THE MONOCHROME NUDE The bare essentials of the image

spread – Mark Laurie Tom Lee Mark Laurie Craig Blacklock Gerald Hardage Damian McGillicuddy Paul McMullin

From the very first days of photography the male gaze (and camera) has always turned towards the female form, it is, after all, what makes the world go round. One of the best depictions of the genre was given in Gentlemen’s Relish, an amusing TV drama from the turn of the century, acted out by Billy Connolly. It was a tongue-in-cheek look at the creation of images of nude females, the money it brought in and, in part, some of the strife it caused – no change there then!

Nothing shows the beauty of the female form quite like monochrome, where it simplifies the shapes and form into curves and tones – it is timeless and enduring.

In order to keep the peace we also include male studies, an underrepresented genre in our competitions.

Damian McGillicuddy

As well as gathering images from SWPP Fellow, Damian McGillicuddy, we also took the opportunity to get his views on the state of the undressed world – one he is very familiar with, as he devotes much of his time to working for magazines and calendar shoots (although a book on female fantasies is due we understand). He is critical of much of the work he sees from a technical standpoint, with photographers lighting space and moving subjects into it, rather than the other way round – he holds that digital is responsible for the fall-off of basic craftsmanship. He also sees a world full of aspiring models tempted by the lure of “celebrity”, a by-product of the “manufactured star” syndrome fuelled by popular TV.

Gerald Hardage

Tom Lee

Damian McGillicudd

Craig Blacklock

Read more articles about monochrome

There are 228 days to get ready for the SWPP Convention and Trade Show at The Hilton London Metropole Hotel ...
which starts on Tuesday 8th January 2013

Photo Quote: Very often people looking at my pictures say, 'You must have had to wait a long time to get that cloud just right (or that shadow, or the light).' As a matter of fact, I almost never wait, that is, unless I can see that the thing will be right in a few minutes. But if I must wait an hour for the shadow to move, or the light to change, or the cow to graze in the other direction, then I put up my camera and go on, knowing that I am likely to find three subjects just as good in the same hour. - Edward Weston