Pascal Baetens. Nude Photography. The Art and The Craft. 2007

110 exploring techniques

positioning the model

one of the first things to consider when you are taking

a photograph is where in the frame you are going to position

your model. should he or she be small or large, centrally

placed or to the side—or even partly out of the frame?

Working with a tripod may help you search for the

composition, especially if you want to include particular

elements of the background; set up your camera, and then

adjust your model’s position in the frame. Alternatively, you

can move your camera while the model remains in position.

in this case a tripod can be a disadvantage, as it slows

down proceedings and potentially disrupts communication

between you and the model. i avoid using a tripod as much

as i can, as i prefer to be able to move around quickly and

easily, and keep the model’s attention focused on me.

Central framing

Daisy is placed in the middle in a symmetrical

position. the background is framing her, but it

is not important; the upward composition of her

arms attracts attention to her face, making a

strong connection with the viewer.

This image has been flipped to make it work

better with the adjacent images. When you are

hanging a set of photographs, remember to

consider them in relation to each other.

Daisy has a very symmetrical face, so few

people who know her would notice the change.

Cropped framing

Again, Daisy is placed centrally, but now she

is so dominant in the frame that the top of her

head is cropped, making her seem very close.

As Daisy now occupies nearly all of the frame

her environment is of no importance.

This image is more restless than the one on

the left. her whole body demands the viewer’s

attention, with a triangle formed by her red lips

and nipples and another, inverted, triangle from

her nipples to her belly button, emphasized by

the shadow slanting down her body.

Asymmetrical framing

here Daisy is positioned in the right-hand third

of the frame, which is visually the strongest part

of the image.

Her environment is now visible, but the light

falling on her keeps her the main focus of the

viewer’s attention.

She now appears more detached from the

dark green wall, an effect heightened by her

pale skin. the subtlety of the colors gives the

image the resonance of a classical Flemish

or Dutch painting.