Nude Photography The Complete Manual

The nude is a timeless subject that has fascinated photographers and artists for centuries. If you approach it with respect and creativity, you can capture stunning artistic images of the human form. In this series, we’ll introduce you to the world of fine art nude photography. From the equipment you need to get started to the essential photographic techniques that are the basis for all great photography. Then, we’ll inspire you with some creative projects to help you take your skills to the next level. It’s all in the first edition of Nude Photography The Complete Manual.…

Thinking of getting your first digital camera, or maybe you are looking to upgrade that old point and shoot you usually take on holiday with you? Are you a little unsure about the various kinds of cameras available and which one’s may be more suitable than others? For any newcomer to fine art photography, many questions need to be answered in order to have a clear picture of what kind of camera, lenses and accessories will be needed to set you up ready to start enjoying your hobby. Then you may turn your thoughts to flash lighting, light modification, filters and gadgets. This section is here to give you detailed information and help you make the right choices. There is a whole world of exciting nude photography to explore and…

Most of the cameras mentioned in this section can be used for fine art portrait work. To be honest, if you are always going to be shooting in natural light conditions and don’t require large apertures and high ISO capability, then even the cheapest Compact System Camera will produce acceptable results. As you grow in confidence and experience as a portrait photographer, however, you may find that your once do-it-all compact camera may be lacking in certain abilities, and that non-interchangeable lens is limiting your creative choices. You’ll feel like you’ve outgrown your camera and need to step it up. This is where the Digital SLR can help. There are a number of major manufacturers such as Sony, Pentax, Olympus, Nikon and Canon. They produce a range of crop-sensor and…

Once you get beyond the basics of photography and you find yourself wanting to add a little creativity and take more control of how the light affects your shots, then that is when you need to take a look at additional lighting in the form of flashes. Your first experience of flash might be the tiny pop up flash you find on the top of a lot of compact cameras and a number of DSLR models. They are useful to light a subject when all else fails but to be honest, if you want your shots to look more than just selfies, then you need to look further afield. We are referring to the dedicated flashguns that can be mounted in your camera’s hot shoe, or for even greater flexibility,…

When you use flash lighting you will be aware of how harsh the shadows it casts can be. You can’t always be near a large picture window on an overcast day, where the softness of the light makes it difficult to take a bad photo. You have to work with what you have, so that means you need to go back to your flash. However, there are some techniques that allow you to modify and shape light to suit your needs. This is where light modifiers come in. A lighting modifier is an object, surface, or material that alters the way the light travels from its source to the subject. If you shoot with an unmodified flashgun, the light is traveling in a concentrated beam from a very small light…

Camera ownership goes through a number of phases. First is the decision about which camera to actually buy, then comes the choice of lenses. Then come the choices with accessories. It may sound like an exaggeration, but one of the best accessories you can get to improve your photography, is to invest in a good tripod. In fact, it might be safer to upgrade it from the status of ’accessory’ to ‘essential purchase’. You might wonder why a tripod would be considered among one of the top key factors in taking better photographs. Entry level tripods There are many cheap tripods on the market, made not only by brand name manufacturers but many third party manufacturers too. It’s fair to say that the cheap tripods are cheap for a reason.…