Customer Reviews

The Naked and the Lens: A Guide to Nude Photography

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This book impressed me. The author spends a refreshing amount of time talking about art, whereas most books like this seem to focus more on using Photoshop to fix mistakes after the fact. It isn't until halfway though the book that the topic even turns to finding models, everything before that was art theory. The first half was filled with example photographs that featured the naked body, but it really was more about photography in general than nude photography.

I've bought a lot of books on portraiture and this book has some of the best descriptions I've read. The most common lighting, Rembrandt, is better defined here than I've seen it defined anywhere else. The rule of thirds and golden ratio are better illustrated than I've seen anywhere else. The descriptions of color temperature, and its effects on the images are better explained that I've seen anywhere else.

This is just a fabulous book. The first half is a must-read for anyone interested in portraiture. After that, it gets into the nitty gritty of nude and naked portraits, and so might not appeal to everyone.

The downside, is that the nude and naked portraits that permeate the book often seem a bit gratuitous and unrelated to the text.

This is an excellent, mid-level book on photographic technique for photographing people (clothed or otherwise). It describes many techniques for lighting, setting up a portrait session, managing and posing a model, classic portrait techniques and some thoughts on getting the model ready. If it was just a book of techniques, I'd probably rate it five stars.

My disappointment came with the photography. IMHO, nude photography should be either sensual, erotic, classic beauty, humorous or figure studies. The photos in this work struck me as neither-they came across as an attempt to be "artistic", whatever that means. It is almost as if the photographer was trying too hard to avoid any of the classic styles. Unfortunately, classic styles are classic for a reason.

That said, I have a hard time recommending a book on nude photography where I just don't like the pictures. There are certainly tasteful, and technically well done...just (and I never thought I'd say this about nude photographs) well, boring.

In summary, the text stands alone as a decent reference and guide to nude or portrait photography. I found the photography uninspiring, which takes away from the value of the book, at least for me. Other readers may have a different view of the photography, and find the book much more useful and enjoyable.

I have been a photographer for over fifteen years. This is a hobby that I picked up in a photography course I took in college. I like to think there are certain realms of photography I have mastered. I have never taken nude photos before, mainly because it can be difficult to find people who want to be photographed unclad. However some of my schoolmates were able to accomplish this feat, I never did.

When I saw this book it sparked my interest. This book doesn't only show nude photos (both in black & white and color), but techniques on nude photography. These techniques touch, yet aren't limited to lighting, framing and even using digital media to produce tasteful images.

As for the photos in this book, I would say they are rather stylish, nothing pornographic or disgusting. The majority of the subjects are females, maybe one or two photos of males. One of my favorite photos is a picture of a nude woman with a Boba Fett helmet on, very cool.

I wouldn't say this is "the end all book" of nude photography, but it is a wonderful place to start as a photographer or just to find something interesting to read. As a photographer, it has given me some interesting ideas for taking pictures (even if they don't involve nude subjects). Perhaps I will attempt an endeavor on nude photography......

I'll preface this reveiw by making your acquaintance with my motive for purchasing this book and also my bias. I'm a begining book taught photographer. My primary goal is to learn more about photography as I don't have the ability now for formal classes. I've read many of the competing books.

Louis Benjamin, the author, has made an incredible book. He keeps his comentary neutral and he is very objective. Pg. 40, "In some circles, covered-up nudes are referred to as "implied" nudes. This relatively safe approach to making nudes can be beautiful, but it is also rife with cliche, and runs the risk of being read as timidity on the part of the photographer, the model, or both." He puts forth a lot of good information which is usually philosophical and conceptual rather than specific with excetions in places. He does list several references, photographers, art types, lighting types, etc. The book is catalyst to new ways of thinking and provides you the oppertunity to gain more by researching his large amount of references made in book. The exploratory gains were highly benificial to me. With google this may be easy for you.

I'll relate a couple of specific portions of the book I really enjoyed, but it doesn't do justice overall to how much I enjoyed this book and the knowledge I gained.

-The images were amazing and the explanations inspired me to try new ideas.
-Mention of Szarkowski of the Museum of Modern Art. Explanation was given on this mans model for critiquing photography.

-Thoughts on working with a model. Pg. 129, "The words "model," "subect," and "sitter" are all somewhat problematic as a way of referring to the person who will be in front of the camera, because each term implies a certain power relationship and almost constrains the nature of the ways in which the person on either side of the camera will think about the collaboration."

-Description of digital workflow.

This book gave me a fresh perspective on photography that I hadn't received from other books I've read. I'm really glad I read this book.

There is a great coming of age experience for every male in their adolescence, the first time they gaze at an adult magazine. The discovery of the female body in it full glory in the palm of your hands. The hormonal rush imprints these images in our minds. As one grows older their appreciation does not go fade away, but in the age of instant gratification and google anything and everything, the art of the nude seems to be one few people understand. Here is your chance to actually learn the magic of how to capture the beauty of the nude.

This book is surprisingly well written, detailed and an almost perfect guide for amateur photographers to learn the complicated style needed for nude photography. You are not just getting a book with a lot of naked pictures, mind you there are a lot, but they have context. The book is split into 3 important sections: concept, composition, taking the actual photo. There is fourth part that has some interviews with photographers and their craft. So how good are the sections? Well, they are richly detailed for the laymen, and can get anyone with a camera started in their path to being called a heathen by their local religious zealots. It takes courage to experiment for the sake of art, at least here you get a good tool in your path. It's not a perfect tool, at times it gets muddy. The digital technique section will be out of date faster than your facebook status changes. So try to get the analog part of the work down.

In the end, you cant go wrong with this book. Just remember, Its about expression and art, that is what separates a beautiful nude from a tawdry snapshot. Good Luck, and who knows, you could end up publishing your every own book of nudes someday.

After my read through of The Naked and the Lens : A Guide For Nude Photography, I find myself thinking that the title was a bit misleading. Not in a necessarily bad way, for I feel that the information within its covers was clear, concise, and well thought out.

However, if you're picking this book up for ideas, concepts, or even inspiration on nude photography, you're going to find that the larger portion of this book is about photographic technique and practice than about the nude genre of photography itself.

Part One of the book goes into much deliberation about nude photography, and its breakdown into sub-genres such as fine art, abstracts, or nude portraits. I found the discussion interesting, if not entirely original thought provoking. Break downs and thought processes behind the creation of any art is interesting to me, and what seems to be educated talk about such a taboo subject (especially in the U.S.) as nude photography was a fun read.

Parts Two through Four turn from the topic of nude photography for the most part to focus on the how-to's of photography. And while there are photos from the author and other nude photographers that fill the pages of these chapters, it feels that the nude photography theme of the book is mostly lost. Much of the information can be applied to any type of portraiture, and even most non-portrait photo subjects. There was information about model release forms, and how to find, meet, and contact models. The author discusses his attitude towards photographing a nude model for the first time, and the trust and comfort that a photographer should aim to instill in their subject. But, even these points can be carried over into other genres such as family portraiture and weddings. In this book, there is just a light sense of directing these great suggestions towards the nude genre.

This is not to say that the book is not worth a read. In fact, for a beginner of photography, it has some really great information, including types of lights, equipment, and some basic concepts for lighting layout.

I would say that The Naked and the Lens is more about concept than down-and-dirty how-to. The only real instructing comes later in the book when the author is describing how to do digital editing. If you're looking for light set-up diagrams, you won't find it here.

The final section of the book is dedicated to interviews with professional photographers who do nude photography to at least some extent in their career. I found the two interviews that appeared in the book to be interesting, it's always great to hear about people's personal experiences, losses and triumphs, and views on their own work and industry. I found it mildly frustrating that only two of the nine photographers interviewed had their words published...however you can find the remaining interviews on [...], which makes a great follow-up read to the printed book.

One point that I found myself being irritated by over and over throughout much of the book is the author's mention of artists and photographers, usually citing their specific styles, and then not putting examples of their images into the book. Sometimes, an example would accompany the description, but the image would be something the author created instead of the direct work of the mentioned author. This caused a lot of going back and forth between Google and the book, and while I'm never adverse to seeing more examples, it doesn't make for the smoothest of experiences.

My overall reaction to The Naked and the Lens is positive. For amateurs to pro-ams, I'm convinced this book is going to have information that you don't know and probably could use. Will it all pertain directly to nude photography exclusively? Probably not, but it will be good info to have to shoot most portraits anyway. I especially enjoyed Mr. Benjamin's explanation of social networking, and how models dislike GWC's, the bane of all nude artists.

Do I think a professional level photographer is going to need this book? If you've been shooting regular portraits for a living, there's not much in this book that is going to help you make a cross-over into the nude genre. There are probably tidbits of inspiration here, but overall you probably already have the know-how to do what you need to do. As a photographer who's been capturing images of people clothed and unclothed for several years, I did find some things in these pages that I either didn't know, or that I will look into further (mostly styles and other artists).

Happy photo'ing!

I think every photographer who wants to take the nude photography path, should study this book. Different angles and lighting are shown clearly including some beautiful nudes.