Choosing the right lens for nude photography
Some photographers like to have a wide range of lenses covering all imaginable focal lengths, from extreme wide angle to long telephoto. However, in practice this is more often a sign of device mania rather than a real necessity and most will find that working with just a few excellent quality lenses is a much better strategy.
When photographing a nude model, most photographers will try to produce an image that is aesthetically pleasing without distortion or unflattering effects. With a remote scene, such as a nude figure in the landscape, it is perfectly possible to use a wide angle lens, but as you get closer, that same lens is likely to cause unwanted distortion and this is particularly prevalent with cheaper lenses. When working in the studio with a full-frame 35mm camera, I tend to shoot with lenses no larger than 35mm at most and even that is not ideal most of the time.
Perhaps surprisingly to some, one of the best lenses available for photographing a nude body is the standard 50mm lens, which is often discarded, which is generally the cheapest option in the lens range of all camera manufacturers, but invariably of excellent optical quality, with almost zero distortion or chromatic aberrations.
When photographed in relative proximity, the female nude will often appear slightly curvier than in reality with a 50mm lens, but not in an ugly or exaggerated way and the same rule would apply equally to glamorous photography. This is roughly equivalent to the 80mm lens on the medium format Hasselblad, which is my first choice when shooting nudes as I tend to prefer the less elongated proportions of the medium format.
Another alternative lens would be the 85mm, although it is often considered more of a portrait lens by all the major camera manufacturers such as Canon and Nikon etc. produce an optically excellent version and this can be used in almost any situation with good results. Like the 50mm lens, it generally also has a fast maximum aperture that allows the photographer to easily blur the background if desired.
An alternative option not to be overlooked is a good quality zoom lens, like the Canon 24-105L, for example, which covers all the focal lengths needed for most requirements and eliminates the need to change the lens every time. 30 seconds during one shot. There was a time when zoom lenses weren’t really an option for high-quality professional use, but today the best lenses are actually very good and extremely convenient. Lenses with built-in image stabilization are also useful for handheld photography in low light conditions. For more information, visit http://www.nudephotopro.com/
