The female body is a work of art. The curves, elegant details and imperfect perfections. The softness of theĀ skin meeting the powerful will and determination of the body and mind. Community member Roger Michel (popartphotography) captures the essence of the female body in his creative and energetic photos. Roger is an award-winning fine nude photographer with his own workshops called Nude Pop Art where he invite his favorite models and avant-garde fashion designers to work hand in hand creating something unique and powerful. We love his creation and were eager to know more about him and his photography techniques!
Tell us a bit about yourself, how do you describe your photography style?
My photography is all about nude art and cherishing the human body. My photography style reaches from very classic sculptural art nude to daring and slightly provocative colorful pop-art style fashion like nudes which I call āNude Pop Artā.
In one sentence what has photography done for you in your life?
Photography has been a life changer for me, it is my way to express myself and I find this very rewarding.
When did you start taking photos and what inspired you to get started?
I moved on from painting to digital art and added photography in an evolving process over several years. Finally Iām combining all three into my digital work.
What has been your favorite shoot and why?
Every shoot is my favorite shoot but I specially love my Nude Pop Art photography workshop where I invite my favorite models and avant-garde fashion designers to work hand in hand to create something never seen before. Iāve been blessed to work with the best.
Do you remember a difficult photo shoot session? What happened?
Every shoot has itās challenges. Most challenging are my Nude Pop Art workshops where I have to coordinate with a large team of models, designers, stylists, make-up artists and group of international photographers.
What do you carry in your camera bag?
Ok, that is a big bag and airlines can tell you all about it. I carry a Phase One medium format camera with 2-3 lenses and a back-up camera Sony a7rII with 2-3 lenses. In addition I carry video gear and 1-2 drones with 3-4 lenses for aerial imaging and behind the scene videos.
Do you have a favorite location and time of the day to shoot?
I love to work in my studio where I have full control over the lights but equally love exotic locations. I shoot in Asia a lot.
Can you share three tips with your fellow photographers?
1) Keep it simple. Nature provides one light source: the sun. If you go into the studio and suddenly have six lights at your hands remember that, less is more.
2) Donāt be afraid of shadows in your model pictures. Hitchcock understood how to use shadows to create suspense.
3) Be friendly and respectful with the people you work together with.
Please share one of your favorite photos with us with a short tutorial:
This picture was taken during my recent photography workshop at Boxshot Studio in Bangkok. I used a simple studio light setup - the key light from the top and one to highlight the background. I used my Phase One 645DF Camera with IQ160 back and 80 mm Schneider Kreuznach lens, with Bron studio lightning. The inspiration behind this picture was āless is moreā.Ā Using only one light source on the model and actively making use of shadows toĀ create a dramatic threeĀ dimensional sculptural look confined to the small space on the white wood cube gives an experienced art nude model likeĀ Nirmala in this picture a perfect stage to unfold her own posing creativity. By asking her to wear ballet shoes I added intention which is carried over to theĀ viewer ofĀ the final image.Ā The post-processing was done in Photoshop were I chances contrast, did very little skin retouching and black and white conversion.
Please share some thoughts on your ViewBug experience as a photographer!
Great platform. The makers of ViewBug are much more active than other platforms.
For more fine nude photos by Roger, visit his profile and website.
