In nude photography it is easy to focus primarily on the head of your model. But the nude body is as equally as important as the face and you should not divide your attention between the two.
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Hi Dan,
An excellent article as always and certainly learnt something new. The main thing I wanted to put over, is in relation to makeup and post production. To spend less time at the computer for correcting blemishes etc etc, have a look at this product I saw some time ago on a shopping channel of an amazing demonstration using a new makeup product by Sheer Cover Studio.
http://www.sheercover.co.uk/
Thanks for posting this one up.
Hi Roy,
thanks for your comment and input. I will ask a MUA about these products for her opinion as the product-line (idea, approach) looks indeed very interesting.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Dan and Chloe,
My training and general “modus operandi” is to get everything possible right before taking the shot. Leaving blemishes, bruises and perhaps certain skin colours for photoshop is therefore not quite the answer I expected, but I agree is makes good sense.
Thanks for an interesting article. I think if I have learnt anything its that communication with the model, detailing the planned shoot and making sure you know what the model looks like and that she meets your expectations before you start is almost more important than the shoot its self.
Regards
Alan
Hello Alan,
thanks for your comment.
Regarding “leaving bruises for Photoshop”: I think it really depends on the kind of production and time frame one’s in.
Just two days ago (commercial glamour production) I’ve had again a model with some blemishes on the leg (she returned from a beach shoot where she was ungently hit by a parasol…).
We had to produce 4 sets in 5 hours and to change the clothes/lingerie/outfit all the time. The facial makeup & hair styling took a load of time so we decided to skip the blemishes on the thigh as this is a fix that takes about 1 minute in Photoshop while we would have to wait 10 minutes on set (basic appliance) and every time she touches while changing styling another approx 4 minutes 🙁
You are basically right with your modus operandi. Just sometimes, circumstances or utilizing time for other details let us change our procedure.
Best,
Dan
Lots of great details to keep in mind… thank you Dan & Chloe!
Here’s a detail/tip that I learned from another photographer when shooting nudes on the beach… Have in your kit a box of clear, waterproof, large-size “elbow and knee” adhesive bandages (the kind used for covering/healing cuts and scrapes).
Ask the model to apply the bandage to cover that very sensitive area between her legs to help keep the beach sand out and reduce the chance for irritation later. I am told that this form of protection can be a girl’s best friend, when rolling around all day in the sand during a photoshoot… While the bandage is applied, there will be some limitations on poses and obviously adhesive bandages work best for models who have little or no hair.
The models I worked with in the gold and silver glitter theme shoots in the studio used this “band-aid fix” because glitter, like beach sand, seems to find a way to get stuck in some uncomfortable places when shooting the nude body.
Next to gaffer tape, this is a handy item to carry in your bag.
Hello Dana,
you are welcome!
Thanks for your tip regarding the adhesive bandages for a ‘on the beach’ shoot. I must admit that I have almost no experience in shooting in this settings. Really looking forward to get somehow the opportunity once to use this bandages 🙂
PS: I love gaffer tape! I will dedicate a blog post about this miracle soon;)
Firstly Dan Happy Birthday and I do hope that you are enjoying your name day .
As ever the comments and the blogs add so much – and I am learning more and more.
As to the latest blog I always carry two bottles of water, hand wipes, bay wipes, a towel , disinfectant spray, spray on plasters and all sorts of assorted bits and bobs .
But ultimately for a nude it has to be all about the model hopefully having flawless skin
I was wondering if have considered allowing those of us who follow you to have a gallery where we can upload our work and you and us can comment ( constructively of course) . I have recently had one of my images re-tweeted by the French lingerie company Maison Close and the inspiration for the image came from you ( and the comments from the firm are excellent)
Hello William,
thanks a lot for your hints!
Regarding a gallery/board: I am planning to implement a free members-area (101 course, posts, diagrams etc) which also will include a forum. This hopefully will happen around March 2014. I would like to strengthen the community’s communication and allowing discussions. The implementation certainly takes some times as it’s an additional engine and I want to do this properly to have a base for a lot more features later on.
In short: a gallery-forum will be coming definitely. And everybody will be able to join for free.
Congratulations for the re-tweet! Glad you get some inspirations here 🙂
PS: use meanwhile my G+ community to post your work (non-nude/implied nude photos):
https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/100243284468092219125
Hi William,
Stop by the Google+ community that Dan hosts and post your images. I’m always interested in what others that follow Dan are shooting. I’ve posted several of mine there, take a look… and join the group.
Interesting post. It’s definitely a good idea to ask about these fines details as experience as taught me that some models aren’t totally upfront about recent changes they have or will have made by the time you shoot them. I once turned up for a shoot to discover the model had had a spray tan the previous day and salon hadn’t allowed her to go fully naked for the spray. She had to decide if she wanted tan marks on the top or bottom half and she didn’t worn big pants to the salon so could put on a g string to minimise the spray marks. In the end we had to make the tan mark a feature of the shoot, but it did constrain the selection of clothing we could use.
Another thing you notice with spray tans is the model can sometimes get a white line under her buttock cheeks unless she takes the time to position herself to ensure that part is covered by the spray.
It’s a funny old game this photography business and you end up having conversations about strange things like light coloured nipples, tan lines in odd places, fluff in places it shouldn’t be, the effect of talc after showering, etc. It’s worth looking out for these small things as you can save yourself a lot of time in processing by taking an extra few minutes to check everything is fine before you start taking lots of shots.
The same goes for checking sets for drink bottles, reflections of random things including the photographer in mirrors or chrome furnishings, etc.
One of my favorite models is Augusta, a natural redhead with extraordinarily pale skin. Concurrent with her delicate skin, her areola are practically invisible under studio lights. With Augusta, anyway, I seem to have the opposite issue you discuss in your blog post. I have tried darkening them in post (using the burning tool), but they always look fake. So I use a light touch of blush (actually, I ask her to do it!) and that seems to do the trick. It helps that she is a highly skilled MUA herself.
The key is using a very subtle touch – sort of a “barely there” application of blush. We have worked together so much that she knows exactly how to apply a 50-pixel feathering.
Hey Allen,
Thanks for posting the shot and the detailed explanation – very interesting!
And I like the shot, skin tone, and photo look. It reminds me somehow on a classic painting.
Very accurately done and strongly expressive. Superb!
Dan,
Following up on my previous comment, several of our members have embraced the “get it right in camera” philosophy, including me. To be sure, the dodge / burn tool is a viable technique for those who are proficient with it and have the time to invest in post-processing. Whenever possible, I like to have the makeup do the heavy lifting as shown here with this image of Willa. A good MUA – one who understands the difference between photographic makeup and “street” makeup is gold, and Heather (my stylist) is detail-oriented enough to have contoured and blended Willa’s nipples and areola with great skill and credible results. Net effect: no retouching needed and countless hours of post-processing saved.
I’m not opposed to dodging and burning – I do it all the time. But when I can rely on model and makeup artist to team up, we are all winners.
Allen
Hey Allen, thanks for your POV and approach insight.
I totally agree that a good MUA is gold. When starting out here in Prague a decade ago I hadn’t had the best one in the very beginnings. So we did a shoot with a very pale redhead (Arielle). I asked the MUA to tone down the areola and the result after 10 minutes of work was – well – not that great. We ended up removing the “paint”.
Of course I’m now working with a MUA wonder (Aneta) but especially for this area I’m now used to just finish it up in post.
It takes me 10 second per photo so that’s no big deal for me as I’m not finishing up hundreds of photos from the same series.
🙂
Dan