December 30, 2014

Welcome Stephen Haynes




" My objective in shooting nudes is to capture beauty, form, and all the wonderful variations of light falling on the female body." Stephen Haynes







"Repose"








"Intensity 3-28"













Who doesn't know Stephen Haynes ?... This famous artist is certainly one of the most prolific you'll find.

He's so renowned that he made me shy until I asked him the permission to publish this article. I discovered a kind artist, quite ready to communicate his passion without limits.









"Amanda 21"














With more than 3500 fine art nude pictures, over 50 models and 250 sessions since July 2001, working mainly in black & white or toned B&W, with a large preference for studio nudes, Stephen Haynes’ prints are owned by more than 170 collectors all around the world.










"Jesse at the Fireplace 5"





"Amanda Reclines 9"







"Crescent"















Stephen Haynes is a fine art photographer living in Minneapolis, MN, USA.

He comes relatively late to full-time devotion to the photographic arts, but has compensated by the intensity of his work.

While his principal subject currently is the fine art nude, he has also done notable work in landscapes, travel scenes, portraiture and the performing arts.










"Tabatha 32"












About his art :

I am largely self-taught. Even without much formal training, I try to produce photos and prints of high esthetic quality, to exacting technical standards.

With the female nude, I always seek new settings, lighting and poses in which to present the human form. In travel, I hope to photograph either from special vantage points or at a unique moment in time. Form and structure often triumph over grand vistas or photos that will appeal to an ‘art show’-type clientele. My portraiture work has usually been done on-location ; I prefer to stay away from formal studio portraiture.






"Jessie 4"





Stylistically, I am a hyper-realist. I tend not to create fantasy scenes for my nudes, and I like candid shots in all my photography. Geometry, symmetry and asymmetry, action or implied movement, emotion, a hint of eroticism, idealized beauty and a wide variety of lighting styles are to be found in my nude photography.


I tend to prefer studio nudes to those photographed in nature or on location, because under studio conditions nothing competes with the model for the viewer’s attention.





"Lauren at Home 93"




Some people say that the nude has ‘already been done,’ photographically. I beg to differ. Each woman is different, and each model interacts with the camera in her own, unique way. My models inevitably react very positively to my photographs of them. That in turn stimulates my artistry. The result is a widely varied collection of nudes, a rich collaboration between one artist (me) and another (my model).




"Sarah 34"

December 28, 2014

Steve Richard's first feature


"At this point in my life I am lucky to now only shoot the subjects that interest me such as fine art nudes, dance and bodies in motion." Steve Richard







"Lamp light"






You'll find Steve Richard at his official site, Model Mayhem, deviantART.







"Rings 2"






When I discovered the work of Steve Richard, he sent me a very very kind mail, I just said WOW! Nothing else... Maybe "here is a great one" ? We talked together about the delay I needed to publish him, but I can't resist to feature him right now.

Like IMSir Real, K Leo or Red Mahan, Steve loves to capture dancers and art models in motion. And if you watch his work on his beautiful site you'll be surprised by his prodigious imagination and his perfect knowledge of what a photograph must be. As proof, his mantra : “It is easy to create an image of a beautiful thing, what is difficult is to create a beautiful image”. Right. And he succeeds.

As the saying goes : welcome Steve in your new home ! And thanks for your trust.








"I have been involved with photography for most of my life, well at least 37 of the 50 years. For the last 10 years I have been living on the East coast of Canada in Halifax Nova Scotia and spend most of my time in my studio downtown.








"Black Hat"
Art Model Karen Murdock






Though I was initially more interested in music, I have always been intrigued by the concept of capturing an image.


I still remember the first time I was in a dark room watching my print come alive in the developer, it was one of my greatest thrills.

Without question the entire photographic process had me hooked very early on and luckily I always seemed to have mentors around willing to share their knowledge in both disciplines.











"Film noir part 1"
Art Model MsSkye










"Nude dancers on chest"











Art Model Karen Murdock





I did not attend any school of photography/art and received any formal training by attending workshops and working as an assistant to a number of photographers.

Over the past 37 years I have had the opportunity to work within almost every category of photography you can imagine (landscape, portraiture, commercial, wedding, product, etc).

In addition to my obsession with photography, over the past 7 years I have also become very passionate with cinematography. I think this has also broadened my perspective on the still image side of things.










"Ballerina Part 1"
Art Model Karen Murdock










"The corner chair"
Art Model MsSkye











"Ballerina 4a"
Art Model Vanessa





When I first started shooting I was interested in musicians, bands, live music performances, etc., probably because that was also a big part of my life at the time. I think I was around 18 when I began working full time for a portrait studio and fell in love with the studio environment.


I love the lines and form of landscape and architecture but I could never find the subtle stories there like I could when photographing people, especially dancers, gymnasts, or anyone involved in motion.









"Cloudbusting 1c"











"Ballerina 3b"

Art Model Karen Murdock





It was probably this experience with portraits, combined with my interest in form and line that inspired me to eventually move into fine art nude photography.



I do some location shooting but 90% of everything I shoot is in the studio where I can control everything. I am a bit of a control freak when it comes to lighting and spend a great deal of time getting the light to be exact. I think this is why I do not shoot very much location work, as it tends to drive me crazy that I don’t have 100% control.










"Outside 1"
Art Model Karen Murdock











"The dresser part"
Art Model Karen Murdock




As with all photographers of my generation I started out working with film and over the past decade moved into the digital world.

Although I shoot digital I still take the same approach I did when I was shooting film and try to get everything absolutely perfect in camera. I know this is going to sound strange and it is a bit ironic since this site is Photoshop centric site, but I spend most of my time doing every thing I can to make sure the image does not require much postproduction work. Not that I disagree with images that have heavy processing, I just feel more satisfied when I create an image that was mostly done in camera.


I also tend to work on images that will eventually be part of a larger series of work.


For example “Table and Chair” was a concept to try and create a group of strong images with noting more than a body and a table and/or chair, no other elements were allowed.


From "Table and Chair" Series








With “Scratching The Surface” I wanted to explore the body in motion on a water surface.


From "Scratching The Surface" Series
"The Runner"
Art Model Tom





I am working on a long term project called “Red” which is a portrait series with the self imposed constraint of a person and a piece of red cloth all shot with the same background and lighting (a little bit like Torses Nus by Jeanloup Sieff).


From "Red" Series

"Red Renaissance"
Art Model Erin



I like the challenge of creating a strong image with a minimal environment.







My latest project is called "Cloud Busting" and is now available as a book that was printed in Italy this September by Zanardi.

This was one of my favorite series to date and involved working with some very talented dancers and models, once again in a minimal environment but using powder to wrap and frame the body.

I loved that the images are captured while the powder is in a form that only exists for a very short time (a fraction of a second). This for me is a wonderful metaphor for beauty and even life itself. The dust represents a fleeting moment, something you must admire and drink in while it lasts.


From "Cloud Busting" Series

"Cloudbusting 3a"
Art Model Rachel





I am also extremely lucky to work with very talented makeup artist, models, and assistants that all contribute to the development of an image. I love to work people who are as interested as I am in creating a strong final image and I enjoy a team effort in the studio.






"Ballet 13a"
Art Model Karen Murdock




I have this saying that has become my mantra : “it is easy to create an image of a beautiful thing (car, girl, tree, etc.), what is difficult is to create a beautiful image”.



Unfortunately most people do not know or recognize the difference. Photographers like Jan Saudek definitely inspire me most along this line of thinking. I also love the work of Howard Schatz who creates amazingly beautiful images in the studio environment. Unfortunately some of my other heroes are no longer alive. Jeanloup Sieff, Bob Carlos Clarke, and Helmut Newton are three that have inspired me throughout my career."








"Ballet 11A"
Art Model Erin















Cloud Busting


Available here.



I am very happy to announce that the Cloud Busting book is now available. 128 pages with 73 duotone images. The book is 13" X 11" (33 cm X 28 cm) and this edition is only available in hard cover. I am extremely pleased with the reproduction quality from this press (thanks very much to Zanardi's Luca Menegon, and the wonderful design and production support from Fresco Fine Art Publications). The book is now available for sale on my site. The book will go into normal North American book store distribution early 2011.






Angelus

Available here.


Excerpt from the introduction by Chris Pauley :
"The angels you see in this volume may have their eyes cast downward like some Victorian image of a guardian angel, or heavenward as if in adoration, but the context is, in fact, that of the beaten, the dissolute and the depraved, in tableaux that constantly subvert our expectations of what “angelic” really means. Steve plays with this notion time and again, moving from single tight shots of angels in typical Pre-Raphaelite expressions of piety, repose or solace, to broader images in which these heavenly creatures are engaged in all manner of unsavoury human pursuits. These beings may reside amongst the stars, but their eyes are fixed on the gutter."
















December 24, 2014

Ben Heys' first feature



"I’m a photographer because I simply love making images." Ben Heys.







"Ghostly Visage"
Art Model Kess





Ben Heys at his photoblog, deviantART, a gallery at photo.net, his prints for sale at Shutterstock and Dreamstime, all the articles about him here inside.







"From his trip in Pangkor"










Ben Heys is 30 years old from Brisbane in Australia.

Art nude, glamour and fashion photographer, he's also a passionate traveller who loves shooting street people and fabulous landscapes. In fact Ben Heys shoots "anything that he thinks will look beautiful"... So everything. With success, prolixity and an amazing creativity.

Is it necessary to tell you how much I love his work ? His precious lightning, his awesome compositions, his deep imaginary, his excellent tones, his stunning models ?... No, I'm sure.

Just read him (cause he's also a good writer !), watch his wonderful shots, and you'll understand why Ben Heys is one of my favorite artists since a long long long time.An d why I'm very proud to welcome here inside.








"Bridge"
Art Model Hannah











"Gorgeous shape"
Art Model Kess














"Glamorous Hannah"




If you’re reading this page then you likely already know who I am, as why would you be here otherwise ? But for those of you who stumbled across this site by accident and for some reason have decided to stick around here is a little about myself.









"Gymnastic nude"
Art Model Dee












"Alone"
Art Model Kess



My name is Ben Heys and I am a 30 year old photographer from Australia.

I make most of my living nowadays from stock photography but also sell some work as fine art prints, shoot the occasional model portfolio and submit galleries to Bluenudes.

Up to this point I have concentrated mainly on fashion/fine art work but I am currently looking to push more into travel/landscape photography and perhaps even try my hand at some photo journalistic type of stuff.

My blog will therefore concentrate more on this sort of photography than my work with models, for more of my model photography please see the links provided in the nav bar. I’m setting this blog up mainly as a way to record and share my travel experiences in my upcoming trip to S.E. Asia and wherever I may venture beyond that. I’ll also include random other shoots and events. The idea is that it be a half personal, half professional view into my life in photography.



It’s the only way I can do it really, as I’m not a photographer because I earn a lot of money from it, or because it’s all I know how to do.

I’m a photographer because I simply love making images.








"Peek Wen"










"Misty"













"Silver"


















" What is the difference between art and porn ?


My view is that there is no difference, may as well ask what the difference is between high and low - there's none there either.

Sure to most of us most of the time the top of a skyscraper is high, but what is it to a pilot ? a mountain climber ? an astronaut ? And most have to look down to view the face of a pebble washed up on a sandy shore, but how does an ant navigating the sand beside it view the same thing ?





The fact of the matter is that such things reside completely in the perspective of the observer, a perspective which even itself has no permanence, for once the pedestrian hops aboard the plane and it takes off he is able to look down at that same skyscraper far below.








"Iced Kessie"
Art Model Lutetium










"Beach recline"








If you believe that the photo's on this site, or indeed any or all nude photo(s) ever taken to be porn then you are completely right, you also couldn't be more wrong.









"Prince of the mountain"




It is around such views that I base my art. I seek to depict the interaction and interdependence of opposing forces.


For instance I try to make my photos both artistic and erotic at the same time. I want to show that sexy and provocative can be innocent and classically beautiful simultaneously.







"Solitude II"
Art Model Kess




That the same image can evoke a sense of peace AND excitement, that a model is both strong and independent while still being only a small part of a much greater whole.

I have long held that boundaries are never solid and permanent but merely figments of our imaginings. What 'category' a photograph or other piece of visual art resides in is dependent on the observer and the surrounding work. I am especially looking at the moment to highlight these "shades of gray". I am keen to produce work that is somewhere in between fashion and nude, photography and illustration, monochrome and colour - the list goes on.












"Midnight Sonata"
Art Model Belle

"When Belle told me she had a grand piano at her place I knew she was a model I had to work with."











"Predator"








But to say that I am looking to blur these boundaries is in itself a limiting utterance. When it comes down to it all I really want is to create beautiful photographs. Quality is the goal, that elusive quality that Phaedrus quested after so fiercely.

With further regards to my shooting I am on the whole haphazard and sloppy. When on location I try to make best use of whatever light I find there. I do not use fill flash, I do not use reflectors and I do not use a tripod. I do not do extensive scouting of the locations beforehand and sometimes don't decide on even the general location of a shoot before the day itself. In the studio I very rarely use flash meters and rely on instinct and trial and error rather than precise light ratios.








"Insurmountable odds"



Once again having said that I do not do any of the above it is not to say that I HAVE not, or WILL not. Rules are made to be broken, even when your rule is that you are going to break rules.








"Stairway to... nahhhh"
"Just after sunrise on a lookout overlooking the ocean"




TFP is available for models that particularly strike a chord with me. Generally if you are happy to model for a project of my own then I'll be happy to do some work for you - whether you have a theme of your own you'd like to achieve or just want some nice fashion/casual work for your book.

I often am entranced by people that do not fit the classic mold of 'beautiful' and your modeling experience and ability matter not a whit to me, so if you are keen please do drop a line no matter how good looking (or not) you THINK you are and no matter your experience."









"Wild Skirt
Art Model Jess