Anonymity 1: Strength
THINKING:
As soon as we show a face in an image then it becomes a portrait. It becomes a study of the person.
To create a nude study we need to remove that personalisation from the image.
This is most simply done by hiding the face. This may be through posing, cropping or props.
I think of myself as a nude portraitist. Most of my images include the face and a sense of personality.
The more traditional art nude falls more into the anonymous study category.
SEEING:
Compositionally this image is about the diagonal line running strongly through the frame leading the masked face. Your eye can move around the image but is always brought back to the mask.
The use of strong, dark negative space means that the many repeating triangles in the image are brought to the fore. The main composition is triangular; there are triangles in all the negatives spaces formed by the arms, legs, body and bench. The triangles are as regular in shape as possible; nearly all of them are equilateral triangles.
This constant repetition sub-consciously reinforces the sense of strength in the whole image.
DOING:
Setup is a single light source to the right hand side of the image.
When working with masks (or hats or glasses) you must pay careful attention to the eyes. Especially with a mask, it is possible to lose one or both eyes un-intentionally.
share:
This is an excerpt from "Art Nude Photography Explained" which shows you how to create nude images and how to read and evaluate art nude photographs
It is available on Amazon
or on
the store
