• Photography main page.
• Human body photography (1).
• Human body photography (2).

• Portrait photography.
• Some of my own photo's.
• My camera's.

• Basics of human body photography.
• Male human body.
• Age of the model.
• Difference between male and female photographers.

A form of art that really appreciate is human body photography. Artistic pictures of the human body are tasteful photographs with the human body as main subject. Pictures of the human body are generally not pictures that will sexually excite the viewer but show the beauty of the shapes of the human body. Personally I do not like photographs that show private parts. I really like soft focus or low or high key photographs that hide details for your own imagination. I like playing with light and mostly the composition of artistic pictures is very beautiful.

Human body photography is perfect for black / white photography. The human body has been used in art since the beginning of mankind. You can find al lot of undressed statues and paintings in all cultures around the world. The human body has inspired artist trough many ages. When we look at art history we see several types and trends in art. To make a beautiful sensual photograph that does not show all and is not offending is a real challenge and demands a lot of creativity from the photographer and the model.

From the early ages of photography pictures of the human body have inspired many photographers and models. The human body is very beautiful, with gentle contours, shades and gentle structure. A good picture is (a little) sensual but mainly it will show the beauty of the human body. The model does not have to show everything; on a lot of pictures the model hides certain body part with her hands or legs or by turning her body a little away from the camera. Some pictures show only a small part of the body like a breast, a back, bottoms or legs. With proper lighting and a good composition even the most simple picture can be very interesting an attractive. By leaving something for the imagination you can make a picture very exiting, some clothing, a towel or am umbrella can give very suggestive results. A woman wearing a man's shirt is sometimes more exiting than a complete undressed picture of the same woman. With male models a string slip or a towel can do the same.

It may be a little strange but the fact is that nudity in paintings is very common approved, photographs are often associated with porn. I am fascinated by the lines, the lighting and shadows and the technique of artistic pictures. The last couple of years I collected a lot of pictures from books and from the web. I cannot show them without permission of the models and photographers but may use this collection for myself to inspire me. I categorized the pictures by studio pictures, outside pictures, old buildings, bedroom pictures, high key, low key and glamour and find that this form of art has a lot of variation.

It's almost impossible to find an illustrated magazine without any pages with sensual photo's of beautiful people. The way that models are displayed has changed a lot in the last 40 years. A good example of a traditional model is Marilyn Monroe. Nowadays we see more creative and fancy, teasing images that show the beautiful shapes of the human body. more emphasis lies on the splendid forms of the human body. Also I notice that a lot of photographers use black and white photography for pictures of the human body. The underlying message is of course still the same, but this kind of photography is generally very tasteful and very creative. And these are the key features of successful artistic photography. It is rather easy to make fast and easy pictures of a model that exposes her self entirely undressed for the camera. On the highest shelves of an illustrated magazine shop you can find several examples of these kinds of pictures. This has nothing to do with art photography but still it is very successful.

Commercials must be notable and is for this reason it leads to the viewer being a voyeur in a subtle way. Nudity is a fascinating area for advertising, but it is also a risky one. The consumer nowadays wants subtle tension. It can be used to attract attention or to create a romantic environment. This can be achieved by using a fancy and lightly dressed model. The nice thing is that it will affect both man and women, and yes even woman get exited by a subtle sensual picture. Women however are more sensitive for suggestive pictures, whereas men are more sensitive for more explicit illustrations. Some beautiful advertising pictures are certainly art in my humble opinion.

The photograph next to this text is of the model Roos Dekkers. I am glad that I am allowed to show this photograph. I like this picture because it shows the gentle round shapes of the body The lighting is very beautiful and emphasises the beautiful shapes. Because the model has both arms in the air the breasts are lifted a little bit. The composition and the shape of the model has something dramatically, the face is omitted in the shade and that gives the impression of a statue. The light on small details of the body show small details. This is a very nice picture of a beautiful model.

The photograph next to this text is of the model Cleo that I took during workshop photography. I am glad that I am allowed to publish this photograph. It's a gentle photograph where the composition and the shape of the model show the beautiful round shapes. Because the model holds her head a little to the back, the structure of the hair is nicely visible. The position of the model with the hollow back and the neck that shows up nicely has something serene. The fine grain (camera noise) does emphasise the gentle environment. I am very satisfied concerning this photograph of a beautiful and very helpful model.

This photograph of the model Cleo was also taken at the workshop. The composition was just as I wanted it, however the picture was a little hard, showing all kinds of details on the skin. I processed the picture using the DreamySuite Bonus Effects for Photoshop. This gives the picture a soft and dreamy atmosphere.

The quality and direction of light is very important when photographing the human body. Think about the function of the light in the photograph. You can use limited light with a dark background to get a low key effect and a sense of mystery. By using light from both sides you can put an accent on the shape and structure of the body of the model. The light from one large window can be very nice for a human body. In such a case it is not a bad idea to have one or more reflector boards (large pieces of white paper will do), to bring a little light to the model and the interior around.

Generally you can assume that id you use warm, soft and simple light, not a lot can go wrong. Take care that the soft light puts an accent on the soft rounding of the body. Pay attention especially to shadow, they can create a very beautiful effect but can also be very ugly. If the light is not soft enough you can easily soften it by using a net curtain in front of the window. The soft light of a cloudy day is perfect for portraits. The best time to use sunlight is in the beginning and the end of the day when the light is soft and warm.

If you make photographs of the human body or if you collect them there is one important issue to keep in mind and that is the age of the model. In most countries the age for undressed modeling is 18 years or older. Some countries have different laws, for instance sometimes a naked photo of a 16 year old model is legal if there is no sexual expression. Also pictures of older models that look a lot younger can be illegal. In the Netherlands the age for models was changed from 16 years to 18 years in 2003. There is however still some discussion concerning the question when an image or photograph is pornography. Also manipulated photograph are illegal according to this law and also the possession of these photographs is illegal. Still recent an exposition of a well-known photographer in was closed because it contained images of almost undressed minors. The current penalty in the Netherlands is 3 months up to 4 years in prison. In my opinion a beautiful photograph of an innocent sixteen year is not pornography, but the opinions differ. It's wise to use models of 18 years or older to prevent problems. Child porn is terrible and it must be banned but we have to take care not to be hunting for witches like in the old days. Strictly speaking you can not make holiday pictures of your children on the beach under this law. Just for this reason be careful not to place these photographs in public albums or your own Internet site.

A special branch of photography is the male body. Generally speaking photographers show female bodies most of the time. A search on Internet provides a small list of a couple male pictures. Almost all of these pictures are on homo sites. There are almost no sites and photographers who specialise themselves in making pictures of the male body with the target audience of woman. It also does not seem succeed to bring out a sensual magazine for woman. An attempt by Playgirl for woman failed and also the Passion for woman seems to fail. This is because men are more exited by what they see and woman are more exited by a nice atmosphere or by voice. This is partially true but I believe that these magazines still think too much from the point of view of a man. The male "device" is not too elegant certainly not in erection. Also it seems that women are not so interested in a penis but show more interest for beautiful buttocks. When a editor replaces only the female pictures by male pictures without adapting the formula, he is bound to fail.