Undraped - Journal 1.10.2017 (Patreon)

A photographer I worked with on a brief trip to Boston refers often to nude subjects as being "undraped." His work  focuses on women, especially those in their later years, in the most natural state possible. Simple posing, natural light, sincere expression, normal movement. Nudity is seen more as a state of being rather than being a state of removing clothing...being nude is simplicity more than anything at a certain point. It removes extraneous influences from the subject matter. 

I was asked by a patron here recently what role nudity plays in my life. And I realized I don't have the most interesting answer for this, or perhaps an expected one. 

Nudity clearly is of some importance in my work. Even where I am clothed in a sense - such as in the image above - I am still nude according to some. I remember Chas Ray Krider  telling me during a session that there is a difference between nude and naked and often it's simply a pair of shoes. To be nude is simply to expose the body in some way but not fully, while naked is to lay bare everything without added object. I tend to agree. 

I was raised in a very religious household, and yet this plays no influence on my state of mind regarding nudity. I feel no sense of rebellion while also feeling no shame. I don't view my nudity as exhibitionist necessarily. Though I would classify myself as more of an exhibitionist than the average adult human just by necessity of my profession, I don't get any sort of sexual pleasure out of it. I'm not a nudist and do not purposefully go without clothing in any given situation that doesn't require it. I've woken at times in the morning after a long night of sleep with no clothing on, realizing I must have somehow undressed in my sleep simply because the room was too hot or the clothing too uncomfortable. This is similar to my method of undress while awake - I don't particularly think much about it beyond pulling a dress over my head just because, well, I don't know. Maybe I'll put it back on. Maybe not. It's not particularly important to me and I never think of it. 

Nudity for me is simply my body without clothing. I don't place much significance on it beyond that simple state. I think nakedness is a much more vulnerable thing, and that would be my body without clothing or any affect in behavior regarding my body being unclothed. Nudity, as a thing of importance in my life, is mainly related to my profession.

I tend to focus on nudity as a tool more than anything else. I orginally modeled nude because the photos would not have looked good with clothing - they were abstract nude forms and any line, clothing lines included, would have been a disruption. Even now, I tend to use clothes or not use them as the situation requires. 

In my own work, while I could consider it nude, I often utilize clothing because I think it implies a certain amount of intimacy. A state of undress or messy clothing is often seen as natural, and since we are accustomed to seeing clothed bodies it adds a certain level of comfortability in that sense. The added messiness or state of undress implies something - most people do not let you see them undressing, or witnessing someone dressing or undressing is often more intimate than just simply seeing them without clothing. As if you saw something you shouldn't, but if they want you to see it, it's like a shared secret...or perhaps this is simply my view of it. I also love fabric details, the added texture as contrasted with skin, the colors, patterns, or just the draping details along the body. 

Nudity, for me, functions as a tool in a sense...my body is my tool and the state it is in can change a photo. In my daily life, I'm not as exciting with my wardrobe choices, often opting for pretty conservative clothing, drab colors, materials like corduroy, rough wool, oversized sweaters. I am not a boundary pushing person by nature and appear very conservative and modest on a daily basis. While nudity is something I am comfortable with, I don't emphasize it as a part of my daily existence.

I'm interested to know how others feel though - I know that many people who follow my work are naturists or go to social events involving nudity. I would definitely agree that, barring cold weather, it's much more comfortable. Perhaps I'm too influenced by being nude all the time, and it's simply become commonplace for me - I actually would find wearing lingerie sets to be more revealing in a certain sense. 

So, feel free to comment if you would like, and sorry for the overwhelmingly long post...perhaps you read this far :)