Nude photography: what I learned during a masterclass outside my comfort zone

I took a masterclass in Nude Photography at Photofacts Academy. Exciting, and of course I talked it over at home first. The biggest insight? You forget that a nude model is standing in front of you, because you're busy with light, shape and trust. Just like with any portrait. In this article I share what I learned and whether it's something for me. With seven concrete tips for if you want to try it yourself.

Black and white side portrait of a woman with curly hair and a bare shoulder.

Why almost everyone hates having their photo taken

You are not stiff, the situation is. People are not made to stand still while someone looks at them and presses a button.

Black and white street photograph of a man walking past a shopfront with a large white bundle under his arm.

Why I am sometimes afraid I have photographed everything already

Every street corner looks familiar, every scene feels like a repeat. And then that small voice starts whispering.

Black and white side view of a woman with long hair and her eyes closed.

Photography as therapy: see with your own eyes what your process is doing to you

You look in the same mirror every day, so the change happens too slowly to notice. Two series, months apart, show it.

A fairground or flea market with stalls and children in colourful clothes.

Ode to the holiday snapshot

Our holiday snaps are the most sincere photos we can make. Less considered, less staged, more spontaneous.

A woman in a checked dress looks at her phone while sitting on the metro.

Photos are the perfume of life

A photographer makes images, but it is never really about the images themselves.

Aerial photograph of two cargo ships at sea, with a beach and a pier in frame.

9 tips for photographing in hot weather

Your camera protests, your battery gives up sooner and you stand there sweating in an outfit you did not want to wear.

Black and white portrait of a woman making a gesture with her hand alongside her face.

Portrait photography, so many possibilities

Photography invites you to lose track of time. For me that happens with portraits, and the need to really listen to people keeps growing.

Black and white reflection of two men photographing themselves with a camera.

Paris was full of photos again!

Four people beside me, all with cameras round their necks. And before we had taken a single photo, the mood was already good.

Black and white selfie of a man in a cap giving a thumbs-up in an empty cinema.

Burnout and photography: how a crisis made me a better photographer

At the end of 2020 I hit a wall. What the burnout gave me, besides a couple of years off my life, was a different way of looking.

Nine black and white street photographs of Orthodox Jewish residents in Antwerp, among them by a bridge, a bus and bicycles.

Making series

Take a series with you in your rucksack and you get those small moments of luck every time you can add a photo to it.

Black and white side portrait of a smiling woman with curly hair.

Portrait photography for creatives: why you deserve a different approach

You need a photo that matches who you are when you work. Not who you are when you present yourself.

Yellow evening sky with clouds; a man with a camera round his neck photographs the sky with a raised phone.

A toolkit for photographers, without the faff

Thirty-five tools I use myself during shoots, in preparation and in the business side of being a photographer.

Black and white or colour? When to choose which in portrait photography

Almost all my PAUSE portraits are black and white. That is not a coincidence and not a trend, but a choice I make again every session.

A stretch of grass where two paths meet, with trees in the background.

Desire paths

Elephants always take the shortest route. With photography there are no shortcuts; you have to put in the miles.

Black and white portrait of a seated woman with her hands clasped and one leg crossed over the other.

How do you prepare for a portrait session?

The most common question before a portrait session is what to wear. It is also the least important one.

Black and white portrait of a smiling woman with curly hair, hands under her chin.

Why a portrait tells you more than a face

There is a photo of me I have kept for years. Not because I look good in it, but because I look honest in it.

Aerial photograph of a busy square by Madame Tussauds in Amsterdam, with a red light effect over the image, a snack cart and dozens of passers-by.

Always ON

I am always on. The only trouble it gives me is that I sometimes get tired of it myself.

AI illustration of a man at a desk facing a female cyborg figure in a futuristic, neon-lit room.

AI in photography

The question is no longer whether you use AI. The question is how consciously you do it, and what for.

Black and white street photograph of a man in a hat sitting on a stool outside a shop.

My struggle with film photography

Film slows you down and makes you think twice about a photo. And I have an enormous need for that.

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