Hey there, thanks for taking an interest in possibly working with me (Cleo) to produce tasteful, non-erotic, non-sexual nude photographic artwork. Basically if you think the Venus De Milo is masturbation material, then we’re not going to work well together, so please move on! Yes, this gig is paid–though if we can trade services instead (I’m a graphic designer, illustrator, video maker, face painter, and much more–that’s of course preferred!) Keep reading for more details:
If you’ve never heard of Topless Topics, please watch this intro video first:
What kind of photographic images am I going for?
For some reason, I’ve had a really hard time conveying the type of pictures I’m going for with photographers I’ve worked with in the past. Basically, the aesthetic I’m going for is “Greek nymph just living her life in nature,” NOT “erotic” “sexual” “risque” etc. etc. etc. If you think ANY nude photo is automatically “sexual,” then we’re not going to work well together, so please move on! If, however, you can understand the difference between a shot like THIS (NOT SAFE FOR WORK) and like THIS, then maybe this will work out! 😀
Here are a bunch of links to images I found just by googling “nude woman photography” that I liked, some of these links may no longer work, if so I apologize in advance but I don’t want to steal bandwidth or art by reuploading them without permission. So here’s some examples to get us on the same page “artistic vision”-wise:
Good Examples
- https://www.pixoto.com/images-photography/nudes-and-boudoir/artistic-nude/river-nymph-6504542777114624
- Compositionally interesting use of foreground/middle ground/background. Nice use of muted nature colors. like that she just seems to be enjoying the sunlight, not “striking a sexy pose” for the invisible audience.
- The way she is holding her arm looks a bit awkward and unnatural, though?
- http://www.antoineart.com/photography/nude_black_and_white_photography/pages/29_seated_nude_woman.html
- Great use of grays/shadows in composition. I like the room for emotional interpretation in the pose–is she anguished? pensive? The artistic hiding of the face with the hair is interesting as well
- https://twinpalms.com/wp-content/uploads/Studies-of-the-Female-Nude-Andre-De-Dienes-05.jpg
- What I like: Really interesting pose/prop (chair) combination. I’m kind of amused that it looks like she’s studying her own nipple, though I don’t think that’s the intent. Very aesthetically beautiful lines of the muscles and underlying bone structure
- What I don’t like: I have to link directly to the image, because if I use the “show website” link instead, it goes DIRECTLY TO AN EXPLICIT PORN SITE. *facepalm*
- https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Photography-Silhouette-of-nude-woman/831784/4109225/view
- Really cool interplay of shadows. Not black-and-white for once; very effective, minimalist use of color on deep, black background.
- https://www.pinterest.es/pin/556757572653820135/
- (apologies for linking to a Pinterest pin, but the actual link doesn’t seem to work anymore)
- Really cool use of fabric and wind! Even the textured background is great!
Bad Examples
And then, to hopefully illuminate what I DON’T WANT, here are some images I DON’T WANT TO REPLICATE, and why:
- https://www.pinterest.es/pin/556757572653718000/
- Not a terrible shot, but the “looking coquettishly over the shoulder directly at the camera” looks a lot more like a pin-up almost-erotic shot that is not the feeling I’m going for with my desired photographs. You’re free to like images like that, but I want to stay as far away from “trying to look sexy” while still being nude with these shots as I can.
- https://www.pinterest.es/pin/556757572653685150/
- Why is she holding her boobs? Seems like it’s playing into the “oopsie, you caught me doing something naughty!” “girl next door” erotic intent that I want to avoid. Not a fan of “naked in everything but heels” look that shows up so much in boudoir/erotic photography, either.
- https://www.pinterest.es/pin/556757572653685129/
- Don’t like looking straight at the camera. Don’t really like the “carefully covering the ‘adult parts’” arrangement of the fabric either, to be honest. Pose is very…”posed,” not natural at all.
- http://www.teensandbabes.com/pictures/22154/beautiful-nude-nymph
- Oh, hey, look, an entire gallery of NOPE.JPG ! Seriously! Forest background and cute flower crown are A+. All poses, expressions, camera angles etc are just NO. NO. A THOUSAND TIMES NO. If you can’t tell by looking at this picture why I DO NOT WANT TO MIMIC ANYTHING ABOUT THIS POSE OR EXPRESSION, then we’re not gonna be a good match. Thank u, next.
Requirements If Interested:
In an effort to save us both time and effort, I have these basic requirements for any photographer I work with in the future-
- Must have experience in taking NON-SEXUAL, NON-EROTIC nude photography. Must have portfolio of such pictures available for review. “Risque” photos might be okay if that’s all you have for me to review, but nothing overtly pornographic (explicit shots of sexual activity, so-called “money shots,” etc.)
- Willingness to sign a contract that states you WILL NOT resell any of these photos to a pornographic website (website with the express intention of causing sexual arousal, i.e. Penthouse) and that you grant me (the model) the rights to sell the photos wherever and however I decide (I’m not going to be selling them to any “adult” websites either, though!)
- Above all, YOU MUST BE RESPECTFUL AT ALL TIMES. I’ve had bad experiences about this already, where seemingly “respectful” photographers spent the whole shoot making provocative/sexually charged comments to me, which made the whole experience super uncomfortable and made it difficult for me to pose naturally for any of the photos. So if you cannot promise that you will not make such comments, direct me to adopt sexually charged poses, etc. then PLEASE DO NOT APPLY.
And here are links to the past “photoshoots” I did already:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ToplessTopics
I’m not particularly happy with any of them, but they were the best I could do at the time. I’m hoping to do much more ambitious shoots in the future, here are some rough ideas I have that I would be happy to expand upon if you are interested in perhaps being the photographer for such a shoot:
-playing with light/black and white (need access to a studio or other area where we could set up a screen, lights, etc)
-fantasy animal-themed body paint (I can do the painting, though it’s easier if I have outside help)
-industrial/abandoned building/etc location (Got any in mind?)
-mermaid tail at Rooster Rock or Sauvies Island (I have to get the funds to make or buy a water-safe mermaid tail first though, so…future photoshoot idea!)
-You tell me!
If you know of any other women or nonbinary models who might be interested in taking part in future shoots, you can have them message me as well. But the primary focus of these shoots is to provide me with (as again I must stress, NON-SEXUAL) nude photography to sell in the Topless Topics Etsy store, to help me fund creation of Topless Topics content more than I can afford to based on donations alone.
Now if you’ve gotten through all that and you’re still interested in possibly working with me on a future photoshoot, please use this form to get in contact with me and I’ll reply to you when I can if it sounds like we might be a good match!