Critiquing Your Nude Photography

Refrigerator Blues

One of the most difficult things for a photographer is to self-critique their photos, especially in nude photography.  Not that they physical act of viewing your images is hard to do, but being able to truly recognize what makes your photo good, what makes it bad, and how can it be improved upon is key into improving your photography. This is not only an art, but it’s impossible to do correctly unless you stay true to yourself and are serious about raising the quality of your photography to the next level.

So here are some points that might help you in self-critiquing your images:

Candice poses patiently as I do my best to create a strong image.

1. First, you must critique the basics, fundamentals and principals of photography before even looking at anything else in the image, such as, is the photo properly exposed? Are the eyes sharp? Is the composition tight? Is the cropping correct?

Expansion of point one: Exposure is either properly exposed, over-exposed, or under-exposed. Pick one, if it’s not “properly exposed,” then before you toss the image, consider trying to bring it into Adobe® Lightroom® then Nik Software to bring it to life, to make it interesting, to create something artistic. Perhaps something as simple as converting it to a black and white photo could make a horribly exposed image turn into something very appealing—but never make this a crutch. In film, and the same applies for digital, the rule is expose for the highlights (detail in the highlights) and print for the shadows.

Are the eyes sharp? As a photographer of models, both in glamour and editorial nude photography, without sharp eyes you have nothing.  Don’t try and sharpen the eyes in postproduction, get it right in the camera—if the eyes are sharp, it’s usable, otherwise, trash it!

Composition should follow the rule of thirds.  Basically draw three imaginary, equally spaced lines horizontally across and do the same vertically, where the lines intersect is where your main point, normally your subject’s head, should fall within the frame.  Rarely ever place your subject in the center and if your subject is looking in a specific direction, leave room for the subject to look into. Compose with less image area on the side of the frame the subject doesn’t look into. Remember though, once you master the rules, learn how to break them effectively.
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