system, etc.). The question was also raised about recognizing as criminal organizations such as the leadership of the NSDAP, the assault (SA) and security detachments of the Nazi Party (SS), the security service (SD), the state secret police (Gestapo), the government cabinet and the general staff. During the trial, 403 open court hearings were held, 116 witnesses were questioned, numerous written testimonies and documentary evidence were considered (mainly official documents of German ministries and departments, the General Staff, military concerns and banks). To investigate and support the prosecution, a Committee was formed of the main prosecutors: from Great Britain - H. Shawcross, from the USSR - R. A. Rudenko, from the USA - Robert H. Jackson, from France - F. de Menton, and then C. de Ribes . On September 30 - October 1, 1946, the verdict was announced. All defendants except Schacht, Fritsche and von Papen were found guilty of the charges and sentenced: Goering, Ribbentrop, Keitel, Kaltenbrunner, Rosenberg, Frank, Frick, Streicher, Sauckel, Jodl, Seys-Inquart and Bormann in absentia - to death by death. hanging; Hess, Funk and Raeder - to life imprisonment; Schirach and Speer - to 20, Neurath - to 15, Doenitz - to 10 years in prison. The SS, Gestapo, SD and the leadership of the NSDAP were recognized as criminal organizations. The convicts' requests for clemency were rejected by the Control Council, and on the night of October 16, 1946, the death penalty was carried out (Goering committed suicide shortly before his execution).

Nuremberg Trials – Political dictionary

The trial of a group of major German war criminals took place in Nuremberg (Germany) from November 20, 1945 to October 1, 1946 at the International Military Tribunal. The defendants (members of Hitler's government, leaders of the fascist party, Gestapo, General Staff, etc.) were accused of crimes against humanity, violation of the laws and customs of war. 12 criminals were sentenced to death, 3 were acquitted, and the rest were sentenced to prison. N.P. had great historical significance - it was the first international trial to recognize aggressive war, war crimes and crimes against humanity as the most serious international crimes and punish war criminals.

Nuremberg Trials – Economic dictionary

The trial of the main Nazi war criminals. Before the International Military Tribunal (created in accordance with the Declaration on the Responsibility of the Nazis for the Atrocities committed on October 30, 1943, adopted at the Moscow Conference in 1943, and the Agreement between the governments of the USSR, USA, Great Britain and France on the prosecution and punishment of the main war criminals of European countries "Axis" dated 08.08.45) 24 fascist leaders appeared. In accordance with the principles of the Charter of the International Military Tribunal (also known as the principles of the Nuremberg Tribunal), which is an integral part of the Agreement or08.08.45, the defendants were charged with planning, preparing, unleashing or waging an aggressive war in order to establish the world domination of German imperialism, those. in crimes against peace; in the killing and torture of prisoners of war and civilians of occupied countries, the deportation of civilians to Germany for forced labor, the killing of hostages, the looting of public and private property, the aimless destruction of cities and villages, in devastation not justified by military necessity, i.e. in war crimes; in extermination, enslavement, exile and other cruelties committed against the civilian population for political, racial or religious reasons, i.e. in crimes against humanity. In connection with the crimes of the defendants, the Tribunal had to consider the issue of recognizing the organizations of the Hitler regime as criminal. The defendants had German lawyers of their own choosing or as appointed by the Tribunal; Eight German lawyers separately acted in defense of the organizations. During the trial, 403 open court hearings were held, at which, in addition to the defendants, 116 witnesses were questioned, tens of thousands of written testimonies and over 4 thousand documentary evidence were considered. On 07/30/46 the speeches of the main prosecutors ended, and on 09/30–10/01/46 the verdict was announced. The Tribunal found the defendants guilty of conspiracy to prepare and wage aggressive wars, of criminal aggression against Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Yugoslavia, Greece, the USSR and a number of other countries; in committing countless war crimes and grave atrocities against humanity. The Tribunal sentenced G. Goering, J. Ribbentrop, W. Keitel, E. Kaltenbrunner, A. Rosenberg, G. Frank, W. Frick, J. Streicher, F. Sauckel, A. Jodpä, A. Seyss-Inquart and M. Bormann (in absentia) - to death by hanging; R Hess, W. Funk and E. Roeder - to life imprisonment; B. Schirach and A. Speer - to 20 years, K. Neurat - to 15 years and K. Doenitz - to 10 years in prison. The case of G. Krupp, broken by paralysis, was suspended, R. Ley committed suicide in Nuremberg prison. G. Fritsche, F. Palen and G. Schacht were acquitted. The Tribunal declared the leadership of the National Socialist Party of Germany (NSDAP), SS, SD and Gestapo to be criminal organizations, but did not recognize the SA as such, etc. Hitler's government, the High Command and the General Staff, indicating that members of these organizations could be brought to the soup individually. A member of the Tribunal from the USSR, in a dissenting opinion, stated his disagreement with the decision of the Tribunal not to recognize these organizations as criminal and with the acquittal of Shakht, Palen and Fritsche. The convicts filed petitions for clemency. After the applications were rejected by the Control Council, those sentenced to death, with the exception of Goering, who committed suicide, were hanged in Nuremberg prison on the night of 10/16/46. N.p. for the first time in history recognized aggression as the gravest international crime. In accordance with the principles of the Nuremberg Tribunal, for the first time, those who were the main perpetrators of aggression were brought to justice.

Nytten Joseph | Nuttin, Joseph R. (1909-1988) – Psychological Encyclopedia

Nytten was one of the first psychologists to formulate an integrated cognitive theory of human selective learning. He is also known for his theory of human motivation as behavioral attitudes "required" for optimal functioning.

Nude photography has a long history as a provocative art form. The human body itself is a beautiful creation whose complex shapes, smooth contours and unique features make it a stunning subject to photograph. However, the photographer needs to be careful about how to achieve the intended aesthetic presentation in his images while maintaining a professional approach. Always plan ahead, use a wide variety of photography techniques to capture the beauty of your subject, and make sure she feels comfortable at every stage of the process.

Steps

Part 1

Preparation

Find a model willing to go nude. Your first priority is to find someone who will agree to do nude photography. Try to communicate with women who are interested in modeling and are interested in photography as an art. If you don't have such contacts, you may be able to hire a model through a professional modeling agency. Before using the services of such agencies, make sure that you are able to pay for them.

Have an idea of ​​what you want to achieve. Before you get excited about the idea of ​​​​starting taking photographs as soon as possible, you need to clearly mentally imagine your idea and how to implement it. Think about what kinds of thematic elements could be used, and also consider technical aspects, including possible camera angles, lighting ideas and shot selection. The worst thing you can do is start nude photography without preparation. There must be an invisible atmosphere of trust between the fashion model and the photographer, and if a girl has to undress in front of an unprepared amateur photographer who doesn’t even have any idea in her head, it will not be easy for her at all.

Find a suitable location for photography. Keep an eye out for eye-catching locations that might be good for nude photography. The visual intrigue of your chosen location should do justice to the beauty of your subject. Natural landscapes including fields, forests and bodies of water are a popular choice as they complement the natural beauty of the naked body. However, you can also choose industrial sites, urban buildings and any other interesting places as a background.

• Avoid public areas and places where you will be watched or disturbed.
• If you need permission to take photographs in a specific location, please complete all formalities before taking photographs.

1. Set a time and place for a preliminary meeting. Set up a preliminary meeting with the model to discuss the details of the photo shoot. Invite her to lunch, coffee, or a visit to your studio for a friendly chat. Try to break the ice between you before you get down to work. When the time comes to take your camera out, you will already be familiar enough and will be able to communicate with each other more comfortably.

   • Be sure to outline your concept so the model has an idea of ​​what to expect. Don't be afraid to ask the model about her views on what you have in mind.
   • Use this time to assess the model's comfort level with the idea of ​​future shoots. Get to the main point and initiate a dialogue with questions: “Would you mind if...? How would you feel about...?”
   • A preliminary meeting is not a date. Do your best to help the model relax, but maintain an appropriate professional attitude towards her.

   Part 2

   Photography

   1. Pay special attention to lighting setup. Distribute the light sources so that they highlight and accentuate the natural shape of the model. If you're shooting in the field, this could be the soft diffused light of a sunset, or it could be a more pronounced balance of light and shadow for contrasty black and white photos. Your lighting should be in harmony with the model's shape and pose so that you can get the most aesthetically pleasing photos.

      Experiment with different photography techniques. Until your photos become known for their own distinctive style, don't be afraid to experiment with different compositions, filters, lighting, and so on. Each of your models will be unique, so each of your photographs should be somehow different from the others. Be thoughtful and take the time to capture every nuance of your subject, location, lighting, and action.

      • Mix different techniques. For example, include a few black-and-white photos in a photo lineup of rich color shots, or find other ways to incorporate different thematic elements into your photo shoot.
      • Think about what you can do to improve the appearance of your photos (without changing them too much) when editing.

   2. Don't be afraid of spontaneity. You don't have to stick too strictly to pre-set plans. While it's important to have certain ideas in mind, improvisation can give you fresh and exciting images. Sometimes the best ideas come by accident, when you're just fooling around. Who knows, you might have a breakthrough if you just let things take their course.

      • Instead of strictly adhering to a sequence of preconceived poses, let the model move and pose freely while you photograph as much as you can. If there is nothing worthwhile in the frames, you can easily delete them later, but you may end up with one or two truly special photos.

   3. Don't feel like your photos have to be very revealing. Shake up lifeless photos with clever ways to hide or play up your subject's beauty. Use minimalist accessories (scarves, jewelry) to cover intimate areas of the body, or shoot the model from an unusual angle or while interacting with furnishings, taking into account spatial perspective. The purpose of nude photography is not always to show the female body in every detail. Sometimes the fewer, the better.

   Part 3

   Treat the model with respect

   1. Give the model some privacy. Provide your model with a private place where she can undress and prepare for the photo shoot. This way she won't have to undress in the field right in front of you and the rest of your team. Anyone would feel uncomfortable taking off their clothes completely in front of spectators. Remember that the model's comfort is of paramount importance, even if she has been nude hundreds of times before.

      • It would also be a good idea to prepare a robe or other comfortable clothing that the model can throw on if she gets cold while you are getting ready for the next series of photo shoots.
      • Be prepared to clear the area of ​​excess personnel and begin working with the model one-on-one if she doesn't like the idea of ​​having a large crowd around.

   2. Try not to touch the girl. As a photographer, you must be aware of your intentions and be able to give clear instructions so that the model can realize them. This does not mean that you can treat the model as if it were an inanimate object. Be clear in your instructions on how to do what, rather than trying to pose the model yourself. Even if your intentions are not bad, touching a girl in any way while she is completely naked can be misinterpreted.

      • Make it a rule to keep your hands away from the model, unless she herself asks you to help her take or reproduce a certain pose.
      • A nude model is not a prop. Remember that the woman you are photographing is also a person who has every right not to be touched without permission.

   3. Cooperate with the model. Give the model some freedom in how she poses. Encourage her to contribute her own personality to your project. It's likely that this won't be her first nude photo shoot, so with her experience and knowledge of her own body, she'll have a better idea of ​​what looks best in photos. Feed off each other's ideas and draw inspiration from them.

      • Make sure the model will agree to your requests before demanding them.
      • Working with a model who knows how to help you make your vision a reality can be a very rewarding experience.

   4. Conduct yourself professionally. Your interest in nude photography should be solely due to the fact that you see beauty, mystery and great expressiveness in the naked human body. Take the model seriously, perceive her as an experienced master of her craft with her own considerations. Never joke about her body or make suggestive or judgmental remarks. If you offend the model, she will begin to have a negative attitude towards working with you.

      • If you seriously upset the model, she may be downright critical of your talents and advise others not to work with you either.
   • Try to make the photography process fun and good-natured. This will help build trust, lift spirits, and create a more pleasant social atmosphere.
   • Prepare a playlist with your model’s favorite music to make her feel more relaxed and confident during the photo shoot.
   • Ask your model to come to the shoot in loose clothing. This will avoid unsightly marks on the body from tight outfits.
   • When you're done taking photos, use a photo editor to improve the appearance of your photos, as well as remove any obvious flaws in your photos.
   • Ask your model to apply a thin layer of oil to her skin. A light shine will highlight the contours of the body and help achieve maximum results from the lighting.

   Warnings

   • Ask the model for her opinion on editing her body features in photographs. Some models are more tolerant of this than others.
   • Be sure to ask your model for permission to touch her or film her in a new position.
   • Before posting photos, make sure that the model has nothing against other people seeing her photos.
   • Do not do anything to overstimulate the model during or outside of the photo shoot.

I decided to dilute my series of articles on photographic equipment with articles on shooting techniques. It seems like both techniques, but the essence is different.

And most importantly, the purpose of the article is for you not to forget about the second component of a successful photo shoot - the skill of the photographer. Good photographic equipment alone is not enough for a beautiful photo. You also need to be able to use existing equipment.

There is also an article by L on photographing nudes, which uses completely different equipment.

Today we will look at several “classic” nude shooting schemes. You can shoot as you like, but you should start with simple and effective lighting schemes, which were invented long before us.

But I won’t copy-paste anything. I'll tell you about my experience. As illustrations I use unsuccessful frames or crops of successful ones. I will add full-size successful ones when I have the appropriate model release (I will take a special photo shoot for this article, otherwise the photos belong to those who paid for them and cannot be used for illustrations).

Classic lighting schemes for nude photography

Black on white;
- white on black;
- With ;
- in backlight;
- ordinary portrait.

All of these schemes are high contrast, so there is no goal here to show all the details, on the contrary, you need to focus attention where it is needed and hide what needs to be hidden.

The remaining options are essentially regular portrait photography, but without clothes.
Yes, it’s worth noting here for shy ladies: Nude - photography without clothes. WITHOUT. CLOTHES. Neither bra nor panties remain. Surprisingly, there are still shy girls today. With the Internet filled with this material “I just don’t want to”...

To make a girl feel relaxed, it’s a good idea to take a bottle of Martini with you. And you don’t need to get carried away, remember why you came. Also, depending on the age of the lady, marks from clothing may disappear in 15 minutes or less. Make sure there are no rubber bands pressed into your model's gorgeous body. It’s better to wait until they disappear than to painfully retouch them later. Try to avoid retouching as much as possible.
Don't take the designers' bread :)

Lighting scheme - Black on white

black on white scheme

In this case, we are shooting against the background. Due to the high brightness difference, our model will be black and the background will be white. To the left and right of the model there will be areas highlighted by the edges of the softbox. The more the edges of the softbox go to the left and right (assuming symmetrically), the larger and softer these gradients are on the skin on the sides of the model.

Rotate the model so that the light draws out any protruding shapes, showing that the subject is three-dimensional and not flat.

rotate the model

Please note that not all models are flexible and plastic. Sometimes you have to twist for quite a long time and adjust the model to your taste. Here you need to take into account all the shortcomings of the model’s figure and its advantages.

If you wish, you can highlight the model a little from the front, but not as is sometimes recommended, with a strip from the front to the bottom, but more carefully. Light a standard “pot” or beauty dish into a reflector. Then you can adjust the front lighting more carefully.

Lighting scheme - White on black

In this case, we are shooting against the background of a softbox. The central part of the softbox, behind the girl, is screened with black velvet or black paper. There should be black stripes left and right, otherwise the light will enter the camera and the background will not appear black at the edges.

Just like in the first case, turn the girl and watch how the light is distributed. Move it closer or further from the background to make the white stripes on the sides of the skin wider and softer or smaller and harder.

lighting scheme "White on black"

Lighting scheme - with organza

lighting scheme using organza

Behind the organza there are two “burners” with curtains and foil filters. In this case, different (blue and red). In front, slightly to the left and above - “”.

Lighting scheme - Backlit

Light from the window behind the model, strip lighting in front. Also, in strong light from the window, you can highlight it with a reflector, but then the body will only be guessed.

I don’t have any examples for this scheme. If you send your example, I will be grateful.

Lighting scheme - regular portrait

In this case, there are fewer artistic techniques, so interior details are usually added.

Afterword

Many photos are still not taken in the nude genre, as such, but only with a hint of nude. I also like this option, as it leaves a mystery and allows a beautiful girl to be presented in a beautiful “packaging” :)
Ideally, you should experiment first with clothes on, and then, as the model relaxes, without clothes. As a rule, good pictures are obtained in both options at once.

Model Release

In this genre of photography, the signature of the model plays an important role. Model Release. Today the model is a young unmarried girl. And tomorrow she will marry an oligarch (she’s also a model :)) and demand that you remove the photo from your portfolio website. So, before shooting nudes, always sign a model release, which allows you to use photographs from this photo shoot in the quality in which it is intended.

Payment for a fashion model

The market for the services of fashion models, as well as photographers, in our Russian Federation is chaotic. For this reason, if you find a good model, pay her as decently as possible. Pay not for the fact of shooting nudes, but for artistry and willingness to collaborate for the sake of interesting photographs.

The theme of nudes has been popular since ancient times, even before the invention of photography. At all times, the beauty of the naked body has aroused admiration. Here we will look at photographing the naked female body and give you tips from experts to help you get started in the art of nude art. Plus you'll get a free posing guide.

Start: Finding a Model

Perhaps the biggest problem is finding a model willing to pose nude. If you're lucky, it might be one of your friends, but this rarely happens. The best way is to look for local models on reputed sites such as http://www.modelmayhem.com/, http://www.purestorm.com/ and http://www.onemodelplace.com/. These sites are meeting places for photographers and models. You can usually find a local model willing to do a TFP shoot.

If you go this route, you need to be clear about what is expected from both parties, especially if there are no financial obligations. Experienced models will most likely not agree to work on TFP terms, however, if you want to build a good portfolio, it is worth considering investing some money in it. It's less about finding models who enjoy posing nude and more about finding the right body type for artistic nude photography. You need to carefully study the model's portfolio before inviting her to shoot. There is a noticeable difference between models shooting primarily in the glamor genre and in the nude genre.

Choosing a studio for shooting

You don't need a huge studio to take good nude photographs, but you do need to have enough space to place a couple of lights and a background, and be far enough away to capture the whole subject without using a wide-angle lens. A medium-sized living room practically meets the minimum requirements. We rented one of the studios in Reading for the day. There are many studios in the UK that offer similar services. Many also offer a one-day course in nude photography and will find a model for you. Prices and terms vary, but on average expect to pay £50 per hour for a studio and model. If you are on a budget, you can split the cost with one of your colleagues or friends who would like to join you.

Lighting for nude photography

Studio lighting can seem very complicated to the uninitiated, but now with the ability to view the image and histogram on the camera screen, everything is much simpler. The lighting tips below are a good starting point, giving you three basic patterns for setting up your lights. If you're new to the studio, start with simple patterns - you'll be surprised at how creatively you can use a single light source and reflector. Once you're comfortable with one source, move on to more complex options such as high and low key

If you don't have your own lighting kit, there are places you can rent one. For example, at http://www.theflashcentre.com/ you can rent a two-pack Elinchrom 300RX for just £14.

However, studio lighting is optional. Daylight from a window, ideally facing north, will help take great photos. Even using a regular on-camera flash can be a good alternative.

It is better to use simpler lighting schemes whenever possible. You don't want to miss interesting moments to shoot by constantly adjusting the light? Before the model arrives, you can try out your lighting ideas on a clothed assistant, then you will be fully prepared for the shoot and will not waste time. Try not to worry and stay calm when taking pictures.

Basic lighting scheme for nudes

This diagram is a good starting point for artistic nude photography. Two light sources are directed at the model at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. It is better to place the main light slightly above the model. Its power should be greater. The second source is a fill source, its intensity should be less and it should be positioned lower. If you only have one light source, use a regular reflector.

Lighting for High Key Photography

To create soft, even light, place two softboxes directly in front of the model. One should shine from above, its power is higher. The other softbox is located at the bottom and has a slightly lower power (shell design). Using two additional lights, light the background so that it becomes pure white. To separate the model from the background, use two large black panels on the sides. This will create a slight shadow along the outline.

Lighting for Low Key Photography

Basic equipment for the studio

There are many starter kits that you can buy from online stores. For example, the excellent Apollo Pro Line 300. The following equipment is usually included in the kit:

Studio flashes have controls on the back. You can control the power of the pulsed and modeling light. Modeling light allows you to evaluate the light pattern on your model while setting up your setup.

An umbrella comes standard with most kits. It comes with silver, gold and white coating, for reflection and for transmission. Easily attaches to the flash.

Softbox

The softbox also attaches to the flash and produces soft, diffused light. They come in different shapes and sizes. Provides more controlled light than an umbrella.

Stances matter a lot. Flashes are attached to them. The stands are telescopic, which allows you to adjust the height of the source. To improve stand stability when using heavy flashes and attachments, use a counterweight.

Art nudes are often shot in monochrome, so you can use simple backgrounds of black, white or gray paper. To achieve a deep black background, it is best to use natural black velvet.

Lenses and Camera Settings

For these shots we used three lenses for the Nikon D700 full frame camera. These are Nikon AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR, Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4 G, and Nikon 60mm f/2.8 Macro. The wide end of the 24-120 lens was good for full body shots, and the macro lens was great for close-ups. But our favorite lens is the 85mm f/1.4. The excellent quality of the optics makes it ideal for this type of shooting.

When working in a studio with flashed light, use M mode.

For most photos we used an aperture of f/8 and a shutter speed of 1/200 sec. As a rule, lenses have better sharpness at this aperture. Obviously, flash exposure is created by a combination of flash power and aperture. To cut off the influence of external constant lighting in the studio, you need to use a fast shutter speed, usually no longer than 1/100 sec. But do not exceed the sync speed.

A tripod is not needed for studio photography, since a very short flash pulse is guaranteed to “freeze” the subject. Therefore, you can move freely and take pictures from different angles.

Your first nude shoot

The studio has been chosen, the model has been found, now it’s time for creativity.

If you're renting a studio and paying models for every hour they work, you don't want to waste time wondering what to do next. Besides ruining the creative process, it looks unprofessional. So make a plan in advance. It doesn't matter that you may deviate from it during the shooting process, as long as it is there. Work smart. For example, if you plan to take pictures with three schemes on a black background and two on a white background, do so so that you only change the background once.

There's nothing worse than wasting time in post-processing to remove various defects. The most unpleasant from this point of view are traces from the elastic bands of the laundry. They disappear after quite a long time, so it is better if your model comes to the shoot in loose clothes without underwear. Experienced models do just that. It is better if, after arriving, the model immediately takes off her clothes and puts on a soft robe, so that possible traces of clothing are guaranteed to disappear. Make sure. that the model feels comfortable when shooting.

As with all genres of photography, good composition is an important element of a good nude photograph. The same general rules, such as the rule of thirds, can be applied to nude art photography. This creates a visual sense of harmony in the frame. Look at the beautiful shapes that are created using nudity and light. Don’t be afraid to deviate from the rules when necessary if this will improve the photo; don’t take advice as dogma.

When you frame your shot in the viewfinder, get into the habit of running your eye around the perimeter of the frame, assessing the overall framing and pose of the subject. The slightest change in angle or tilt of the camera can make a huge difference in the picture. Don't be afraid to take a lot of photos, moving around and changing the shooting point and pose of the model. Stock up on memory cards, they are inexpensive these days.

Poses for nude photography

We invite you to download our free nude photography guide - it has great tips on getting started and basic poses. In order to get the most out of it, you first need to understand a little theory about setting up the model.

Let's start with the concept of "contraposto". It is a term borrowed from art that refers to the human body. Contrapposto (from Italian. contrapposto- “opposite”) a technique for depicting a figure in art, in which the position of one part of the body is contrasted with the position of another part. For example, the upper part of the body may be shown in a turn, the lower - frontally, the weight of the body is concentrated on one leg, while the other is free, although not separated from the floor.

If we look at works of classic art, for example, the sculpture David by Michelangelo or modern fashion magazines, we will see contrapposto everywhere. Understanding the principles of contrapposto is the key to creating a beautiful pose, even if you shoot the model from the waist up, it is still important to pay attention to the position of the model's legs. This is important because the position of your legs determines everything else, including the position and posture of your upper body.

It is better to avoid direct eye contact when shooting art nudes, since direct gaze is more associated with glamor or beauty. However, this rule can also be broken if a direct gaze works well with the idea of ​​the photo.

Black and white photographs

Monochrome is often used for nude art photography as the removal of color information helps focus attention on line, shape and texture. To make it easier for you when shooting, if you want to take black and white photos, switch your camera to monochrome mode. This way you can avoid being distracted by color and focus your attention on the lighting.

As long as you're shooting in RAW, switching your camera to monochrome mode won't affect your image in any way, you'll just see a black and white image on the camera screen. This means that when you download it to your computer, you will see the original color image and during processing you will be able to get both monochrome and color versions.

Abstraction and details

Art nude is an art that glorifies the harmony of the forms of the human body. By focusing on specific parts of the body, using natural curves and contours, you can create interesting abstract images. For this, it is good to use one source of hard light that clearly draws lines and shadows. For the abstract photo above, we used a 60mm macro lens on our full frame camera, which allowed us to shoot both medium and close-up shots. Don't be afraid to radically crop the image when shooting, for example, completely eliminating the model's head from the frame. Abstract photography presents us with familiar shapes, lines and textures in such a way that we do not immediately understand what kind of object is in the picture.

Try high key nude photography

A good high key shot is not an overexposed image. You must skillfully show detail in the lightest areas as well, while keeping the tonal range as close to the highlights as possible. To make your task easier, use the histogram on the camera screen to guide you. Ideally, you should shift the histogram as far to the right as possible, without allowing clipping in the lightest significant areas (a white background is not a significant area). Turn on your camera's highlight warning when overexposed areas blink.

To create the high key shot, we used two softboxes in front, one above and one below, and a white background lit by two softboxes. When shooting in high key, there is a risk of losing the model's skin tones at the edges due to reflections from the background. To separate the model from the background, we used black screens on the sides. You need to place them as close to the model as possible, without getting into the frame. Black light absorbers will create a dark outline around the model. Additionally, separating the model from the background, they will create additional volume.

Lovely low key

Very often, art nudes use a low key tonal solution. Using a dark background and side lighting, you can create a beautiful play of light and shadow on the body, which emphasizes the beautiful curves and shapes of the figure.

The ideal material for creating a completely black background in a photo is natural black velvet. Natural velvet absorbs light unlike other materials. If you don't have velvet, you can use a black paper background, but you'll have to control the light more carefully to prevent it from reflecting off the paper.

Use understatement

The art of nude photography is quite subtle; quite often the photographer does not reveal all the nudity, but only assumes its presence. This is what distinguishes nude art from glamor photography. Partial concealment of the naked body implies mystery and significance, excites the imagination and forces us to mentally complete the picture. Turning the model's head or looking to the side or into the distance is a great way to add a sense of mystery. Or the model can direct her gaze downward, as in the photo above. Use the model's limbs to hide some parts of the body.

Get inspired

Browse the works of nude art masters. The most famous of them are Edward Weston, Bill Brandt, Man Ray. Contemporary photographers include John Swannell and Robert Mapplethorpe. Don't limit yourself to just photos. You can get ideas and inspiration from various works of art. A trip to an art gallery can be a good incentive.

Agreement with the model

If you are going to use photographs for various purposes, you need to protect yourself from any misunderstandings. To do this, you need to sign an agreement with the model (model release). Also ask the model to bring her passport to the shoot to ensure she is of age. While the copyright of the images always remains with the photographer, it is clear that the model will also want to include them in her portfolio if you work on a TFP basis (in a commercial shoot, the photographer is not obligated to give the photos to the model, he pays her money for it). This is completely fair, but it is advisable to make sure that the model signs you as the author of the photos and, possibly, places a link to your website.