Time once again to remember a pioneer in the field...

"The information on the life of Stanislaus Julian Walery is scare. Born in Poland during the middle 1860's, he is known to have been actively producing photographs from late 1888's through 1927.

During the early years, Walery worked in London, sharing a studio and partnership with Alfred Ellis. The two photographed London society, including portraits in 1892 of Oscar Wilde. As well, they photographed known ballet and theatre performers. "

Read the rest of this biography here: Biography Stanislaus Julian Walery
or view a small gallery of Walery's work here: Gallery of Stanislaus Julian Walery

Here's the official page for the Xchanges Gallery Mayday Erotica Show. I'll have four of my photographs in this exhibit. Sadly, tickets to opening night have sold out. If you didn't get yours already, you're missing out on a truly Bacchanalian party. However, don't despair, the show runs until May 25th.

XChanges Artist-Run Centre

Continuing with the topic of Asian fine art nude photography, Fukuda Shoshu (1958- ) is a professional calligrapher/artist from Kyoto, Japan. While all his photos are beautiful, I'm particularly taken with his 2001 series in which he combines his passions for caligraphic art and photography with gorgeous results.

Sho/Calligrapher Photography Nude

Photographer Huang Xesheng and model Tian Jing beside the gold prize winner Charm of Loess.

Here's an interesting article about the slow emergence of nude photography in China. It's intriguing to me to find just how much cultural views vary around the world when it comes to photos depicting nudity. It's easy to forget that it is still a huge taboo in many societies. I unfortunately have had personal experience with this. A beautiful Chinese model I once worked with was almost cast out by her family when they discovered that she'd done nude modeling for several photographers. Very sad stuff.

"The recent China Human Photo Exhibition featuring artistic nude photography was a first for China in its photographic history. It was the first national exhibition of artistic photos showing the naked human body. Sponsors of the exhibition, which opened January 11 (2001) at Guangzhou’s Zhonghua Plaza, were the China Artistic Photography Society and the Fujian Provincial Artistic Photography Society."

China Human Photo Exhibition

Sea Nude, Carmargue, 1958

"A native of Arles, France, Lucien Clergue is a fine-art photographer, author, educator and filmmaker. His work has been associated with some of France's most significant artists, intellectuals, and musicians including Jean Cocteau, Pablo Picasso, Roland Barthes, and the Gypsy Kings. Clergue's work has been published in numerous books and exhibitions."

David Perry seems to be on a one man crusade to revive and celebrate all things to do with Greaseballs, Hotrodders, and 50's era pin bad girl pin up glam. He is a master of his style and his photos are truly fantastic.

Trucker's Lounge

Rhode Island photographer Sarah Small's work has a fresh and fun quality to it.

sarah small's photography

(Site requires flash)

Theo Berends uses digital manipulation of his photographs yet he doesn't over do it like so many others do. Well worth exploring. Select Personal Site, and then click on the little square icon to get to the galleries.

"Ethan T. Allen was born and raised in the San Francisco bay area, USA. Inspired by the images created by Edward Weston and Lucian Clergue, Ethan first assisted on shoots with photographers, Peter Lindbergh and Herb Ritts."

Ethan Thomas Allen Photography

Not much in the way of figure photography here, but this site was my first introduction to the on-line photographic community. It was great back in 2000, and appears to still be now. The critique and discussion forums were always my favourite sections, but the equipment reviews are an invaluable resource if you're shopping for new gear.

PhotographyREVIEW.com

Another cautionary tale, which I will once again refrain from judgement on due to not knowing the facts. I guess the moral of this story though, is select your models carefully, and always maintain the highest level of professionalism in your relations with them. In this case, the careful selection part would include not using one of your students as a model if you are going to be alone with them.

Student Model presses harrassement charges

Here is the website of German photographer Yves G. Noir

The photographs
Eric Kellerman have a subtle and understated elegance to them that's really appealling.

By the way, this is another reader submitted link. Thanks Jim, keep them coming.

Here's a cautionary tale for photographers. Not knowing the full details of this story, I decline judgement, but this is certainly proof of the importance of getting (and properly filing) a model release.

Photographer Sued by Model

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Here's a very large list of photography & modelling forums sorted by region and category. Some are definitely better than others, but this is a good resource page for photographers in search of models or vice-versa.

Forums

The photographs of Korean photographer Park Sang Hoon have a beautiful, clean, almost Zen feel to them.

Park Photography

In case you're inspired by the Annie Sprinkle post below, here's a great site devoted to the art and technique of Polaroid transfers and other manipulations.

Polaroid Transfer & SX-70 Manipulation Resources - creative uses of Polaroid films

Annie Sprinkle, self-professed "prositute/porn star turned Ph. D. sexologist, educator, multimedia artist & utopian entrepreneur" is a seriously talented photographer.

Here's how she describes her photos and the process:

"I'm making large format, 20"x24" Polaroid transfer prints. Each print is an original. They are made on one of only six 20"x24" format Polaroid cameras in the world. (It's the same one photographer William Wegman uses.) I love the painterly, arty effect of this rare type of print. The color dye on the Polaroid film is squeegeed onto thick, sensuous, wet watercolor paper. After the prints dry, I hand color them with paints, watercolor pencils, nail polish, glitter, etc. Sometimes I collaborate with the subjects portrayed in the photos--they write on them, or paint on them, then they sign them next to my signature."

Here is a small gallery of these polaroids.

Also check out her Post Modern Pleasure Activist Pin-Up Playing Cards

I finally got around to getting rid of the old blogger standard template and revised the look of this blog. I'm certainly no html guru, but I'm using IE 5.0 on a Mac and everything looks OK to me. If anything looks screwy to you, please let me know via e-mail or leave a message on the message board.

B.T.W. if you like the new look, then take a moment and vote for my site on Photoblogs.org.

Title   #3
  Artist   Vanessa Beecroft, 2000
  Gagosian Gallery, UK
  Materials   Digital c-print
  Size   h: 75 x w: 52 in / h: 190.5 x w: 132.1 cm

Artist Vanessa Beecroft stages elaborate performance pieces using muliple models which are then documented photographically.

Having said all that below, I did want to point out that there is more to Akira Gomi that the repetive left, right, front, back poses. His website contains some beautiful photographs from other series. Akira Gomi

Japanese photographer Akira Gomi is famous for his photographic record and catalog of 100's and 100's of female bodies. Each is almost an anthropological or medical study of modern-day women showing their unclothed front, side, and rear views. He has published several books on this theme entitled, Yellows 1.0, Yellows 2.0, Yellows 3.0, and Americans 1.0. His goal supposedly is to document 2000 women from around the world. The fact that all the women are between 18 & 28, and happen to be reasonably attractive shows clearly that this project is not meant to be a truly representative study of womanhood. On the contrary these photos have a perverse voyeuristic quality that makes them all the more compelling. You almost feel as though you've got x-ray vision.

Examples of this epic work can be found here and here and finally here

"(Pierre) Molinier was considered an outlaw artist in his native Bordeaux for his spiritually-infused and subversive paintings of the 1940âs through 1974 which explore all manner of sexual gratification by and among women and hermaphrodites both real and imagined. Although never formally a Surrealist, Molinier began an association with Andre Breton and the group in 1955 and it was Breton -championing Molinier's impertinence and daring- who staged his first Paris exhibition in early 1956."

Here is the rest of the biography and here is an astounding gallery of his work, as well as a biography, filmography & exhibition lists (en francais)

"Julian Mandel, the early twentieth century art photographer, became known for his exceptional classical studies of the female form. His photographs and postcards are artfully composed, with exquisite use of lighting.

Mandel was also one of the few photographers of his day to stamp and/or sign his name on the front of his works.

He primarily published through the Paris-based studios of Alfred Noyer, (AN), the Leo Studios, PC of Paris, and some reprints under the German company of Neue Photographische, (NP).

Mandel did participate in the German "new age outdoor movement" producing a vast amount of outdoor nudes during this period as well."

Classical Nudes of Julian Mandel

The above link was found via Tallulahs Vintage Postcard Menu Page. If you are at all interested in French vintage erotic postcards, this site is one you'll want to bookmark. There are literally dozens of galleries divided thematically and/or by artist. Loads to see. In fact I'm going to add this one the permant links.

Phillip Cartland works in Kenya, making him (to my knowledge) the first African photographer on this blog.

By the way, this link was sent in by a reader. Thanks! I'm always grateful to recieve links to quality photography. As for the rest of you, if you've got a favourite photographer who uses the human figure in their work, let me know.

Los Angeles photographer Tom Ruddock shoots nudes and fashion. I don't mean to say he's derivative, but some of his work reminds me of Helmut Newton, mainly because his models all seem to be about 7 ft. tall, while with others the lurid colour schemes remind me a bit of Bettina Rheims.

Gillian 4
17 x 14 inches

Carson Zullinger uses a broad range of techniques including polaroid emulsion lifts, slide projections for lighting, etc. His galleries are well worth exploring.

This is pretty cool and needs to be seen to be appreciated. Dan McCormack has used what appears to be a traditional flatbed scanner and scanned a model's entire body at life size. BODYSCAN Digital Photography

Are you enjoying my ongoing project of seeking out and sharing the best in fine art nude photography? If so, then please vote for my site on Photoblogs.org

Elisa

It's been months since I've engaged in any shameless self-promotion, so here's a link to my own desparately in need of an update website.

Michael Barnes Photography

Jeff Dunas is a very successful commercial photographer doing editorial, reportage, and celebrity portraits to name just a few. So when he applies his undeniable skill and image quality to Fine Art Nudes it's no surprise that the photos are first rate. Don't stop there though, be sure and visit his Main Page and get inspired by some fantastic portraiture.

Here's an interview with the Laurie Edison and several sample images from her book Women En Large

A. Arni creates bizarre & mysterious tableaus behind stage-like curtains in Novel With The Pictures

This link via:Gabriel

Czech photographer Gabina

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"Mark Sink, photographer, curator and teacher, has been and making a living from fine art photography since 1978. His personal work is in numerous museum collections as well as gallery solo and group shows in the US, South America and Europe. He is currently represented by G. Ray Hawkins in CA. Robin Rice in NY, Rule Modern and Contemporary in Denver, along with galleries in Seattle and Santa Fe. As a photographer of fine art he worked with and documented noted artists lives and their work such as Andy Warhol, Jean Michel Basquiat and Rene Ricard. "

mark sink > photography

Fantastic! Here is a link with seven different variations of model releases and property releases. I wish I'd found these when I was just starting out, it would have saved me some headaches.

The Sensuous Line Forms,

Here's an interesting piece musing on the many facets of figure photography written by model and writer Jamie Cotton.

"As artists we sometimes try to comment on and connect with society at large and sometimes we try to create without commentary, but as figure artists, we must submit that regardless of our intent, the figure has a voice of its own. There is something so pure and intense about the human form, so innocent and piercing, that it cuts through all the centuries of lies and cover ups and tells us about truth. To gaze upon the naked form is to look at all that is good and real and honest about humanity; to see all that is beautiful about ourselves."

Jamie Cotton on the nude

Here's a beautiful, dreamy, but sadly very small gallery of work by Japanese photographer Nobuko Shiga

Erwin Olaf does some incredibly creative work. Definitely not for everyone, some of it is truly nightmarish, (Paradise Portraits) while others are simply gorgeous (Blacks). The interface is slightly tricky, don't miss the arrows at bottom right to scroll the gallery list over.

Erwin Olaf Photography & Film

Danish photographer Tune Andersen's work is haunting, disturbing and utterly wonderful. I love his combination of delicate colours and vaguely macabre subjects.

Tune Andersen, fotograf og billedkunstner

Some beautiful, classic figure photography by British photographer Mike Sibthorp

"Simple Beauty - A project by the Italian photographer Mario Cipollini dedicated to the beauty of all those women who do not live on their beauty; they are portrayed naturally, with no complex make-up or image processing, no special setting, accessories or clothing."

Simple Beauty

"Joris Van Daele trained in design and photography under many well known artists and photographers, including the late and acclaimed Canadian painter Patterson Ewen. He has taken art courses at the University of Western Ontario and Fanshawe College. He credits his technical skills in photography to mentors who shared their knowledge as he worked as a darkroom technician, reporter-photographer, medical photographer and commercial studio photographer."

gallery portfolios page

"Elinor Carucci was born in Israel in 1971 and currently resides in New York. She has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and also received the International Center of PhotographyÌs Infinity Award for Young Photographer. Her first monograph, Closer, was recently published. Ms. Carucci's color photographs chronicle her life with her husband, mother and father, brother, grandparents and others as well as touch upon the related topics of intimacy and mortality."

Elinor Carucci Photography Art Gallery

Disasters/Fairy Tales:
Untitled #146, 1985

Cindy Sherman uses her own body and a bizarre mixture of prosthetics in her photographs that reference subjects ranging from film to historical paintings, to fairy tales and beyond.

If you are interested in a more in-depth discussion of her work, here is an exerpt from an essay by Amada Cruz

Aktstudie "Henkelvase", Isabelle
Hans de Roos

"The Rodin Project is a visual research project I developed in communication with several art historians, starting 1992. Inspired by sculptures and drawings by Auguste Rodin, I produced a series of B/W photos that were later worked out as gum bichromate prints. Since every bichromate print is made by hand, every image is a unique creation.
As models, girls and women from various nationalities volunteered, so exploring their own expression of the erotic. The pictures were exhibited in public exhibitions, among which the international exhibition "Sculpture in the Light of Photography", organized by the Wilhelm-Lehmbruck-Museum. "

Hans de Roos - Rodin Project Gallery 1

I love the combination of image sharpness and smooth tonal gradient that Italian photographer Gabriele Rigon achieves in his photographs.

Although that bio page could use some toning down, there's no denying that Tom Millea's work is truly great. Make sure you don't skip his portrait gallery.

Millea

Rudolf Koppitz  
Study in Movement, 1926
Gummidruck, 57,7 x 48 cm

If you happen to live in, or be visiting Vienna in the next few months, you'll want to stop into the New Albertina Museum to check out this exhibit. I'd love to see some of Kopitz's work in person.

The Eye and the Camera. A History of Photography.
14. 3. – 8. 6. 2003  
  "What I cannot paint I photograph…”, man Ray said of his work. The Albertina’s newly created collections of photographs forms an exciting extension of the museum‘s collection. Works by photography’s pioneers, such as the earliest known shot of Vienna from 1840, will be shown as well as Rudolf Koppitz’ erotic compositions or the reportage-like works of Walker Evans or Stephen Shore.

Albertina - exhibiting

A comparatively rare find, Vivienne Maricevic is a woman that photographs male nudes. Her photos are frank and erotic without straying into the cliches of beefcake.

She Shoots Men

# 48 Milo I
© Marcelo Maia 1995

Marcelo Maia originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, now resides in New York City. This gallery contains several photos from his book "Prometheus".

Marcelo Maia Photography

Here's an interesting opinion piece about the writer's 10 favourite fine art nudes of all time. I'm surprised that there are no photographs included though....

"How many nudes were created in art from man's beginning? Who knows--but I figure possibly as many as 20% to 30% of all sculpture, painting and decorative arts from the caveman era to today involves the naked human figure, and, since 1900, perhaps an even higher percentage--maybe 35% when you throw in photography"

Forbes.com: My Favorite Nudes

Big news for your blog host. I'm showing four of my photos in a public venue for the first time in years at the X-Changes Gallery annual Mayday Erotica Show. The show opens Friday May 2 and runs until May 25. If you are in Victoria, don't miss the opening. It's the party of the year and tickets sell out fast. Tickets are going on sale soon at The Papery (669 Fort St.) and Kiss & Tell (531 Herald St.)

X-Changes Gallery is located a 420 William St. in Vic. West.

"Untitled (from The Sleepers)"
Selenium toned gelatin silver print
60 x 47 1/4 inches [#9]

Another of the fantastically talented photographic masters shown at New York's Houk Gallery.

Elizabeth Heyert

Jacqui Agyepong Sprinter/Hurdler
Clinton Point,
Rhinebeck, New York, 1999

Here's a gallery of beautiful photos by Annie Leibovitz from a 2000 exhibition at the Edwynn Houk Gallery.