The Naked and the Lens: A Guide to Nude Photography [Paperback]

Louis Benjamin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2009

The Naked and the Lens is designed as both a technical guide and an artistic inspiration. Filled with beautiful images of the nude form, it also shows you how this can be technically achieved. The book covers key topics: concept, lighting, directing, post-production, and artisic re-interpretation and how to find models. Legal and photo release issues are covered as well.

The techniques are up-to-date, including Photoshop CS4, RAW capture and shooting with a gray card to capture accurate white balance information. The lighting section will also show how to get studio quality light from hot-shoe flashes by adapting them to umbrellas and soft boxes.

Regardless of whether you are shooting in a studio or in a field, this book will show you how to create works of art with nude bodies and it will also teach through advice in a unique interview section with leading nude photographers around the world through their words and their images.

* Lavishly illustrated by contributors from around the globe * Covers photographing art nudes from concept to completion * Includes lighting, working with models, legal issues, and post-production * Bonus interviews and expansive resources on www.TheNakedAndTheLens.com

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Finding a worthwhile text on the subject of photographing nudes can be as daunting and, ultimately, disappointing as finding a good cup of coffee in an unfamiliar locale. Focal Press has produced a book that can save photographers of any ability level precious searching time so that he/she can be out shooting instead. The Naked and the Lens is a paradoxically concise yet digestibly complete examination of nude photography that treats the subject matter with rightful professional respect. It strikes an uncommon and welcomed balance between the unwieldy and haughty tomes on this subject and the pamphlet-like publications whose cookbook approaches fail to provide critical context. A resourceful guide for photographers of the naked/nude form, The Naked and the Lens provides historical, technical, and practical information yet manages through careful image selection and unassuming writing style to be effectively engaging such that the reader may find it useful to keep a Post-It note pad at arm's reach!

"Rather than a photographer, I consider myself an artist who uses a camera. The Naked and the Lens is a book I would not only appreciate having in my library, but I would actually purchase it to give to amateur and professional photographer friends of mine for their own collections. It'll be dog-eared in no time!" - Charles Laurier Dufour, Fine Art Nude Photographer, www.du4photo.com

"As an experienced fine art nude photographer, I found the The Naked and the Lens to be a very comprehensive look on the subject. It covers the gamut from the basics of photography as applied to this genre to finding models and how to work with them to achieve the results you want. I use many techniques mentioned to achieve my own artistic vision. As someone who has moved from the film to digital world, I especially appreciate the emphasis on digital techniques in camera and post processing. I even learned some new techniques! I highly recommend the book to both new photographers starting to explore nude photography as well as experienced ones to refresh your knowledge on nude photography as an art form, or learn something new if you are exploring digital camera or post processing." - Eric Scott, Fine Art Nude Photographer, www.ericscottfoto.com

"[A] must for any photography library."--Midwest Book Review

From the Back Cover

Achieve beautiful and professional results with the pivotal guide to capturing inspiring nude forms. Each stunning photograph shows you how each shot can be technically achieved, and that nude photography is limitless. This book covers everything you need to know, from concept to post-production, including lighting, direction, and artistic re-interpretations of the nude form. Find models and prepare for your shoots with the legal considerations every photographer should know.

RAW capture, post-production with Photoshop and shooting with a gray card to obtain the most accurate while balance, are covered in effective detail. You can obtain studio quality effects from the lighting section, such as making hot-shoe flashes by converting them into umbrellas and soft boxes. Through interviews with leading international nude photographers and practical advice The Naked and the Lens will show you how to create striking nude works of art.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Focal Press; 1 edition (September 30, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0240811593
• ISBN-13: 978-0240811598
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #212,906 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great General book on Photography, December 30, 2009

By 

Eric D. Brown "Technology Consultant" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Naked and the Lens: A Guide to Nude Photography (Paperback)

(What's this?)

Just finished reading through "The Naked and the Lens: A Guide to Nude Photography" and have to say it is an excellent book.

Unlike my wife Tracie (a great people photographer based in Dallas), I'm not really interested in shooting people. That said, this book provides some excellent advice and guidelines for shooting not only nudes but people in general.

Don't let the title fool you...this book is much more than just about shooting naked people. It provides a great deal of information on how to prepare for shoots (equipment, etc), what to do during shoots (how to work with people) and post processing skills for making those photographs pop.

Of course, the book has a lot of nudes in it. They are all done perfectly tastefully and artfully so don't worry about seening anything that might offend you.

If you photograph people, buy this book. It does much more than just talk about shooting nude people...it teaches the skills needed by any photographer.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Part of this book is outstanding..., May 10, 2010

By 

givpilot (Groton, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Naked and the Lens: A Guide to Nude Photography (Paperback)

(What's this?)

Reviewing the book presented a quandary for me. I thought the text was excellent, inspired, in fact. I thought the photographs left much to be desired; uninspired and lacking in emotion or thought. The author is trying so hard in his photographs to be different, that he's forgotten that the human form is beautiful in its own right. The beauty and glamor are missing in most of the photographs. That's a bit of a disappointment in a textbook portrayed as a guide to nude photography; just so-so photographs. But as I said, the text is really exceptional. Louis Benjamin, the author, writes about nude photography so much better than he executes.

The text covers the gamut, from concept, to composition and lighting, working with models (legal issues to putting them at ease) and the considerations of digital photography. Benjamin includes a discussion of composition based on a comment that Szarkowski (former MoMA director) made decades ago. Benjamin is brilliant in his extrapolation of Szarkowski's statements -- and this book is filled with such gems. As a caution, though, approximately 20% of the book is dedicated to the technical aspects of digital photography, so this section will be of little value to film users.

If I just thumbed through this book at a bookstore, I'd probably just pass it by since I found the photographs to be so lacking. However, since I've had the opportunity to actually read it, I can actually recommend it -- with the reservations mentioned above.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars General Store approach to nude photography techniques, January 21, 2010

By 

Ryuji Suzuki (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Naked and the Lens: A Guide to Nude Photography (Paperback)

(What's this?)

This book richly covers the basics of studio equipment, lighting techniques, basic photography concepts, etc., and the book is ideal for beginners/students without much background in studio lighting, portrait, posing, etc. But if you are a seasoned photographer trying to expand the range of expertise, you may find this book to be rather broad and shallow. You might want to find another source more specific to your interest (e.g., fashion, maternity photo, fine art, etc.). That said, this book is probably more focused on the fine art approach than nude photography in any branch of commercial photography.