Dean Raphael Australian Photographer & Filmmaker

View Original

Beauty in Fine Art Nudity (nsfw)

When I fist set out to photograph women nude I wanted to make a point. I still want to make this point. I set out to create images that were simply undeniably beautiful to the viewer. I wanted to create images that empowered women to believe in themselves and not be tainted by the rhetorical and typical responses society has against free expression of oneself. I wanted even the most conservative eyes to feel empowered, intrigued and inspired by the natural beauty of the female form.

I wanted to do this so that even those who are so righteously opposed to the freedom of expression in art that when confronted, if they were to be truly honest they would be moved in some way and could not say this is ‘harmful’ art. Even if that was acknowledged only within themselves.

On social media platforms like Instagram & Facebook you can post sexually explicit, sexually violent, overly sexualised photos from both the model/person and photographers, drunken/drugged implied mixed with the previous mentioned and yet some of the below would be deleted unless they were graphically changed and censored in some way. 

It's painful that the below images fall into the same blanket category as 'unsafe' or 'pornographic' when sharing publicly on networks. 

I want people to make judgements not based on their insecurities, their prejudice or pre-conceived beliefs but based more on their current emotions. Judgements not only in what they view, but how they move through life.

I believe we need to constantly challenge what we once held as a certain belief and ask 'can this belief of mine be changed, or will it forever stand as I once decided it to be?'.

If you feel, you are human. 

Thank you to all of the beautiful models that have invested their time and creativity into making these images with me. 

See this content in the original post