SAMPLE THREE: FROM
THE NUDE CATEGORY: ONE OF 15 PHOTOS IN THIS CATEGORY
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BASICS: The "Torso"
1. For
color prints, use daylight print film, ASA 100. For color slides,
use daylight slide film, ASA 64 or 100.
2. Use a shutter preferred
speed of 1/125 second. On automatic cameras the meter will set
the f-stop for the prevailing light.
3. Picture: Nikon, 105mm
lens. Fujichrome 100, 1/125 second at fll. |
| OVERVIEW |
| Nude studies need not be limited to full figures.
In fact, there are no rules or limitations to photographing the
nude. Tight compositions concentrating on aspects of the human
form can be most revealing as well as aesthetically pleasing
to the eye.While you are shooting, let the pose of the model
and the lighting suggest the cropping or close-up composition
you choose. In the example here, a nude with arms raised exposes
the line of the body to great advantage. The medium close-up
which eliminates the head and arms draws interest to the beautiful
torso, promoting a mood of strong eroticism. Shadows are sharply
defined, forming a patchwork design of their own on the body
which adds to the stylized look. |
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| CREATIVE HINTS |
Cropping for a medium close-up, such as the
torso picture here, takes practice. Many photographers are good
at getting very close to a subject for an extreme close-up, but
have trouble creating a medium close-up that combines details,
shape, and lighting effects into one compact composition. Usually
they include too much extraneous detail, or crop just a bit too
tightly. Here, I've gotten in quite close to the model, keeping
the surroundings and background to a minimum to avoid distracting
the eye from the main subject. But I haven't gotten too close.
The entire torso is included and I carefully incorporated some
of the garden flowers. To decide on your exact composition, scan
the image in the viewfinder with great care. Don't forget to
run your eye around the edge of the frame to assure getting just
the right amount of peripheral detail. Finally, evaluate the
depth of field with the camera's preview button while looking
through the viewfinder. An aperture which is too small will cause
too much depth of focus leading the background to conflict with
the main subject. To minimize that confusion, use a wider aperture
(with the correct shutter speed).
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The
Nude
Patterns
