It’s common for women to love their boudoir or nude photographs so much that they want to put them up on the wall. They don’t want to be recognized; they just want to be the art.
Sarah was torn. She loved her image; it was perfect for a wall print. She felt that with the bold lines, the sensual feel and the way the colour scheme matched her living room, that it was the ideal image for above the couch.
Tommy, her partner, agreed. He loved her body shape and the boldness of her image. It would make a timeless art piece for the wall.
But . . . she was nude. It felt a bit too out there to be displayed in her living room!
We solved that issue by cropping the image to just above her lips. To complete the anonymous intent, we removed elements that identified her: the three small tattoos and her belly button piercing. Now, it was an “any woman’s body”. Up it went!
In the image, she looked taller and fitter; no one guessed it was her. It was bigger than real life, inspiring her every day.
Then there was daddy to be Nick. He was super enthusiastic about his Beth’s nude pregnancy images. They both wanted a stunning wall image of her beautiful shape. The hands-down winner was an artful B&W nude side portrait. While she loved her expression, cropping at her lips turned it anonymous.
This would have worked had Nick not blurted out that it was Beth in the image. He was so thrilled with Beth’s pregnancy, becoming a dad, and the power of the image, he couldn’t help himself.
Tess used anonymity differently. Her concept was a nude power pose incorporating a “male nude prop.” Tess was a fit woman who found an equally fit male nude model at her gym. There was no sexual posing, just dynamic fitness poses. Even his wife was comfortable with him being involved in the concept.
With fists to the floor, his body crouched, his face tilting into the shadows; he vanished – becoming a prop in the set. Using his back like a bench, Tess draped over it in a pose that accentuated all her hard-earned muscles.
While boudoir and nude portraits can be very revealing, they sometimes don’t have to expose the subjects’ identities. There are so many ways to be anonymous on the wall. Besides shadows and cropping, we use props and silhouettes.
Masks and headpieces, either real-world or digitally added, also work.
Sarah brought along her husband’s custom welding mask, which was decorated with flames. Slipping the helmet on, she struck a dramatic pose, brandishing welding torches in each hand. She felt very mysterious, and it was exhilarating for her.
He has a wall print up in his welding shop, and no one has guessed who the mystery lady is. She loves that.
For Cindy, I used AI imaging to partially dress her, add hair (she was bald), and put a mask on her. She was less looking to be anonymous and more just to be different.
Silhouettes are uniquely effective with the whole body being in shadow. We have had clients create galleries of silhouette prints. They love that no one guesses it is them!
The last and the most artistic way to remain incognito is to crop to individual body parts. Every woman has areas of her body that she or her lover adores. Plus, they have parts that look amazing from the right angle. I have found that printing these as black and whites makes them feel more artistic. In colour, they are more sensual.
Going anonymous in your wall portraits creates a wonderful sense of mystery. Visitors can view and appreciate your art without feeling like they are intruding. Plus, knowing it is you in the images, comments from the audience take on a whole different meaning.
You can have a lot of fun being anonymous!
Would that work for you or do you prefer having your face adding personality to your image?
