Trampe - Fine Art Nudes: Lighting and Posing for Black & White Photography

About the Author

Stan Trampe became inspired to do serious black & white, fine art nude photography after a week-long workshop with Robert Farber in Northern California. He began working with digital imaging in 2000 and, within a year, abandoned his darkroom and converted to all digital capture and production. His passion to create fine art nude images continues to this dayand at 83 years young, he hopes that it will continue for many more years. His models are his inspiration and he photographs a minimum of two sessions per week. Stan prefers to work with a single model for more than a year at a time, frequently working as co-creators and building a remarkable rapport that improves the work. Stan admits to sometimes being overwhelmed by what he sees: a model at a stream in the early morning, fog lifting, her form touched by the first muted rays of sunlight, or in his studio with touching expressions of light. Stan quips that his models forgive the occasional tears that he sheds.

Copyright 2015 by Stan Trampe

All rights reserved.

All photographs by the author unless otherwise noted.

Published by:

Amherst Media, Inc., P.O. Box 586, Buffalo, N.Y. 14226, Fax: 716-874-4508

www.AmherstMedia.com

Publisher: Craig Alesse

Senior Editor/Production Manager: Michelle Perkins

Editors: Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt, Harvey Goldstein, Beth Alesse

Associate Publisher: Kate Neaverth

Editorial Assistance from: Carey A. Miller, Sally Jarzab, John S. Loder

Business Manager: Adam Richards

Warehouse and Fulfillment Manager: Roger Singo

ISBN-13: 978-1-60895-902-0

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014955667

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No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded or otherwise, without prior written consent from the publisher.

Notice of Disclaimer: The information contained in this book is based on the authors experience and opinions. The author and publisher will not be held liable for the use or misuse of the information in this book.

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Contents

T his book is composed mostly of fine art nude photos taken over the last few years in my studio, outdoors, and in vacant or occupied buildings. I expose most everything in black & white or black & white infrared. Occasionally, to please a model, I do a few images in color. Many were taken in various locations in St. Louis and other cities and states while on photo trips with one of my models.

I use simple equipment. All of the photos that appear in this book were shot with either an Olympus, Konica Minolta, Canon, or a Canon converted to shoot infrared; all of them have a fixed zoom lens and a rotating LCD screen. I always shoot alone with the model. So, on location, I mainly use the light as it exists; in the studio, I tend to use only one or two lights. In all cases, I am careful with my exposures. This allows me to stick to shooting JPEG rather than RAW files. Far more important than the gear I use are the models, my ability to see (not just look), and careful attention to the lighting.

Models

When you look at a beautiful photo of a fine art nude, who should get more creditthe model or the photographer? My answer is both. Unfortunately, many photographers dont give models the credit they deserve for brave, creative, often uncomfortable work. To me, models are the inspiration for all fine art nude photography.

Finding Models. Nude models come from anywhere and from any background. Most are artistic in some way, often in drawing, painting, dancing, or acting. Given a choice, I opt for a model with a background in yoga, ballet, or gymnastics. I prefer a slim body with small to medium breasts, no tattoos or piercingsand, of course, a good attitude. Nude models can be found on web sites like Model Mayhem and One Model Place, but be prepared to be patient and forgiving. My experience has been that about 30 percent of the bookings through these sites dont show up for their first confirmed appointment. If you can get new models by referral, that is by far the best way.

To me, models are the inspiration for all fine art nude photography.

Extra money is usually a motivating factor for models, but sometimes not the primary one. (She may want to help create art or to have nude photos to keep for the future.) Fine art nude models are usually paid 1.5 to 2 times minimum wage by college art departments; Ive always paid a little above that, plus I give the model a dozen 810 prints and a CD of the best photos from the session. Before shooting, its also a good idea to ask a new model for her ID. In most states, models must be at least 18 years old to pose nude.

The First Session. Once youve found a model, its also important to quickly build a rapport with her. Without that, it will be difficult to take meaningful images. Its common for a new model to be nervous; I regard it as my job to make her feel at ease. My studio has always been part of where I lived. After we introduce ourselves, I give her a short tour of my apartment and show her where to put her purse and other belongings. Sitting at the computer, I explain that we will look at each photo and decide whether to keep it or delete itand she will have the last word on that decision.

We then begin by doing some portraits with her nude but wearing a robe. I show her where to stand and explain some simple rules to follow (like keeping her body at an angle to the camera, keeping her feet slightly apart for good balance when moving her torso, and never letting her hands hang straight down).

After making any minor adjustments to the height or position of the lights, I direct her as I start shootingsimply having her move her head up, down, or sideways. Many times, this will get her into a relaxed mood and she will start doing movements and expressions on her own. While she does this, I keep on shooting. During this portrait portion of the shoot, I ask her permission to move her hair (if only by a small amount). Ill also get her permission to adjust her chin or face. This establishes, early on, that my touching her and moving a body part later is not a surpriseand will only be done with permission.

We proceed slowly as I ask her to drop her robe off of one shoulder. From there, I let her disrobe at her own pace. Often, Ill have her face away in a standing position and drop her robe to her waist for images of her back. From that point, she will hold the robe at her waist and slowly turn to me as Im shooting. I ask her to move slowly and to pause when I say, Hold it. After taking these photos, its a good time to say, Lets look at what were doing on the computer screen. Considering our comments as we look at each image on the screen and decide what to keep is a great teaching tool for both the model and photographer.

As the shoot progresses, she will be in positions standing, kneeling, and lying on the floor. I explain that she may be in some positions that are considered erotic, but Ill be using shadows or other means to make it tasteful. Throughout this process, use common sense when referring to body parts. Dont say tits or boobs, say breasts. Dont say, Spread your legs, say, Move your feet a little farther apart. When referring to the pubic area, I use the phrase your abstract (for example, I might say, Your abstract is showing. Can you alter your position a little?). This word is well received by my models and lessens the possibility of embarrassment. When giving direction, I also indicate the body part first, before the motion. For example, if I want the model to move her left foot slightly to the left, Ill say Your left footmove it slightly to the left. This brings her attention to her left foot before she needs to move it.