NUDE PHOTOGRAPHER (not me... you!)
Art - Fashion - Glam - Indoor - Outdoor -
Rural - Urban - Public - Fetish - Erotic
Read further down how I define "Full Nude" vs "Erotic"

No one on their deathbed ever said,
"I should have experienced less."

Even if a concept isn't new, it doesn't mean the experience isn't new to us.
Just because someone has previously ridden a roller coaster,
does that mean you shouldn't ever ride that same roller coaster?
Of course not.

My latest whim is playing with locked-in, fun, sort of humorous, campy looks and poses. Camp humor DOES NOT mean "camping" with tents and sleeping bags, lol. It's more like "fake seriousness" or borderline sarcasm, intended to make people smirk or smile. Some of the poses might be:
- The Javelin Throw (without a Javelin).
- Pointing in various directions with Stern Expressions.
- Strongman Muscle Poses (with a nice slender model).
- Hiawatha searching the Horizon.
- Striking a Heisman Trophy pose or "motionless running" poses.
(I got these ideas from trying to stay awake on my feet at work! So I started dancing around, stretching and flexing my muscles in goofy looking, rhythmic poses to keep myself moving and trying to make myself laugh! Others laughed at me, too, when I did it! That's how they knew I was getting tired. Now THEY do it, too! Then I thought, "Hey, this could be interesting to try with the nude models I shoot!" lol! By all means, you can feel free to free-form it and wardrobe it, however you like!)

I'm based in the Chicago Area, about 30 miles south. I know some great outdoor locations in and around the City. I can usually provide transportation locally if you need it.

I've shot all over the world from Prague to Dubai to New Zealand, and even Afghanistan as a Combat Photographer (25V) for an Army PsyOp Battalion.

I prefer low to no ink, but tats are not an automatic dealbreaker.

ABOUT MY PHOTOGRPHY:
The greatest influences on my work are:

1) First & foremest, Edward Weston for his classic framing, composition, camera orientation, and paying attention to the edges of the frame instead of the center of the frame; but no dreaded "Rule of Thirds!" (ugh!).

2) Ansel Adams for perspective, immaculate editing with regard to dodging, burning, the way he used to burn-through "hershey-bar" negatives because he knew the detail was still in the emulsion, how to "see" a photo by paying attention to the highlight & shadow details, and the Zone System (which EVERY Photographer should know!) from The Camera, The Negative (capturing necessary information & detail, he would have loved digital histograms!) through to the final Image and/or The Print (if you know these books, you know what I'm talking about).

3) Helmut Newton for his sexy, tight-haired fashions, his fun and deliberate "oops!" looks, his bold urban nude styles, and his rich Hollywood locations.

Last but not least...
4) Combat Photography, itself, also known as ENG (Electronic News Gathering) where you don't always have time to compose the perfect scene and capture the perfect shot, but the images are still more powerful than anything I've ever shot.

Some of the awful things I've shot for the Army are a direct influence on the beauty I'm trying to create, today.

Lately, I'm thinking of absorbing whatever influence I can from George Hurrell's famous style of classic Hollywood glam... and/or Film Noir.

The truth is, we all make art in hopes that someone, somewhere will simply say, "Wow!" We DO hope that people notice, that's why we do it! We absolutely DO get our validation from others! Because until OTHERS view it as art, it's not art! It's crap! And you know it! Contrary to what the faux-rebels and wannabe-independents like to say, we all care what other people think, and we DO want them to like our work..

Note to ALL Models, New and Experienced:
I can't tell you EXACTLY what we're going to shoot. This isn't product or fashion photography where I need you to wear a designer's line or to look good holding a product. These are *artistic* shoots. Very much of it is, "Let's put our creative heads together, make it up as we go, and see what we come up with." Part of what I'm paying you for is your collaborative input as an artist. If you're not comfortable with that approach, please have a look at my portfolio. That's how EVERY shoot has gone, and we've gotten some very nice work.

Creating something beautiful that didn't exist before, is - by far - the most satisfying and confidence-building way to work.

I will always give you the benefit of the doubt if you have to cancel... that is, until there's no more doubt. I guess I should appreciate the creativity of the cancelation lies I've gotten, but I'd much MUCH prefer the simple, straight-forward truth. I would rather you just say you're tired and you "just don't have it" that day. Just don't let me drive several miles at sunrise only to find out at the last minute.

Some Definitions of Terms:
FULL NUDES
I define "Full Nudes" for a woman the same way I define full nudes for a man. In the normal course of posing, sometimes "certain areas" (specifically: *genitals,* oh my!) will show in some poses more than others. In male nudes, they almost ALWAYS show. That doesn't automatically make it "erotic, or even sexual. What I don't want are awkwardly clamped legs that don't look natural with casual posing. To me, that looks just as strange as unnaturally spread legs.

EROTIC NUDES
Erotic, on the other hand, which I also like, would have a more sensual tone to the image, not pulled-open spreads. Erotic is a mood, mature, intended to arouse, without crossing into porn. Maybe a lower camera angle, a more intense look of passion, maybe a touching hand or tracing finger in an intimate caress... arousing while maintaining a passion for art.

PORN
Involves penetration, massaging of genitals, exchange of bodily fluids, and/or release of genital fluids; I could even add "implied or explicit," here.

I understand that these are NOT Society's definitions, but I think they should be. So I leave them up here in hopes that someone might see them and carry the same mantle.

Hopefully, that gives you a better understanding of my meaning between "Full Nudes" vs "Erotic Nudes" vs "Porn."

One of my favorite sayings:
This work is a lot like Rocket Science.
Except there aren't any Rockets,
and you don't need Science!

You do need passion & practice, though! Lots of passion & lots of practice!
EXPERIENCE! You have to learn what works and what doesn't work. There's no substitute for experience, and you'll never acquire experience without trying, failing, and improving on your mistakes. Emulate greatness.

As the master of my medium, I reserve the artistic right to photoshop anything I choose in an image; in exactly the same manner as painters and sculptors who exert complete control over their medium, in order to evoke a mood or message they want to convey, through visual manipulation. The changes I'm talking about are very subtle. I will remove distractions, create balance, smooth over bruises and blemishes, and adjust tones, etc, to make an image look how I want it to: Good!

Thank you for your time & interest.
- Matthew

Beautiful Models I've shot with:
(the list has really grown! Not all are listed at the moment!)
Nini_6979 - 4530062 (St Louis, MO)
Danielle Lynn Scott - 806166 (Cedar Rapids, IA)
Marissa M Chavez - 4449289 (listed in Chicago, now in Puerto Rico)
Hello Jewels - 3953367
Artistic Physique - 1793485 (Columbus, OH)
LilMizzUnique - 3339096
Brit Zentz - 2965912
Model Mila Rose - 3010174 (North Aurora, IL)
St Merrique - 772043
Blondieee - 3751480
K Y L I E - 2294526
D E V I - 2686156
Bailey Daniels -
Kayla_Ann_90 - 4451682
Paper Doll - 703682
Tiffany Helms - 2904260
Natasha Nafrini - 92964
Emmy Elle - 2821103
Vassanta (retired)
Heather Carden - Not on MM
Karly Salinas - 3229981
Katlyn Lacoste - 1227596
BrittniWalker - 4109323 (aka: @knockoutkitten)

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