An NSFW Fine Art Nude Photoshoot

There are plenty of photographers who do fine art nude photography.  You can tell it's "fine art" because the model is not smiling... seriously!   Well, maybe that's a slight over-simplification, but what definition would you use for fine art nude photography?

Another common characteristic of fine art nude photography, is that the model is placed out of the usual context. Instead of being nude in her boudoir, in her bath or with her lover, she is standing nude in a forest, on a deserted city street, or in an empty factory.   If those locations are not available, you can pose her in front of a featureless background and still call the resulting image an art nude if the lighting is dramatic enough.

Just for fun, I decided to do my own "Beyond Boudoir" style of photoshoot that could be undeniably labeled "fine art," so here's what I did.   I contacted a friend who is a painter and asked if I could shoot in his studio surrounded by his works of fine art!   And just to make sure, I even took one shot where the model was not smiling!   

Who can argue with that?

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon EF 50 1.2 L, F/1.2, ISO 800, 1/100 sec.

The photo above would probably be a big hit on Model Mayhem, but to me it looks like she's thinking, "This photographer is sooo... annoying, why did I agree to work with him?"   I really prefer smiling models in my portfolio, because it looks like they enjoyed shooting with me!

All the photos you see were captured using available light (and with minimal post-processing in Lightroom.)  One of the great things about art studios is that they always have nice window light, which is wonderful for photos of people if you know how to use it.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon EF 50 1.2 L, F/2.8, ISO 400, 1/100 sec.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon EF 35 F/2 IS, F/2, ISO 100, 1/30 sec.

If you check the exposure data on the shot above, you will notice that I used the stabilized lens at 1/30th, a bit slow for me, but there is no loss of sharpness.  This 35mm prime is great for full body portraits under available light.  They say this lens has some vignetting wide open, but I wanted more so I added some in Lightroom.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon EF 35 F/2 IS, F/2, ISO 200, 1/30 sec.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon EF 50mm F/1.2 L, F/2, ISO 200, 1/50 sec.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon EF 50mm F/1.2 L, F/2, ISO 200, 1/50 sec.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon EF 24-70 L II @35mm, F/2.8, ISO 400, 1/50 sec.

Window light does tend to be pretty blue, so you have to adjust the color balance to your own taste.  If you compare the photo above and the one below, you will see that my mood shifted slightly while I was working in Lightroom. :)   Generally, I feel most viewers of nude images prefer a warmer look.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon EF 24-70 L II @50mm, F/2.8, ISO 400, 1/50 sec.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon EF 50 F/1.2 L, F/1.2, ISO 200, 1/40 sec.

OK, enough with the art studio.  The next three photos were taken in a different part of this old historic brick building in Portland, Oregon.  There were no big windows to flood the room with light, just small windows that gave a more directional light.  We had to be careful, as this area was used to store all sorts of odd stuff and debris.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon EF 50 F/1.2 L, F/2 ISO 400, 1/100 sec.

The photo above uses the small window as a back light, which makes the hair the center of attention.  I wanted a little light on the face, so I picked up a broken piece of white painted wallboard with nasty nails sticking out and carefully held it up with my left hand while holding the camera in my right.  Then we moved away from the window to a pretty dim area of the room.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon EF 50 F/1.2 L, F/1.2, ISO 1600, 1/100 sec.

These last two photos are far from any window and I had to push the ISO up to 1600 on my trusty 5D Mark 3.  I tried the backlit hair trick, but this far from the window it didn't work.   You can see where the window light is behind the model.   And yes, that is a Christmas tree back there!

Fortunately, there was a second window behind me that provided enough indirect light to illuminate the model.  I forgot to ask my artist friend about the odd sculpture, but I think it may be a fish - or not.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon EF 50 F/1.2 L, F/1.2, ISO 1600, 1/100 sec.

If you are interested in a sexy photoshoot of your own, please contact me here.

If you are a photographer and want to know more about Chrissy, our lovely model, you can find here here on Model Mayhem.  She really is quite talented and well worth her modeling fee.  Check her out, she may be traveling to your area!