On Artistic Nude Portraits
For as long as we’ve had bodies and art, artists have been celebrating the wonderful beauty of the nude figure. Bodies of all shapes, sizes, colors and genders doing all kinds of fantastic activities and luxurious lounging! Stark ass naked, wearing nothing but a smile, or occasionally a little drape of lovely fabric! I’ll be sharing a few examples from classical art with you today because I’m a nerd, and also because if I share nude boudoir photos directly in this post I won’t be able to share the post anywhere.
If you’d like to see the nude boudoir photography I’ve created, I’ll be linking that at the bottom of the page. Apologies for the inconvenience, but let’s pretend it’s a fun scavenger hunt.
There’s something wonderful and timeless about nudity; the human form is beautiful and largely unchanging on a cosmic scale. A body won’t be dated by fad wardrobe (though maybe by poofy 80s hairdos). The human physique is frankly a marvel. I’m obsessed.
What is Nude Boudoir?
Like all boudoir, artistic nude portraits are intimate. They’re vulnerable to make and share. And the end results are often very powerful! Posture and posing matter so much; as a model you’re using your body to tell a story, set a scene, create a mood. Marry that with setting and lighting, and we can build a cinematic masterpiece in three simple steps (none of these steps are simple but that’s a future blog post).
A nude boudoir photoshoot has a lot in common with a regular boudoir session: it should be fun, something you’re excited for! Please never do anything that makes you uncomfortable. It’s never mandatory to show more skin than you want to. This artistic collaboration is all about enthusiastic consent!
Because comfort levels are unique and personal, open honest communication and a consultation are especially important to me for sessions like this. It’s important to find an artist you vibe with! You deserve to feel confident, comfortable, and safe with your photographer, regardless of what you are—or aren’t—wearing.
All Nude Boudoir Is Not Created Equal
How nude is nude? Let’s begin with a quick breakdown of types of nudity!
Non-explicit nudity: Honestly this is all wildly subjective, but my definition would include all the classical art included in this post.
Explicit/sexual nudity: NSFW. Nudity in situations designed to arouse. You can see how this gets vague depending on your worldview, right?
Implied nudes: Might be considered SFW depending on the details. Nudity is suggested to the viewer, but nothing spicy is visible in the image–it’s covered in fabric drape, a towel, or even a particularly deep shadow. Historically this could include obscuring intimate parts with a hand, but social media censors consider this “sexual touching,” so today an implied nude with a ‘hand bra’ would be flagged as sexually suggestive content—a great example of how the creation and reception of art are both interrelated with the times and circumstances in which they’re made.
The cool thing about implied nudity is that you don’t need to be fully naked to create this style of image; a model for boudoir implied nudes could still be wearing pasties, a thong or low-profile pair of underwear, a modesty pouch. Illusion at work!
Nude Boudoir is For You If:
✧ You hate worrying about what to wear.
✧ You’re in touch with your sensual side and the idea of nude photos of yourself thrills you.
✧ You want to star in timeless fine art nude portraits.
✧ This isn’t your first boudoir rodeo and you want to try something new!
✧ You love art history and long to recline dramatically on soft pillows, possibly eating symbolic fruit.
✧ You never want to be able to share the images on instagram (I joke, but I kinda don’t joke)
✧ It’s time to commemorate a moment in time with your body. Maybe it will be changing soon, going through a major life transition! Maybe you just love it as-is! Or maybe this is part of your journey to loving your body in all its present glory.
✧ Your favorite feature would otherwise be obscured by an outfit: maybe you love the natural shape of your unadorned butt or hip dips, or your bra strap covers part of your favorite tattoo!
✧ You don’t feel you can move and pose freely in clothes!
What Do I Do with My Artistic Nude Portraits?
I knew somebody who put a 24×36″ gorgeous fine art nude image of themselves in their guest bathroom where any visitor could see it. Other clients order discreet 5×7″ print collections in a custom keepsake box, or small albums that are easy to hide from tiny household fingers but can be viewed by the subject (and friends?) at will! Some clients ask me to submit their photo sessions to magazines because they want the world to see. Some people go all-digital, and text their bespoke nudes. I keep a boudoir photo of my partner as my phone lock screen. My partner has a polaroid of me in their wallet. Some people put their boudoir nudes on onlyfans for the world to see.
As always, nude images or clothed, the photos we make together are totally private. I don’t post them unless you choose to sign a model release allowing me to share one, some, or all of them!
This cc0 image of Michelangelo’s David photographed by Guy Percival
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What Clients are Saying
“Cassandra is one of my favorite photographers to work with! She’s so talented and such a pleasure to hang out with. From the first time I met her I felt like we had been friends for ages. I have done makeup and hair for her shoots and also modeled for her. I loved both roles … Continue reading Jessica Saint
Bonus content: if you’d like to read more about any of the artworks I’ve included here, great info is available about them and other public domain works through the National Gallery of Art.
