An erotic photograph does not have to be nude, and a nude photograph is not necessarily erotic.

Indeed, there is a thin fine line between nude art and pornography.

Even though photography has been widely available to the public, nude photography has been one of the most popular and yet most misunderstood genres of the art. The Ancient Greeks, Romans, and other cultures routinely used nudes as a subject of art. They appreciated the human form for its combination of unique shapes and forms, just as we do now.

People have been painting and sculpting nudes for as far back as history allows us to look, but photography is a much newer art form. The human body is naturally designed, with graceful curves that are both useful and aesthetic. The camera allows more realistic capture of shapes and forms. The power and grace of the unclothed human body is one of the most compelling subjects for a photographer. The depiction of the beauty of a human being, whether in a painting, a book, or a photograph, or in any other medium, is not porn.

One of the main defining factors in nude photography is its lack of sexual undertones. While the naked human body can be sexual by nature, the nude photographer looks at the body as yet another collection of potentially attractive forms and shapes. He or she seeks to study different aspects of these forms using the camera. The model in this case is not the main subject; rather, their collection of body parts is the subject of study.

Nude photography is all about great lighting and modelling body shapes with shadows. You need to be looking at either a place with amazing light, or use light with intention to create art using the human body. Poses are selected to show off the different angles, shapes, and muscle groups that comprise the human body.

So, as you can begin to see, there is nothing dirty or forbidden about nude photography. It is hard to imagine a subject more interesting or varied than the human form, and the photographer specializing in nudes is able to captures this form at its very best.

Hiring the right photographer is everything. Being naked in front of a complete stranger can be intimating and may leave one feeling exposed and vulnerable. Therefore, it is critical that you only engage professional photographers who are personable, possess the utmost integrity and consistently deliver only quality work.