Benjamin - The Naked and the Lens

The Naked and the Lens

Lou Benjamin

Second edition

The Naked and the Lens

A Guide for Nude Photography

Second edition published 2016

by Focal Press

711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017

and by Focal Press

2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

Focal Press is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

2016 Taylor & Francis

The right of Louis Benjamin to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

First edition published by Focal Press 2009

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Benjamin, Louis.

The naked and the lens : a guide for nude photography / Lou Benjamin. Second edition.

pages cm

1. Photography of the nude. I. Title.

TR674.B36 2016

778.921dc23

2015017358

ISBN: 978-1-138-82940-4 (pbk)

ISBN: 978-1-315-73781-2 (ebk)

Designed and typeset by Alex Lazarou

To Denise,

who never ceases to inspire, amaze, and love.

Contents

THE MODELS, artists, and curators who performed, contributed work, and participated in the interviews gave this book its real substance. I am standing on their shoulders. Eric Scotts insightful feedback helped me refine it. Frank Franca is both a gifted artist and an imaginative and innovative teacher. His lighting classes inspired my approach to the lighting material, particularly looking at Caravaggio and examples from cinematography. Their extreme generosity and talent inspires me:

Matt BarnesThatsTheSpot.com

Steven Billupsbillupsphoto.com

Gary BreckheimerGaryBreckheimer.com

Cheirodon

Steve Cherrierstevecherrierphotography.com

Barney Cokelissbarneycokeliss.com

Terry Donovanmidbrowart.com

Abigail Ekueabigailekuephotography.com

John Evansjohnevansphotography.co.uk

Scott Foltzscottfoltzphotography.com

Alan Fresco

Robert Gregory Griffethrobertgregorygriffeth.com

Saddi Khalisaddikhali.com

Alfred Laijalienlifephotographs.com

Donna Feldman Laskyprovoculos.com

MANIFEST/Jason Franz, Executive Directormanifestgallery.org

Gaspar Marquezgasparmarquez.com

George McClintockgeorgemcclintockphotography.com

Osmyn J. OreeOsmynJOree.com

Nina Pakdreamloka.com

Jafar M. Pierrejmpphotos.com

Marcus J. Ranumhttp://photography.ranum.com

Richard Rasner (Unique Nudes) of Nakayama Studiosuniquenudes.com

Saelon Renkessaelon.com

Pascal Renouxpascalrenoux.com

P.J. Reptilehousepjreptilehouse.com

Ned and Aya Rosennedandayaerotic.com

Ed Rossedrossphotography.com

Daniel Sikorskyisikorskyi.ca

Pet Silviahttp://bit.ly/1HNN5Hy

Terry Slaterterryslater.co.uk

Tobias Slater-Hunttobiasslaterhunt.co.uk

J. D. Yezierskijdyez.deviantart.com

Mayumi Yoshimaruhttp://www.mayumism.com

Thanks also to Anna Valutkevich, Deirdre Byrne, and Sioned Jones, who patiently and professionally shepherded this project to publication. They are the ones who made sure that the book got into production, even as I missed more than a few deadlines on the way to finalizing the manuscript. I sincerely hope I didnt cause them any gray hairs! I remain grateful to Neil J. Salkind, Ph.D. When he connected me with Focal Press to write the first edition, he didnt just do a book deal, he catalyzed a new phase in my writing career.

Juanita and Louis Benjamin, Sr., my parents, have supported my artistic exploration and development throughout my life. Starting with 120 roll film and plastic cameras bought at a drug store in New Orleans, they have supplied me with a long stream of photography tools, including a Polaroid Swinger, my first two 35mm SLRs, and my first digital camera. During high school, they encouraged me to use one of the bathrooms as a darkroom, and they didnt seem to mind when this biology major enrolled in photography courses at college.

There is nothing in Nature with more character than the human body. By its force or its grace it evokes the most varied images. At times, it resembles a flower the flexion of the torso imitates the stem, the smile the breasts, the head and the sheen of the hair represent the blooming of the corolla And at other times, the human body curved back is like a spring, a beautiful bow on which Eros adjusts his invisible arrows. And then there are times when it forms an urn. The human body, is above all the mirror of the soul and that is where its greatest beauty comes from.

Auguste Rodin

WELCOME TO the second edition of The Naked and the Lens. To create it, I essentially tore the old book apart and assembled a new oneadding new material, and subtracting or rearranging older materialwith an eye toward refining the best elements and addressing some of the weaker points of the first. You will find ideas, photos, and even whole paragraphs carried over from the previous edition, but if I got it right, those ideas are presented here with more clarity and a better structure.

For the most part, the topics covered here are not unique to photographing the nudea book about portrait photography or even general technique would cover many of the same topicsbut as Rodin has noted, there is no other subject like the human body. The context of creating nudes, whether they be portraits, abstracts, formal, or transgressive, makes the technique of photography more compelling. It is my hope that you will enjoy this exploration of art, photography, and the nude, and that you will find new ideas, inspiration, and possibly even liberation among these pages.

Its no accident that the words image and imagine come from the same root. Photographic images are the product of your imagination. Those photographswhether they are carefully thought out and constructed tableaus, or chanced-upon scenes with a snapshot aesthetic guided purely by instinctare the result of a process that you set into motion. Your intentions, where you choose to stand, and when you trip the shutter, make all the difference and uniquely shape your art. You can see this at play when photographers in a workshop all shoot the same models with the same setup and lightingthe results are often dramatically different.

It all starts with an idea, an impulse, a curiosity, a drive, or something you want to say. However you go about making photographs, the work you produce will always say a lot more about you than it says about the person or scene youre photographing. What is your work about? By examining your own interests, ideas, and influences, you can enhance the imprint that distinguishes your work. In this section, well look at the ideas behind the work of a number of photographers with the aim of raising your artistic self-awareness and sharpening your ways of seeing.