Beyond the Nude

It's merely coincidence that I am reviewing two books on nude photography one right after the other. This one is a very different take on the nude form than the other one. When you think nude image you probably don't see beyond that-a nude person, however this book does see beyond that. A considerable amount of time and thought went in to the creation of these images especially, I think, the ones done on film. The lighting is carefully done to accentuate the curves of the women's bodies and is quite beautiful. After reading this I would like to give myself a challenge to create a more artistic photograph, maybe someday with a nude as well.

Seriously don't judge a book by its cover, or its title for that matter

Ok so the title of this book is Creating Erotic Photography- find models, choose locations, design great lighting, and sell your images by Richard Young. Now I put off reviewing this for a bit thinking that the title meant it would be somewhat in the porn realm and out of my comfort zone. However once I sat down and gave it a shot I learned it was less about the subject matter (nude women of course) and more about being a smart photographer and protecting your own behind. He mentioned paperwork that I had never heard of that appears to be fairly essential not just for a nude photographer but almost any type of photographer. He discussed being comfortable with your model and the mutual trust necessary for a project to be a success. Also a good portion of what he has to talk about can easily be applied to boudoir photography, which as you can see from my previous posts is something I'm beginning to delve into. There are some very beautiful photos that are most definitely fine art also. I'm happy I finally made the time to read this one.

Book Review Time

Its time for another book review. This one is Master Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers. I have read several other Chris Grey books and I really enjoy the way he writes. It's like he's right there talking to you. The first part of this book is a review of the basics of lighting equipment and the core setups most often used. Everyone needs a review of these every now and then. The second part, portrait lighting lessons, goes over specifics - certain equipment, types of portraits such as a business portrait and getting a certain look like a vintage portrait. There are of course a ton of pictures which is always good, especially for us visual people. It's also an all around good book to get ideas from. I plan on trying out the double key lighting in my next session. I'll be keeping this one around for reference for years to come.