OK, this post is a blatant attempt to get traffic back after the hiatus. I admit that. But I'll get to the topic in a bit anyway.

Much thanks to Leo Lam for bringing the forum into the 21st century (that's the conventional wisdom folks - numbers and common sense be damned) and to Jacque and Les for putting it where it can be independent.

And perhaps to Molly, for inspiring the strip of purple.

Anyway, on to the nudity thing.

I've spent some time sitting in the library reading all the old fashion magazines that have accumulated here in the studio before throwing them out. I've got W, Elle, The Face, Max, Details, Detour, Surface, Flaunt, Glue, Bikini, Loaded, The Hamptons (courtesy Eric), Madison, The Black, B&W, Frank, Tear Sheet, One World and a lone issue of Bazaar.

Thumbing through them I see all kinds of examples of nudity. (And I still see less monochrome than drwood suggested.) And I like it.

I must not be alone in liking it. It's in the magazines because it sells, and it sells because other people like it too. Presumably the people that the magazines target. Probably not us 50 yr-old guys. Along with the nudity is some great photography. Sometimes it's easy to see the trends being followed and yawn, but sometimes someone makes an image that knocks your socks off.

As a kid, the closest thing we had to fashion magazines were Redbook and the Sears catalogue, with its sinful ladies' underwear pages. Back in the '50's the mores of the U.S. were different than they were anywhere else in the world, except possibly Bulgaria and the PRC, and they were different than they are now. And people were happier, and Daddy Knew Best and so on. And that's probably all wrong, but as a little kid then I really wasn't privy to the world of adults.

Nudity in fashion magazines (some of those are more correctly "style" magazines) can get pretty sexy too. While some images are just a carefully lit edge of a buttock, others show sexual situations. Most of them are pretty playful. Hardly pornographic. Not to get into the definition thing, but I'd guess people looking for porn aren't going to be interested in a maximally underdressed couple pounding each other with pillows.

So nudity's here, and it's probably here to stay, barring the conquering of our secular culture by a fundamentalist religious organization.

So what should photographers and models here be doing about it?

I think photographers should be shooting editorial fashion that includes some nudity. Not all the time, but it's got to be in our repertoire. Just as showing the clothes should be (a big weakness of mine).

Models - this is alot harder. I think that models that intend to eventually do catwalk and editorial will have to do nude work. That doesn't mean they have to strip down for webphotographers like me though. But denial will bring a sudden awakening, and it's probably best to anticipate it. Models doing this because they love modelling, but have no interest in pursuing it professionally must do what they feel good about. And all models need to be careful to avoid doing anything that can seriously embarrass them later. Most of what's seen on the various fora would, at most, cause a small blush. Porn can hurt you badly.

So what do I do? Well, first I keep my clothes on, to the immense satisfaction of my models. But I also shoot editorial fashion including nudity, using the same lighting and attitude as the rest of my work. I pretty much require models wanting to work with me to do some figure work. Some get into it, running around in the desert naked yelling, "Nude in nature!!" Others aren't so outgoing, but, in all, we get good results, along with the rest of the work. And just to make sure I'm not going to cause any embarrassment later, I usually let the model veto any image from digital use. In case of second thoughts. Actually that's only happened a few times when I've sent them a picture just outside the bounds of what we'd agreed on. Mostly models like the pictures, though some wouldn't show their parents.

And that brings me to another issue. I have a 17 yr-old daughter. She has no interest in modelling, though she does in fashion. But as such, I have to ask myself what I'd think and how I'd feel if she went off shooting with a webphotographer and did figure work. And the answer to that really lies in the quality of the work. I've raised her well, and she has a good sense of aesthetics and good judgment, and it's her life.

Anyway, just some thoughts that have been piling up for the last week.

Comments?

-Don