October 16, 2010

What light

What light

Usually when I post photos of naked women on my blog (and yes, that happens more often than you might think), people will chime in on the comments and say, “How come you only take pictures of beautiful people?”

The answer is, of course, is that there aren’t other types of people. I’ve never met a person who didn’t look beautiful to me.

Almost every woman who has posed on my blog has complained, at one time or another, about being too fat or too skinny, too tall or too short, too curvy or too flat-chested, too pale or too dark. As we’re setting up the shot, the woman will confide in me that she hates her legs, or her hips, or her hair. “I don’t even want to see myself naked,” she’ll say. But then we take a bunch of shots, I put them on my computer, and I delete the ones that didn’t come out well. Then we look together at the remaining shots.

That’s when the woman will say, in surprise. “Oh, I look so much better than I thought.”

That’s what I look about the naked photo tradition. Women get a chance to look at themselves the way I see them; they get to see that they’re beautiful.

Today’s photo is of my friend Quilt Artist. She’s recently started putting some of her creative energy into writing poetry, and we had planned a photo of her writing in her journal in the morning sunlight. But then she turned to look out the window, and I snapped a shot that we both liked.

(Readers who want to know the history of the naked photo tradition can check it out here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here .)

17 comments:

Unknown said...

I know I've said for years that I would never pose for one of these, but right this minute, I think I would.

jo(e) said...

Songbird: If you lived just a few hundred miles closer, I'd come over with my camera. I've been thinking about you a lot lately -- it would be great to just hang out, drink tea, and talk.

Cindy said...

Another beautiful woman, beautiful picture.

Unknown said...

I wish. That *would* be great.

Digger said...

Her toes make me happy. That sounds so strange, but there ya go. :)

jo(e) said...

Digger: She and I both said the same thing -- we liked that we could see the toes!

Liz Miller said...

I totally love this picture.

heidi said...

Beautiful.

KathyR said...

Lovely.

Lorianne said...

At first glance, Jo(e), I thought this was you with longer hair!

I love the tuck of waist on her right side, which of course would get airbrushed out if this were a fancy magazine photo. If you have even a smidge of flesh around your waist, you'll have tucks and folds like that (I certainly do!), but airbrushed photos won't tolerate even a hint of such fleshiness, as if female beauty is the opposite of corporeality.

sherry said...

I vote that Songbird be honored for her courage by having her picture taken via skype.

YourFireAnt said...

Lovely, Jo(e). I'm glad to see the tradition continues.

Composition of this one is really good.

T.

jo(e) said...

Lorianne: Yeah, I hate how women's bodies are always airbrushed or photoshopped in ads. They don't even look real to me. I don't have Photoshop, but I wouldn't use it on a photo like this even if I did.

Sherry: I'm afraid trying to take a photo via skype just wouldn't be the same.

FA: Yes, the tradition continues! Which reminds me ... I haven't taken a naked photo of you in a while ....

Zhoen said...

She is lovely. Most people are.

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

K has been really enjoying your blog! For like a couple HOURS now.

jo(e) said...

Oh, I'm glad. You need to visit in warm weather so he can pose for me!

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

He's eager to.

:-D

LOL


The light really is nice here!!!!!!