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Fine Art Nude Workshop

Fine Art Nude Photography, how crazy this is the first blog post I make! But when you unravel it, it's really not that crazy at all. I've been shooting portraiture (and loving it) for a while now. And of all the things I'm drawn to in this domain, it's the emotional content I crave the most. Maybe it's my background, maybe it's my nature, but for me, without an emotional connection an image is nothing. It could be technically perfect, a brilliant composition, an amazing subject and setup, but if it doesn't capture a feeling it's not a keeper for me. Probably the reason I often shoot quickly and I love to flow shoot, people are always more relaxed if you capture them before they have a chance to think about what you are expecting. Keep them moving, keep them natural, keep them real. Anyway I'm diverging, typically me too!

So Fine Art Nude. Not unlike portraiture, but very unlike portraiture! An emphasis on form, composition, emotional content, and other aesthetic qualities. How fabulous to have the expertise of Mark Hillyer at http://www.markhillyer.com.au at this shoot, who gave a great presentation distinguishing fine art photography and other sub genres and giving us an

amazing insight into some of the dos and donts.

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Presented at the home studio of Deanne and Bill Holmer http://deanneholmer.photography/, light painting extraordinaires and fabulous hosts, we enjoyed a relaxed homemade Sunday roast with crackling that is still making my mouth salivate! We were able to chat casually with the vibrant and natural Chey Anne (model) at (www.modelmayhem.com/technicolourdreamer) before we began the shoot.

Simple poses, you'd think that would be easy! But as I contemplated lighting issues, camera settings and other problematic lens aberrations (how I wish I had some money to buy some good gear!) I wondered where it was all heading. And then I decided to let all that go and do what I know comes naturally and just look at the model and find her. What emotions was she giving me, and could I capture them on film. All I can say is thank goodness she was a professional! She was able to direct herself, as I fumbled and fussed over mostly her hair, without really thinking about her form. Her figure was standing vulnerably in front of me, and I'm worried her hair is over her face, a big portrait no no when shooting with lights that catch everything, but probably not as important in this instance. Ok time to breath. And look. Look at her, find her, take the image when you 'see' her.

After taking a few shots, we raided Dee's amazing prop room and decided on adding something else to the shoot. It was hard as part of me wanted to continue just exploring the form and lines of our model, but there's always next time and I understand it's nice to pick something that distinguishes the shoot as your creative flair, especially when you are shooting with others. So I decided on a tutu, which I really didn't think through, as it somewhat restricted my abilities to capture the model naked! LOL But I guess it's not always about the body in it's complete naked form, and it allowed me to push the emotional connections and the contours of her upper torso. I'm not sure why I decided to ask Chey to sit, but i did, so most of the images are captured in this fashion. I felt I turned things a little too much back into the familiar territory of a portrait shoot (just without clothes), ironic when it's what I'd told myself to avoid in the lead up to the shoot!

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing other creatives take their turn, and to see how they decided to capture Chey was a great insight into many possibilities. If only there was more time!!! LOL Still for a first experience I think it hit the mark well, a great teaser, and a little taste of a genre that captivates me more now than it did before.

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