Are you interested in learning artistic nude photography?
Then keep reading because in today’s blog post, I review a recent fine art nude photography masterclass I took via the online course platform PhotoWhoa.
(Ad – this is a sponsored post, written as part of a paid partnership with PhotoWhoa.)
Ever since I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by nude art photography, most likely due to my background in classical art:
I used to study drawing and painting, and fell in love with the aesthetic depiction of human bodies while drawing countless Greek statues in museums.
There’s something timeless and elegant about artistic nude photography because there’s no clothing or accessories distracting from the lines and shapes of the body.
However, fine art nude photography also has its challenges, like choosing the proper lighting or finding aesthetically pleasing poses.
To really master the topic, I decided to take the short course “Masterclass: Introduction To Artistic Nude Photography”, which I will review in this post.
1. Why I Chose This Course
I chose this course because it focuses on artistic rather than glamour-style nude photography.
I particularly liked that it included different studio lighting setups that I could easily recreate in my home studio.
If you’re a frequent reader of my blog, you’ll know my background is in artistic self-portrait photography.
I already have good knowledge of artificial lighting, but I was looking forward to getting some specific tips on lighting the nude body.
2. Who This Masterclass Would Suit
This masterclass is fairly beginner-friendly because the teacher introduces some basic lighting gear at the beginning and explains what it’s used for.
However, the course is probably best suited for advanced beginner or intermediate photographers who are familiar with their camera’s manual settings and have previously worked with some type of artificial light.
Note: The masterclass purely focuses on artificial lighting rather than natural light, so if you’re not comfortable with the idea of using softboxes, strobes, etc, it may not be the right choice for you.
In the next section, I’ll give you a general overview of the masterclass and its content.
3. Overview of the Masterclass
This artistic nude photography course is led by Dan Hostettler, a Swiss photographer who has been featured in publications such as GQ Online, The India Times, FashionONE TV, GoodLight Magazine, and more.
The course consists of a video tutorial lasting just under 1.40 minutes and can easily be watched in one day.
Image Credit: John Rocha.
4. Topics Covered in the Course
The course covers the following topics:
- Introduction to artistic nude photography
- Different lighting setups and required gear
- Posing, composition, and how to connect with the model
- Introduction to creative styles like bodyscapes and figurative nudes
- 10 essential tips for your first nude photo shoot
- Demonstration of live shoot sessions with professional models
There’s also a bonus ebook called “Creating Sexy Women Photography The Easy Way”, which you can download from your online account.
Note: At the beginning of the masterclass, the instructor shares his favourite lighting gear and essential items he uses–a nice plus if you’re relatively new to studio photography.
5. About the Instructor
The quality of a course rises and falls with its instructor, even if it’s just a relatively short masterclass like this one.
Dan Hostettler, the instructor of “Artistic Nude Photography,” has a good teaching style.
He explains things clearly and, despite not being an English native speaker, is easy to understand.
Some sections of him talking sat down in the studio are a bit dry, like an old-school classroom lecture.
However, I personally don’t mind that; I don’t always need fancy multimedia graphics and overlays to understand a concept.
Having said that, there are actually a lot of reference images shown while the instructor is speaking, and later in the masterclass, the format changes to behind-the-scenes footage of live photo shoots, which is very engaging.
6. Content Relevance & Depth
Next, let’s talk about the content and relevance of this course.
This is a very useful masterclass for anyone interested in taking artistic nude portraits (or nude self-portraits, like me).
As mentioned earlier, it’s probably more suited to advanced beginners and intermediate photographers.
What I liked about the course is that the techniques are very transferable.
The instructor makes a point of not using overly complicated gear and clearly explains why he’s using which piece of equipment in each instance.
This masterclass would be a great choice if you want to create fine art nude photography for print, enter competitions, publish your photography, or create a portfolio.
Generally speaking, this course would benefit you significantly if you’re interested in artificial lighting/studio lighting and how to create different lighting setups.
Image Credit: ratucette.
7. Uniqueness & Value
There are lots of things I loved about this masterclass.
First of all, the concepts are always illustrated with examples, and there are lots of reference images.
I particularly liked the helpful diagrams of different types of catchlights in the eyes.
Another nice touch is the lighting diagrams for each setup, which also include technical information/camera settings.
Next, I liked the instructor’s overview of his main lighting kit and tips on avoiding cheap entry-level gear and instead buying second-hand branded gear.
(I always used to buy the cheapest items, which broke very quickly, so I’ve learned that the hard way!)
8. Benefits of the Course
I really liked that the masterclass offers a mix of learning formats:
In some lecture-style sections, the instructor talks through the basics; in later sections, he is shown “in action”, doing photo shoots with a live model. He explains what gear he uses and why, which is very helpful.
(Maybe some of the shoot sections could have been a little shorter, though.)
I also liked that after the live shoots, the instructor showed his results on a screen and explained which shots worked and which didn’t.
9. What Sets This Course Apart
This masterclass had a few nice features, such as seeing the instructor interact with his models during the shoots; this is quite helpful if you haven’t worked with a model before.
Another plus is the fact that the class contains tutorials for five different lighting setups: bodyscapes, figurative posing, flow posing, abstract nude photography, and portrait nudes.
Even though the runtime is relatively short, the instructor conveys each of these setups very well.
Having watched the masterclass, I feel confident that I could recreate the lighting setups at home.
Note: The instructor demonstrates some of the more complex setups in a studio with professional gear, but he points out that this is not obligatory; the setups could be done with simpler gear at home, too.
Finally, one of my favourite tips from the masterclass was to use music during shoots; I always play music during my self-portrait shoots because it can help set the mood and get me into the flow.
10. Assignments and Course Materials
There aren’t any particular assignments in the course, since it’s only a short masterclass.
However, you could easily recreate some lighting setups at home after watching the video.
Something that is a bit undersold in the course is the fact that it includes a free PDF ebook, which is a fantastic resource:
It contains lots of information about lighting, white balance, lighting setups, types of nude photography, practical examples, and more.
The ebook is a super helpful resource, especially if you’re new to artificial lighting.
Being such a great feature of this masterclass, it should be promoted more.
Image Credit: Pixabay.
11. Video Quality & User Experience
Another important aspect of online courses is the video quality and user experience.
For this masterclass, I didn’t notice any issues in that respect:
The video and sound quality are great, the visuals are clear, and the editing is pretty smooth.
One thing I would change is that the course is presented as a single 1.40-minute video.
I would prefer if this were cut into bite-sized video lessons of a few minutes each.
It always helps when each topic is treated in a separate section that you can mark as complete after learning.
Besides that, the platform is accessible, intuitive, and easy to navigate, so no issues there.
12. Final Verdict: Is It Worth It?
So, would I recommend this masterclass?
My answer is yes.
I think it’s a good choice if you want to learn the basics of artistic nude photography.
I like the class because it actually manages to dive quite deep into the topic despite its relatively short and compact format.
I found it particularly helpful to see the different styles of nude photography and which lighting gear was used to achieve them.
The masterclass would suit anyone wanting to take artistic nude photographs using studio lighting.
This could be fine art photographers, portrait photographers, but also self-portrait photographers like me.
13. Where to Find It
Are you ready to start learning artistic nude photography?
Then take the course here: