Customer Reviews

Nude Photography: The Art and the Craft

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
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It's not clear from the title, but this book is more about artistic nude photography than glamour (Playboy, Penthouse, etc.) nude photography. Sometimes the distinction is a bit vague though.

I like this book. The images are well done, and Mr. Baetens knows the subject very well. I especially like the behind-the-scenes views he provides of the effort that goes into creating successful images. This includes discussing the shot with the model, creating a set and arranging lighting, shooting, and then editing images. A wealth of information is provided in a logical fashion. Some of the topics covered include choosing models, conveying a mood, outdoor lighting, and much, much more.

The images are well done, and a selection of images by other photographers is included. The models are attractive, and include male models so be aware there is male frontal nudity.

I especially appreciate that Mr. Baetens does NOT spend a third of his book telling us what a camera is and describing all the varieties of lighting equipment and accessories. Thank you!

If photography is your passion, I think you'll like this book. If photography of the nude interests you, I know you'll like this book. Buy it.

The latest photography offering from DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley) is a glossy treatise on mastering the art of nude photography, from selection an approach to perfecting your chosen techniques and post-production tips and tricks. Author Pascal Baetens is a Belgian jack-of-all-trades who has specialized in portrait, fashion, travel, and nude photography in a range of industries (editorial, commercial, and private). The Baetens DK Nude Photography course opens with a historical perspective, followed by a lush academic discussion of nude photography styles. The meat of the book are sections on photography techniques (composition, lighting, posting, locations) and post-production (cropping, reframing, filtering, retouching).

This oversized 250+ page hardcover concludes with a gallery of nude photography featuring the works of ten international artists, accompanied by biographical information, artist's notes, first-person essays, and behind-the-scenes set photos. Works of dozens of renowned artists appear throughout the instructional pages of this text, rendering it well-deserving of the cover price.

This book is a sturdy introduction to nude photography. For a person with undiagnosed adult ADD like myself this book was very useful. The chapters are laid out well with a lot of pictures and paragraphs next to them expressing various ideas and inspirations. It's important to convey a sense of direction and purpose when photographing naked people. I'd say the book has a lot of confidence. Try asking someone awkwardly to let you photograph them nude. Probably not going to happen. On a final note I'd buy this book just for the pictures even if I wasn`t into photography. Then it would probably get me into photography. I digress...great book.

This is a good book at a great price. The photos are excellent with a lot of techniques and examples to fallow to get a great result. I would definitely buy again...

This is the best book I've seen on the subject of nudes yet. The author is thorough and the images speak for themselves. He's a master, brilliant! If I could only choose one book on the subject, this would be it.
In the last section of the book, the author features other photographer's work and their motivations. That part was a let-down compared to Pascal's work, and the book would've been perfect without it.
My only criticism of this and every other nude photography book I've seen, is that they portray models, very slim models, who all look alike, unlike everyday women, with weight and flaws and years, which to me shows more beauty than any of the professional models.

I saw this book in a bookstore and thought, finally, a book with clear lighting schemes pictured side by side so its easier to compare them. A great book for the modern digital photography enthusiast. A very solid book on honing the craft of photography, nude or otherwise.

This is a great book to look at as well as read...The photography is wonderful and the advice is abundant.

This is an excellent reference book, as well being able to eloquently stand on it's own as a book of beautiful images of the nude figure. Being a photographer, I'm always looking for inspiration, and unlike other "low brow - 'how to shoot hot girls naked in the style of "naked soapy woman on a Corvette'" books (I won't give titles, but I'm sure you know the ones I mean...) this is a well rounded intelligent work that covers topics such as posing, lighting indoors/outdoors, postproduction and a delightful end of the book of "behind the scenes/making of" artistic nude shoots by some interesting photographers.

It's not a bible/step by step/how to shoot nudes, but the content and topics covered are both interesting and well worth the read/view. Highly recommended!

This has become one of my favorite books, the chapters on lighting the nude and the examples of pros like Silvie Blum and Andreas Bitesnich are invaluable as they take you through a photo session step by step. Great book, would recommend to any photographer, regardless of level.

As a fan of photographer Andreas Bitesnitch, it is great to get a behind the scenes look at how he creates his wonderful imagery.