nude photography - beautiful dawn
Nude portraits of beautiful Dawn in the forest of West Virginia.
When your eyes meet with hers, she doesn't overt her eyes or dissolve in a protective smile - she pierces you with her blue eyes and stares into your soul.
It felt creepy the first time I experienced it, but at the same time it was intriguing. It was honest and because of that uncomfortable. It was a real way of connecting with her.
When I ask her if she would be interested in posing nude for me, she agrees.
The creek is loud and fast, carrying stirred up sediment and days' worth of rain. As we walk through the forest, she explains that her life alternates in two week intervals between the city and the woods.
When we get to the spot, she quickly undresses and starts crossing the creek to get over to one of the giant boulders to which I point. She moves gracefully, like a panther, and confidently - this is not her first time wading in the turbulent creek.
I watch her as if spellbound and when she stands up in the clearing, with soft light of an overcast sky illuminating the entire scene, she looks like a statue carved out of white marble. Her skin is so luminescent, it looks like she glows from within. She lifts her arms up to the sky and screams. There is no sound but the sound of the roaring water and her howl that the creek carries away with it. This, by far, has been one of the most powerful nude photoshoots that I have had.
My desire to pursue nude photography was born out of my own insecurities. I envied the freedom my husband had in his body when he would get out of the shower and parade around the house naked. Maybe it was a mating ritual, or a way to seduce me, but the way he carried himself was something I could never do.
I was jealous of the acceptance he had for his body, his not having the need to hide.
As I dug deeper into why that freedom was not available to me, I uncovered tons of shame about nudity, my body plus all the insecurities and dissatisfaction about my body that I’ve picked up from magazines, television, friends and family while growing up. I thought that I might not be the only one who feels this way. I got curious about how I could heal that. And that’s how the idea for an artistic nude photography project started (I talk in more detail about it in this story).
This journey started ten years ago. It has evolved and took me to places I didn’t even know existed. I met this amazing girl Katie who invited me to a photograph a nude Goddess Gathering that she was hosting. Katie found me on Instagram and we instantly clicked. She introduced me to her home at Sunsport Gardens Naturist Resort where she was living in a teal colored school bus and opened my eyes to the world of naturism I never knew existed.
I started seeking out places where I could be free and nude in nature. This month, for the first time in my life I visited a nude beach in South Florida. I am a regular visitor at Sunsport Gardens Naturist Resort, and I must tell you, the way I see and relate to my body is changing. I started creating artistic nude self-portraits of myself as a way to heal and that has been a powerful experience. I would be lying to you if I said that I one hundred percent accept and love myself, but I am definitely way better than I was years ago.
If you want to get closer to my world of creating self-portraits, artistic nude photography art, and naturism adventures, I invite you to join The Bliss Circle. The Bliss Circle is an art patronage community of people who want to support my art through different levels of monthly contribution. By becoming a patron, you get a more intimate look at my creative process, behind-the-scenes look at my photoshoots, and photo and video stories of naturism adventures. The topics I explore are self-acceptance, visibility, self-expression, creativity and connection to nature. The Bliss Circle gives you a closer look at the art that is not shared publicly, and allows me the opportunity to continue creating art.
artistic nude photography
"In this country people equate nudity with sexuality",
said Adam, one of the volunteers for my most recent art project. Adam is a member of a Florida Young Naturists group, a community of nudists 18 - 35 years of age. The nearest to Boca Raton nude beach is in Aventura, just north of Miami, in Haulover Beach, where the sand is white and ...
"In this country people equate nudity with sexuality",
said Adam, one of the volunteers for my most recent art project. Adam is a member of a Florida Young Naturists group, a community of nudists 18 - 35 years of age. The nearest to Boca Raton nude beach is in Aventura, just north of Miami, in Haulover Beach, where the sand is white and the atmosphere is serene, according to my model. I take my chances and photograph Adam on the public beach in Boca at 6 am in the morning, before the world awakens and anyone can get offended by a nude man ashore. We start working and I lose track of time, of course. The sun is barely above the horizon, Adam is sitting on the wet sand facing the water, small waves washing over his legs from time to time. An early riser and exerciser, a woman in her 60s, walks by (I was so immersed in work that I did not notice her and did not give Adam heads up to cover himself up) and says grumpily, "this is not a nude beach, we have children here!"
"There is nobody here, ma'am", I reply, "it is not even 7 o'clock in the morning." She walks on, continuing to curse and mumble something under her breath. To be honest, she looked more upset and angry with me, than with the actual nude man, most of whose buttocks were now buried in the wet sand any way. It makes me think of this quote:
Doing nude photoshoots is what I set my artistic vision at from the beginning of 2016. My goal is to have an art exhibit of nude photography by the end of the year (or January of 2017, at the very latest - so please hold me accountable!) and so far I have photographed a beautiful spiritual singer, a courageous 19-year old who followed her love to California, a youthful life coach, a super tall tech guy, and young and open to experimentation Adam, whom you met. I'm currently looking for more volunteers to participate in this project as I'm really planning to plunge into work between September 20 and November 1. You see, my mom is coming to visit and will help me with my seventeen-months old daughter and the beginning of November is when I am going to give birth to my second daughter...
For those CURIOUS about the project, but APPREHENSIVE about being recognized or compromised for appearing nude, there are many ways to DISGUISE someone's face (with hair, mask, fabric, leaves, etc.), or have the model twisted into a shape (or simply posed away from the camera) where the face will remain invisible. In addition to that the final photo can be composed in such a way that it leaves the face completely out of it. But it will, most likely, be a very liberating and unforgettable experience, so if you are curious, but hesitant, I invite you to discuss it :)
My reasons for doing this art project are multiple:
· to appreciate and admire human form as it is (I intend to use very little post-production editing to retouch the skin or alter the shape of the body);
· to become more accepting of my own body - to love it for its functionality and for the mere but grand task of housing my soul, as opposed to despising it for some perceived imperfections as compared to some beauty ideals that have been instilled in my mind since early age;
· to provide a liberating experience for other people (women, especially) and show them how beautiful they are. Being able to participate in a project like this takes guts. Even if in the final images the person's face is disguised in some way, such as covered by hair or a mask, or cropped out completely, it takes a lot of courage to strip away your clothes and appear just as you are, one-on-one with the camera - vulnerable and raw. I like what Padma Lakshmi, and Indian-born American author and model, said on this subject:
And the rawness and discomfort of the experience and overcoming that feeling is what makes it so liberating and rewarding in the end;
· to grow as an artist. To accentuate the form and shape of the human body I will need to experiment with various lighting techniques. Also, posing a nude model is not the same as posing someone who is wearing clothes. Overall, photographing nudes is a whole different world which will bring me more experience and improve my skill;
· to show the diversity of human form, how we are all the same, but at the same time oh so different;
· to push outside of my comfort zone, to help others push outside of theirs;
· to help people become more accepting of their bodies and not be afraid of nudity. Another one of our contemporaries, Emily Browning, an Australian actress, said:
When staring with this project, I did some research and came across some wonderful artists whose work truly inspires me. Here is the list of photographers and digital artists I have encountered so far, and if you know any other artists who specialize in or have a passion for nude photo art, I would love to get acquainted with their work, so please share their names with me.
Andreas Bitesnich - an Austrian photographer and musician; specializes in nude and portrait photography, whose work has been published in a gazillion publications: http://www.bitesnich.com/portfolio/nudes
Jade Beall - an American photographer and author who lives in Arizona; specializes in truthful images of women, inspiring women to love and accept their bodies as they are, promoting self-love through un-retouched photographs: http://www.jadebeall.com
Thomas Holm - a Danish photographer who shoots artful nudes:
http://www.commandoart.com
Model Society - a creative online community of photographers, models, and artists, commited to celebrating the beauty and art of human form:
http://modelsociety.com
Take a look at their beautiful free digital magazines (also available for purchase in print form): http://modelsocietymagazine.com
Steve Richard - a Canadian fine art photographer who spends most of his time shooting dance, bodies in motion and teaching the art of light, language and line: http://www.steverichard.com
Daria Endresen - a Norwegian photographer and digital artist who creates surreal dream scapes laden with pain and mystery: http://dariaendresen.com/gallery/digital
Thank you for taking the time to read about my latest art experiment and we shall be in touch soon. In the meantime, love and admire your physical bodies and let me know if you would like to have them photographed. Nude, of course, because as Nick Offerman said, "the ultimate disguise is nothing. Nudity."