“The nude is for the artist what love is for the poet.”
Quote is attributed to Paul Valéry
“The camera can represent flesh so superbly that, if I dared, I would never photograph a figure without asking that figure to take its clothes off.”
Bernard Shaw
Over time, I have developed personal issues with the word’s nude and naked because of the negativity, the social/political attempts at censorship and the conservative rights attempt to associate any form of nudity with pornography. Therefore, I have adopted “without clothes” because it is simply descriptive and removes some of the connotations that nude and naked conjure up in peoples’ minds. Unfortunately, the term nude cannot be totally ignored because it is so culturally established and has been widely used for centuries. Therefore, I will use the term “nude” for this essay.
Why do I photograph nudes?
For me, it is the life blood of my photography and has been for over 50 years.
For me, it is a form of inspiration and personal artistic expression.
For me, the nude is timeless.
For me, the nude represents life and human existence.
For me, the nude is curves, shapes and infinite forms.
The nude is provocative…textural…expressive…beautiful…earthy…erotic
…controversial…surprising…historical…
Sleeping Mind Photography 