Gimme Shelter

It's a debate that I've had with myself since 2013, when I attended my first model shoot with my Ottawa Photography Meetup group: whether I should share some of my nude photos on The Brown Knowser.

Warning: this post contains nudity and isn't safe for viewing at work.

Earlier this week, I asked you if you thought it was appropriate to share such photos on this blog, hoping that some comments would help me make the decision to share fine-art nudes. As with most of my posts, the Comments section remains empty as of yesterday.

That's okay.

While I waited to hear from you, I looked at the first Photo Friday where I shared a nude photo. I still like that black-and-white, high-contrast photo of a woman's partial profile, where the only light source lit the contours of her body, giving it a wispy appearance that looked like smoke.

In that post, a single comment told me that the photo was tasteful and appropriate for the blog. The message also told me that this blog is about my personal journey and that I should post what I want, that you, the audience, can choose for yourselves whether you want to see these types of posts or not.

That said, I would never want to post anything on The Brown Knowser that would cause offense. Goodness knows, some of my opinions and rants probably rub people the wrong way. But if I'm to heed the words of the person who reminded me that this blog is my journey, I feel that I should include parts of that journey that are detours from the main course.

I like this photo mostly because when the model, Kate Snig, lay down low and buried her head in the pumpkin patch that was next to the sunflower field, where we held most of the photo shoot, she did so without direction from any photographers in our group. As I composed my shot, I was telling myself that I probably wouldn't use any of the shots because I thought they were a bit bizarre, looking more like a CSI crime scene than a photo shoot.

Also, the light was really bad, with smoke from forest fires muting the sun and creating a grey cast to the sky. But I decided to capture images, anyway, and decide later if the photos were usable.

I'm used to editing my model photos in PaintShop Pro but because I've also worked with the augmented sky effects in Luminar AI, and have dabbled in the software's tools for touching up people, I thought I would use it to draw more from these photos.

I really like what I was able to do with Luminar AI. I was able to warm up an otherwise muted light. I was able to create contrast in the shadows that fell on the oversized pumpkin leaves. I like that I was able to cast a subtle glow over Kate's skin. The sky that I chose to fill the smoky grey had dark clouds with a setting sun, and for added drama, I added a couple of bolts of lightning.

The pose that I initially thought odd now made sense. Our model was seeking shelter from the storm.

Three of the photos that I shot of Kate under the pumpkin patch have been used. I shared one, where she covered her breasts and pubic area, on Instagram. Another, which I converted to black and white, is still waiting to be shared; likely, on 500px. But my favourite one, into which I put the most effort to enhance, is here for Photo Friday.

I call it Gimme Shelter.

Thoughts?

I'd really love to hear what you have to say, not only your criticism of the photo but also your views on nude photography on The Brown Knowser. This blog may be my journey but you are also a welcome passenger.

Happy Friday!