Coral Sheets

Here are some outtakes from the photoshoot that produced the latest image in my Why Nudism? series. I had a bit of a unique challenge with this concept, in that I needed to simultaneously demonstrate that the figure in bed was nude, while also emphasizing the contact between the figure's skin and the bed sheets. And most people don't sleep on top of their sheets. So I had to play around with how much coverage there was. There had to be enough exposure to suggest full-on nakedness (and not just, say, being topless, or wearing shorts), but I wanted it to look at least moderately natural, and not too carefully posed. So I ultimately opted for a "tousled" sort of look, although wrangling the bed sheets - to get a good pattern of coverage, that looked aesthetic - was a nightmare. I think the results were pretty appealing in the end, though!

As much as I love full exposure in my photography (as you must by now have noticed :-p), there are times when a hint of coy suggestion can be very effective. I considered early on whether to avoid full  nudity during my Why Nudism? series - because all along, I've had the idea that I could share it with a broader audience - but, in addition to the fact that doing a series on nudism without nudity would be a little hypocritical, I figured out quickly that there would be some shots the effectiveness of which would be severely hampered by going out of my way to avoid full exposure.

So I decided to take a "come what may" approach - which is appropriate to the nudist outlook - and I like that I'm coming up with a nice mixture of shots so far: some with full, unabashed frontal nudity, others with coy views from the back, and some, like my latest one, that maintain the suggestion and illusion of nudity, without being too in your face about it. Perhaps that will allow me to produce a specially-culled preview of images from the full series for audiences that are not completely opposed to the concept, but perhaps still a little bit squeamish about the nudity (e.g., promotional contexts in which you'll be exposed to a wide range of audiences, some of which may not be interested in looking any further).