INTRODUCTION introduction
For me, a successful image is one that has an immediate impact on the
viewer, that grabs their attention, and makes them dream, smile, think,
or simply enjoy it. I tend to think that technique, though important, plays
a more humble role: it is the servant of the image.
Photographic technique is like a language. The more refined your
language, the more subtly you can express yourself, but if you have no
story to tell, no feeling to get across, your words will remain hollow. So
my focus in this book is to make you aware of the artistic implications of
your technical choices, rather than to discuss the
photographic technicalities as such. There are
plenty of tips to improve your pictures, but it’s
mainly a guide for training your eyes to look at
nudes with a photographic understanding.
Positioning your model with side light to sculpt his
or her body with light and shadows, for example, has nothing to do with
your equipment, but everything to do with understanding the possibilities
and uses of light; where you place your model in the frame reflects your
understanding of composition; guiding your model into expressing the
atmosphere you want to create is all about your vision and communication
skills; and so on. And you can work on all these elements with even the
most basic of cameras.
Once you’ve read about the history of nude photography, the many
ways you can sharpen your vision, and how to bring a particular look and
feel to your image, and when you’ve considered the postproduction
techniques you might to choose to apply and looked at the gallery of how
other photographers have approached this branch of photography, there
is a final chapter yet to be written—by you. I can only offer you a book full
of photographic ingredients, and tips to help you discover more. Learn to
choose them carefully, and to find the perfect mix for your images. Enjoy!Pascal Baetens