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Posts Tagged ‘Fine Art Photography’

People generally agree that the nude female form is more beautiful than the male. The arguments generally cited for this include that women have more curves and less obvious musculature, or that male bodies are more ‘functional’. Whatever the reason, couple it with the fact that (particularly historically) most artists are male, and you have a large preference in photography for nude photographs of women rather than of men.

But what makes a good nude female photograph? There are three main principles.

#1: It should be interesting to look at

Nude photography is synonymous with that branch of photography known as ‘fine art’. Fine art photography can be defined as ‘photography created for no other purpose than because it’s interesting to look at’. As such, nude female photography is about presenting the female form in a way that is interesting.

In order to make an interesting image, nude female photography tends to favor black-and-white images that are full of light, shadow, shape, and contrast. There are usually carefully composed and lit in order to achieve this.

#2: It should be anonymous

Nude photography is not ‘about’ the person that is in the photo – in fact, the face of the model is often not even included in the frame. Contrast this with portrait photography, where the idea is to reveal or display something about the subject’s life or (more often) their personality. Nude photography is really the opposite of this, because it’s about the female form in general, not this person in particular. In nude photography, the person in the photo really serves only as an example of a category, with the category being ‘women’s bodies’.

#3: It should be non-sexual

While any heterosexual man would enjoy looking at nude photographs of women for reasons that not entirely dispassionate, there is still a difference between nude photography and erotic photography. While the difference might be a slight one, it’s all about intent. Nude photography fits that fine art definition of intending only to produce ‘something interesting’. Erotic photography, on the other hand, is intended to titillate or arouse the viewer, and might not be all that interesting.

Given that what is ‘non-sexual’ to one person might be sexual to another, it is of course impossible for a photographer to know whether their intent to produce a nude photograph rather than an erotic one will be recognized by the audience. For this reason, at least in Western countries, certain conventions (such as leaving the genital region in dark shadow) are followed to provide an indication of the intent behind the photograph.

Every photographer works from behind the camera lens, but that’s where the similarities end.  Depending on your focus and your interests, the context of your photography job can take you any number of places, working with any number of subjects.

Portrait Photography – if arrangement and pre-established poses are your forte, then portrait photography might just be the career for you.  Many photography students choose this path for its relative stability because there is never a shortage of clients searching for family portraits, class photos, or even more eccentric specialties such as pet photography.  Some hire themselves out to large, established portrait studios with impressive client lists and a long reach.  Others open their own businesses straight out of school and work as one-man or one-woman teams.  Portrait photographers can either choose to take their equipment to each job site or ask clients to come into a studio.

Wedding Photography – wedding photographers find a happy balance between static photography and the more dynamic, spontaneous sort.  As a wedding photographer, you’ll be taking plenty of posed shots just like a typical portrait photographer, but most couples also request your service during the ceremony.  You’ll be expected to record events as they happen-it’s your job to commemorate the little things as well.

Freelance Photography – these photographers establish their careers on a job-by-job basis.  You might be snapping shots of a crime scene or a riot for the local newspaper one day, and taking a drive to shoot mountaintop scenery the next.  Each individual job will define precisely what you do as a contract photographer, though most who end up in this field eventually concentrate their efforts around one specialty.  It can be a great way to explore a multitude of photography styles and opportunities while still getting paid.

Fine Art Photography – arguably the most difficult area to break into for a budding photographer, it can be a tough task to get your name out there.  You’ll need drive, energy, ability, and a good deal of luck to start down this path.  Once you establish a reputation, however, this career can be one of the most fulfilling as you make your living by following your artistic impulses.

Even in the midst of this financial crisis, there are options aplenty for those holding an art degree.  Don’t let stereotypes scare you away-with degrees in fields such as photography, graphic design, and fashion merchandising, there really is an incredible amount of versatility that opens up an impressive number of options.  If you have further questions about how to get these valuable degrees, just take a look around at Find Your Art School’s offerings.