How to shoot studio nude photos

Studio Nudes

Glamour Photography, How to Photograph Nudes, Nude Portraits

A Quick Guide to Shooting Studio Nudes

Producing studio nudes gives you a choice. Use a plain background, strip away the real world, and produce an image that depicts the human body only. Alternatively add props or build a setting to create an illusion. These tactics along with extensive make up are used to produce glamour images  but can also be used to produce pictures that depict the models personality.

Against a Plain Background

Elegant black and white photograph of a nude woman stretching

Standing the model against a plain studio background forces the viewer to concentrate on the subject.

Concentrate on the lighting

Nude woman portrait. Naked portraits of women collection

Soft side lighting will accentuate shape and form. The picture on the left is lit by a studio soft box – it looks like window light. A little bit of fill in from a reflector lightened the shadows

Black and white phot of a nude woman wearing a hand coloured venetian style mask
Nude in mask. Art print from digital original.

Harder lighting creates shadows. It creates a sense of mystery and will reveal the texture of skin. This goes against the current fashion in the glamour world to make models look like plastic imitations.


Naked woman portrait in black and white

Soft fontal lighting reveals detail but reduces shadows and flattens shape and form

Scroll down for Abstract Nudes


Latest Updates, Free Stuff & Discounts
Subscribe to my Newsletter and receive a free copy of Using Window Light to Photograph Nudes plus exclusive updates, free critiques and a discount on prints and books.


Abstract Nudes in the Studio

Concentrate on parts of the body to produce abstract nudes.

Black and white abstract fine art nude of a woman's torso

To identify a person we usually look at the face so removing this from the picture often creates a more abstract image.

Adding Props

Adding random props can help you build a glamour picture that tells a story. Using props that relate to the models produce an image that conveys something of her personality.

The props can be as simple as the trainers the model arrived in, items they use in everyday life to a complete car or motorbike – if your studio is big enough. The images may still be read as glamour – it is up to the viewer to decipher whether they are genuine or not unless captions are included.

This is one of the best props suggested by a model and – yes – it is real, alive and genuinely in flight. Not a stuffed one.

Working with amateur or professional models who have an interest in producing something different may not earn you a fortune.

Almost all traditional publications will reject images that don’t depict society’s ‘standard’ version of beauty or, in their opinion, fit into the definition of ‘glamour’.

Want to model for me? Find out more


Creative Nude Photography shows you how to go beyond the norms of conventional glamour. The book contains sections on the concept, but is it art plus practical advice on finding models and camera techniques. The final section shows examples of creative nude projects

Want a hard copy to read? Printed edition available here


View portfolios – buy prints

Buy prints of fine art nude photography

More nude and glamour photography articles

One thought on “Studio Nudes

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *