Ben

Model: Ben | Canon 5Ds / EF 85mm F/1.8 USM | 1/125 - f/6.3 - iso 100

Female nudes are generally photographed more often than male nudes. There's undoubtedly a reason for that, but it's not something I spend much time thinking about.

With the right lighting, however, the male body can be just as compelling. By placing a large, tall stripbox (a type of softbox also known as a striplight) on the left-hand side, the light falls from left to right, gradually becoming weaker towards the right. Positioning the softbox well off to the side creates an interplay of light and shadow. I deliberately chose not to use a reflector on the right-hand side, or anything similar, so that the strong contrast would be preserved.

In terms of lighting, this setup is quite similar to the Shapes photo elsewhere on this website. There are certainly other similarities, too. Black and white is an obvious choice, as is the black background. But just as with that shoot, positioning the model in small increments was essential to getting the light to fall exactly where I wanted it.

Even though this model had absolutely no experience, the result ultimately depends on your skills as a photographer: observing carefully and making small adjustments to guide your model.

By turning the model just slightly towards the light, for example, enough light catches the arm to define it. This frames the torso much more clearly than if the arm were to disappear completely into the shadows.