Bellydancers and Harem Girls

In keeping with the vintage theme today, here's two galleries interpreting the mystique of the Orient from late 19th and early 20th century points of view. The first gallery is strictly fantasy, consisting of European models dressed in costumes. The second gallery features what were put forth as "travel" or "documentary" images in their day and feature actual ethnic models. However, these are in many ways equally fanciful and contrived and clearly served to tittilate the Victorian viewer.

Belly Dancer's and Harem Girls-Erotica Gallery

Bellydancers and Harem Girls - The Real Thing Gallery

This fine link was found via The Indigo Blog

Tallulahs Nude Poses Menu

This one's a repeat, but it's a worthwhile one. As a photographer it's often difficult to find great poses for your models. If you have that problem, it always pays to try out some of the classics. Here's a great collection of vintage poses that are just begging for a contemporary treatment.

Tallulahs Nude Poses

PHOTOLOGY - Nobuyoshi Araki

"Tokyo Nostalgia", 1997
Cibachrome Print, cm 60x40

Love him or hate him, and believe me there's plenty of people in both camps, Nobuyoshi Araki is one of Japan's best known photographers. His nudes have a desperation and perversity that is genuinely unpleasant. This isn't to say that they aren't good. Eroticism or glamour isn't the intent of these images, rather they seem to be reports from hell issued by a damned soul.

Critic Monty DiPietro has written a beautiful essay of the complicated and conflicting emotions he experienced while reviewing Araki's work. I definitely recommend reading this one if you want some kind of an understanding of Araki's overall body of work.

Nobuyoshi Araki at the Hara Museum

Tokyo Nostalgia

PHOTOLOGY - Nobuyoshi Araki

Lately though Araki's work has taken a very different turn. His subject matter is now flowers and cats instead of prostitutes. Do they symbolize redemption or something different? Again, to understand Araki, I recommend visiting his offical website and finding out where he's at now.

Nobuyoshi Araki official homepage

Photographie Jacques BARIS

Hey Antonio! I finally found the link to Jacques BARIS, and it was worth it.

Artists :: Alvin Booth

Here are six series by the incredible Alvin Booth. Each gallery contains multiple images and sometimes multiple pages. While you shouldn't miss any of them, the Corpus series is my favourite. Booth is takes his photography that one step further, presenting it in non traditional formats such as stereo viewing boxes, small hand made frames hung in grids of multiple images or in glass vitrines like Victorian entomological specimens.

Artists like this are few and far between. This is one for the permalinks section.

Artists :: Alvin Booth

Moritz Gallery ... Donald Moritz

"Standing Nude, 1992"

Donald B. Moritz is both a photographer of considerable talent, and also the curator/owner of the Moritz Gallery which specializes in fine art photography.

Donald Moritz

Lucien Clergue

"Caco at Montparnasse I, 1975"
Lucien Clergue

"Lucien Clergue was born in Arles, France in 1934. He began studying photography when he was 15 years old and in 1953, he began his career as the first to photograph Picasso in the Roman arena at Arles. His friendship with the master continued until Picasso’s death in 1973. During these years, Picasso guided him, and introduced him to significant artists such as Jean Cocteau. Clergue collaborated with Cocteau for many years and had influential relationships with such renowned individuals as Edward Weston, Manitas de Plata and the Matador, El Cordobes."

There are seven pages to this gallery of Clergue's work, but the links are easy to miss at the very bottom of the pages.

Lucien Clergue

NELSON GARRIDO

Well, I'm back from the land of big trucks, big men and big meals. So I'll start blogging again with the work of photographer Nelson Garrido. This photographer constructs elaborate tableaus using religious and art historical themes. I've always had a soft spot for symbolist and allegorical photos, but rarely do you see them done with such a sense of humour.

NELSON GARRIDO

FOTOMUSEUM.DE - Forum für Fotografie im Internet

I'm off to South Texas for a week, so this will be the last post until next Saturday. Therefore, I thought I'd better leave you with something exceptional to keep you busy until I return. So here's a gallery with over 70 fantastic photographers.

FOTOMUSEUM.DE

Thanks to regular contributor Antonio for this one. Antonio's personal favourite pick from this list is Marlo Broekmans (That's her work above.)

See you in a week.

Melani Gillis - Fine Art

Completing a trifecta of talented woman artists, here is Canadian photographer Melani Gillis.

Melani Gillis - Fine Art

Elizabeth Opalenik - photographic artist

Elizabeth Opalenik
Elizabeth Opalenik - photographic artist

Karin Rosenthal

Although the "nude on the rocks/in the water" is one of the most overused cliches of figure photography, Karin Rosenthal still manages to create work that is almost sublime in its perfection. Beautiful stuff.

Karin Rosenthal thumbnails

Jerry Avenaim Photography :: Fine Art Galleries

Between shooting Hollywood celebrities for major publications and hanging around in internet photo forums giving friendly advice to less experienced (or talented) photographers, Jerry Avenaim somehow finds time to produce some really fun nudes.

Jerry Avenaim Photography :: Fine Art Galleries

PhotoForum.ru

Here is a Russian based photo forum similar to Photosig. Like all public forums, the work isn't all stellar, but if you dig deep you can find some gems.

PhotoForum.ru

Classic Camera Links Page

Today I was shooting some film through an old No. 1 Pocket Kodak, Series II camera that belonged to my girlfriend's grandparents. It actually takes 120 film, so it will be interesting to see the results. Anyway, it got me thinking about vintage photography, so here is a link for you. The VintEdge gallery contains no less than 470 vintage nudes.

Art Create:Fine art nudes: Tamaki Obuchi

Japanese photographer Tamaki Obuchi brings a distinctly feminine touch to her figure photography. Here are two different galleries of this artist's work.

sensuous line: Tamaki Obuchi

artcreate.com: Tamaki Obuchi

Wilhelm Von Gloeden

Another classic, this time one of the earliest pioneers of gay photography, German baron, Wilhelm Von Gloeden (1856 - 1931).

Wilhelm Von Gloeden

Photography-Peter Fetterman Gallery : Ruth Bernhard

Spanish Dancer, 1971
Gelatin Silver Print

It's time for a return to the classics with a great gallery of work by one of the 20th century's master photographers, Ruth Bernhard.

Peter Fetterman Gallery : Ruth Bernhard

Dominic Rouse

Photographer Dominic Rouse pays homage to Rene Magritte in these clearly surrealist inspired works.

Dominic Rouse

Tony Ward Photography

Whether he is producing his own fine art work, shooting fashion for various avante garde magazines, or producing erotica/porn for Penthouse magazine as he has since 1996, Tony Ward always maintains his signature edgy style.

Tony Ward Photography