It seems many people have not yet gotten around to using digital cameras, is that right?
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Friday, March 05, 2010
Gear for nudes
I got asked about what camera gear is good for nudes. Is there interest in an article for beginners about this?
It seems many people have not yet gotten around to using digital cameras, is that right?
(Note: you don't have to be registered or logged in to put in a comment, just select the "name/URL" button and write a name.)
It seems many people have not yet gotten around to using digital cameras, is that right?
(Note: you don't have to be registered or logged in to put in a comment, just select the "name/URL" button and write a name.)
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24 comments:
I think there would be plenty of interest on this subject from wannabe and professional photographers alike.
Hi, the Photographers Resource free online magazine for photographers www.photographers-resource.co.uk/nl would be an ideal place to place such an article, and welcomes submissions. Its also where many professional and enthusiast photographers turn when they want information, as all articles are indexed in many ways to form a look up resource. I have checked and its hasn’t covered this yet.
I am old fashoned and use a 35mm SLR with a 75-110 lens. This allows me to keep a good distance from the model. Too close and you intrude into her / his personal space, to far and you have to shout. I like using a flash in daylight to remove the shadows under the eyes and to add a sparkle to them.
I'd be interested, with lots of sample pics of course
I have to agree, basically, with what John RG stated re: equipment, except that I am now using a digital slr. With that I can keep shooting without "time-outs" for reloading. I almost always use a flash, too, to eliminate shadows and such.
I would LOVE to have your comments on equipment available to us. I used to use a standard film SLR but I believe that the newer digital SLRs are better as you do not have to scan the images into a computer for finishing and uploading. Many steps are removed.
Like vinyl and hard rubber “records” of past generations, silver nitrate film has its own “je ne sais quoi” that digital will never have, the difference is only noticeable to a connoisseur of the art. And I prefer the artistic advantages of SLRs as the “point and shoot” cameras have no soul and no artistic control.
Yes, I'd find that very usefull reading..
Thanks.
Digital cameras. I used film Nikons for years and I assure you digital is better. Free film and 400 shots per roll. Can't beat it. Shoot like crazy and discard the crap. SLR is still best, but I am happy in my retirement (and with my limited budget) with my Kodak M341.
Lens: I used 85 & 105 mm (on the Nikons). 85 was for more normal lens appearance; 105 mm was for best telephoto appearance. Can't go wrong with either, but if I could only have one it'd be the 105.
Fill flash. Fill flash. Fill flash. My biggest complaint with the Russian photographers so beloved of DOMAI and GoddessNudes is that they haven't learned or don't use fill flash. I can't tell you how many DOMAI naked ladies have gotten a pseudo-fill-flash treatment from me with Photoshop and LightBox Free Image Editor. I even put free sparkles in their eyes.
i think most of us amateur photographers would be very interested in an article on this subject
Gear for nudes is the same as gear for portraits. 70-200 with film/full frame and 24-105 with crop frame digital. f2.8 if you got them, f4 if you don't. Lights, scrims, diffusers, and refelctors.
**I have several large (9x12'/3x4m) McNally Diffusers if anybody wants one. New, US$30 +10shipping(15 Europe).**
It might be more helpful to point out 1)It ain't as easy as you think, 2)It ain't as sexual as you think, 3)Posing is very important, 4)You better now the correct (not street) names of the body parts and how to use them, 5)Sneaking a shot is a good way to find out if your proctologist is into photography, and 6)Is not a way to hook up with "chixz". Keep the GWC out of the trade.
Fantastic idea! I've often wondered what a photographer might have used to take any given portrait. Camera, lense, film, lighting. I was schooled in the film format ... 35mm and @ 2 1/4
x 2 1/4 square. The new Digital format fascinates me.
Gee. I thought the topic was on what equipment to carry if you are nude.
It seems many people have not yet gotten around to using digital cameras, is that right?
My favourite is an SLR with a Loreo 3D lens. It gives a very realistic representation of the rounded form of the face. And, er, other things. :-D
I also sometimes shoot 6cm square stero slides, using a pair of old medium format Yashicas. Those can be jaw-dropping.
I haven't tried my new Fuji 3D compact with nudes yet.
Buy the Canon Digital Rebel XT and a Canon 70-300mm IS lens. (the cheaper 70-300,not the one with DO optics)
You need a spare battery and a memory card to get started. This won't cost much more than a thousand dollars total, and is very popular with wildlife photographers.
Cliff
http://www.beakycoot.com
Cameras are merely tools.
Do you ask what brand or type of hammer was used when you see a piece of fine furniture or a well built house? Probably not.
Technically speaking, you can use any camera to take nudes, or any other subject. Of course, different cameras or lenses are better for certain situations but nobody can claim that anything is 'best for nudes'.
Rather than ask about what gear is used, one should ask how the photo was created. Photography literally means Light Drawing, which leads us to the key of all photography...Light.
If you like a nude photo, look at how the model is lit. Where is the light coming from? Is it soft light or hard light? Is the exposure 'normal' or maybe brighter or darker than that?
If you can master (or at least become acquainted with) the use of light, the camera gear you use, will be of little concern.
Yet another question could be; how does one create a DOMAI worthy nude?
I would suggest that it requires a model who is capable of letting her inner beauty shine out through her skin, her smile, her very being. Sometimes all you have to do, is point & click.
When asked by a book editor to submit 20 favorites for an upcoming edition featuring who he considers "the world's leading erotic photographers", his favorites were mostly my early work shot with a Canon Rebel 300D 6.3 megapixel and a stock 18-55mm lens. You can easily find used Canon Rebels if your budget is limited, and one of those will work just fine while you train your eye, which is much more important than the gear you have. I studied the work of other shooters, not to copy them, but to understand how they "see" the shot.
For me, the equipment used is not as important as the natural beauty of the models, scenic outdoor backgrounds; and of course natural soft lighting when possible and flash if necessary.
In years past I have used 35mm SLRs and still have my trusty Pentax K1000 with an 80 - 200 zoom (my favorite combination that was under $200 new 30 years ago) but money is an issue when it comes to a hobby of this sort. It's easy to blow $100 for processing on a weekend of shooting or a long vacation. OTOH, digital costs are all up front unless one plans to print everything they shoot. I would love to purchase a newer SLR with manual and auto features but the technology is changing as fast as the PC industry. It seems the better mouse trap takes a 9 volt battery and with be absolete in a few years!
The last mid priced digital cam I used with decent optics was a Sony Mavica and it took great pictures even though it had limited storage (floppy disk) and was slow to respond to the shutter button. (waiting for it to write on disc seemed long at times) The current digital I have is an Olympus 3 MPix with decent optics and good storage but as all newer cams it's menu driven, which is a royal pain for those of us with aging eyes and an anolog mind.
Having cut my teeth on 35mm I have often wondered why someone has not come up with a "drop in" gadget for older SLR conversion to digital so one doesn't have to give up their old gear for something flashy? After all, most of the cheaper digital cameras have lots of memory and some snazzy features for the money but lack the feel and the optics of the old guard.
BTW, having developed my "eye" back in the 35 mm days most of my better shots were done in natural light at some distance with a zoom and correcting for exposure by guestimation over the built in meter, depending on what part of the picture I wanted to be the perfect exposure. Never took any posed shots except for the typical family gatherings. Most were candid and composed in my mind while waiting for the right moment to push the button. In my mind composing the shot is more important that posing the shot. Posed shots usually look posed.
Rupe
I have been in the industry my past years but anytime someone shares knowledge I listen, read or watch when ever possible. If Eolake posts it I would hope it is on his blog or his site at Domai for anyone too read or watch a video if he so chooses to post one. Interest Hell Yes! Eolake post any thing you see fit to post about the nude form and how to capture it in a simple and pureist light.
When I was hesitant about going digital, the salesman's pitch was that with digital, it leaves you with more time to compose the shot. I suppose he was right, because I'm still using it.
There's still that certain something about film, though...
"the salesman's pitch was that with digital, it leaves you with more time to compose the shot."
How's that work?
Thanks for all the comments!!
I have written the article, it is here.
I have just converted to Digital photography recently with an basic Panasonic Lumix DMC TZ15 camera. Its gives lots of room to get that perfect shot for nudes.
Otherwise all these years I have been using my favourite workshorse platform of the Nikon FM2 with a 105 macro E series lens.
Ronchen
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