Black – NSFW

beauty, Nude, Personal Pictures

a single image post.

I find it rather intimate and peaceful, expressing proud and stability.

 

 

‘BLACK’

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tomorrow I will show you the counterpart, same setting, same pose, same model, just I as a photographer have moved.

 

Technical details: Canon 135mm f2.0L at f2.2, 1/200s, ISO 320

thank you for watching, don’t forget to come back tomorrow for ‘WHITE’

ludwig

Cherry Blossom – NSFW

beauty, Nude, Personal Pictures

it is not really the season for cherry trees blossoming, but this is from earlier this year.

A giant cherry tree in early blossoming, of course mirrored to a beautiful woman.

A single image post, from the same shoot as Sirrus and some other images with Pauline. Thank you Pauline for your efforts and good mood.

 

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for those who might be interested in the technical aspects:

1/160s f9.0 ISO 100 – Canon 5D II with EF 17-40mm f4 L at 20 mm.

best,

Ludwig

Summer has been too short

Nude, Personal Pictures

Hi,

I enjoyed working in my new location the last couple of weeks. It is spacious, very quiet and private, it has a lot of windows, and a large amount of possibilities for different shooting environments. Unfortunately the summer is swiftly passing away, and with the colder days coming in, models probably are going to get goose-bumps again. Difficult to retouch, not pleasant for the model.

That is what I’m missing the most in our Belgian climate. Rather than being half summer half winter, we only have 2 months of summer, the rest of the year is half fall half winter.

I had two shoots last Friday, you should get images from them very soon. This one is from earlier this summer.

Enjoy 🙂

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1/50s f2.0 ISO 320

Canon 5D II with Sigma 50 mm

come again soon,

ludwig

Fine art nude – NSFW

beauty, erotic, Nude, Personal Pictures

From a recent shoot. I have made similar images in my – Nude Incognito – series, in a black studio and with the use of flash lights. This is in a naturally lit environment. I especially like how the body shape and pose fills the square format. Also the dense structure of the floor in contrast with the soft shiny structures of the skin are appealing to me. The model had just put on a body lotion, giving some extra shine to the skin.

I hope you like it. I did, as well as my model and her partner.

Ludwig Desmet -

Canon 5D mark II with Sigma 50 mm f1.4 DG A.

1/40s. f3.2 ISO 200

come again soon.

Ludwig

The Engine Room – Part two

beauty, Personal Pictures

the engine room again.

it has beautiful soft light, coming from three sides (left and right up in the wall are windows over the entire length of the room and then the big round shaped window, here facing the model). I rarely use ISO’s higher than 400, but sometimes it gives a little more comfort and ease of use for playing with aperture, and making sure that there’s no camera shake in the images.

1/80s f3.2 ISO500 Canon 5D II with Sigma 50mm f1.4 DG A

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thank you for visiting,

ludwig

the essence of youth – NSFW

beauty, erotic, Personal Pictures

Rolleiflex Tessar 75mm f3,5 – Kodak T-Max 400 film. Scanned on Epson Perfection 3170 Photo, retouched and developed in Photoshop and Lightroom CC.

Have you ever seen Sam Haskins book ‘Five Girls’ ?

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Thank you to the model, the location owner, the weather and my friend P. Z. for the camera.

Thank YOU for visiting my blog.

Ludwig

Zen – with Marion (NSFW)

beauty, Nude, Personal Pictures

A small series from the same shoot I did with Marion.

The ZEN pool. Magnificent environment and great weather on this early morning.

This is the kind of things you cannot plan before. I hadn’t been at this place in about 10 years. There was no house at that time, and certainly not a pool, so this came kind of as a bonus with the planned old chalk oven on the same location.

Marion felt completely Zen after half an hour of sunbathing and being next to Buddha. 🙂

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thank you for watching, …

ludwig

A very good morning – BW – Jenn at house Adelaide – NSFW

beauty, Nude, Personal Pictures

thoughtful, spontaneous, fun, serious, wondering, open minded, …

… Jenn told me she didn’t fit too well on images. That was until she saw the results of our shoot.

“the end result really is ‘WAW’, so you were right that being a good model is linked to the qualities of the photographer … whenever you have a location again I’d be most pleased to be your model again.”

I think I’m flattered. 😎

Same setup as the color version of this shoot. Only this time developed in a black and white version.

I Hope you like the images.

Come back again soon, to see the results of my next shoot. I promise now already they’ll be fantastic. (that’s because I’ve seen them already :p )

All the best, thank you for stopping by.

Never hesitate to leave a reaction.

ludwig

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Sudden gust of wind – Limited edition Print

beauty, Nude, Personal Pictures

New limited edition print ( 7 copies + 1 Artist Proof) available.

100 x 100 cm on Hahnemühle FineArt Baryta – finishing/framing on demand.

Ludwig Desmet-Sudden gust of wind.-

Sudden gust of wind

Pls. contact me for more information. Be quick, they’ll be gone before you know it. 😉

ludwig.

Pauline on film – NSFW

beauty, Nude, Personal Pictures, photo gear

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I told you before I would talk a bit more about the Rolleiflex I use for shooting on film.

The camera is a Twin Lens Reflex, built in the late 50’s, so the camera is about 60 years old.

The construction with the two lenses, of which the upper lens is for viewing only (viewing lens) and the lower lens is for taking the image (taking lens) has advantages and disadvantages. In comparison to the older camera’s that used flat film sheets, where one had to remove the matte focusing screen before putting in the film holder for taking the image, this camera allows to shoot multiple images without moving anything. There is a 45° tilted mirror behind the viewing lens, projecting a mirrored image on the horizontal focusing screen.

Of course viewfinder camera’s existed as well, but they had no visual reference of the focusing plane, or the sharpness of the subject when changing focus. A photographer using a viewfinder camera had to use the distance scale on the lens, and the not so trusty guesswork for camera to subject distance.

Both lenses of the this TLR move forward and backward while focussing, and so provide an identical image on the ground glass as the image to be expected on the film. Still, the smallest amount of inaccuracy of the lens focusing mechanism leads to bad focusing, and I believe this camera suffers at least some looseness in the forward-backward movement.

Dealing with this complex mechanism of focusing, meant also that these camera’s are mostly fixed focal length. Some camera’s came in different focal length versions, but camera’s with interchangeable lenses where very rare. (Except for the Mamiya C)

This camera comes with a 75 mm f3.5 lens, it also existed in a f2.8 version, usually much more expensive on the secondhand market. 75 mm on 6×6 film format has an equal viewing angle to a 38 mm lens on Full frame DSLR, or a 24 mm lens on a 1.6 crop camera, so a rather ‘wide-standard’ viewing angle.

The lens is certainly not paramount, and suffers heavily from flare, as can be seen in the images below (does somebody have a lens hood for this camera for me?). An aperture of 3.5 gives a good amount of image unsharpness on medium format. 2.8 would be nicer of course. The images lack a bit of contrast and sharpness.

Composing with the mirrored image on the focusing plane is a bit of a habit.

Shutter speed range is limited, from 2 seconds to 1/500th of a second, thus mostly limiting the wide open apertures in bright light. The mirror does not move, since it is not obstructing the film plane, so there are not vibrations from this side. Activating the shutter however demands some finger movement (unlike today’s DSLR’s where pushing the shutter entirely only takes some tenth of a millimeter) causing some hand stress and maybe movement unsharpness. Shutter speeds as long as 1/15th. of a second seem not possible to me without image shake. Maybe with some more experience.

The camera has a built in exposure meter, but it no longer works, so exposer should be metered with another camera, or with a hand held meter, I use the latter.

Film for this camera is widely available here in Belgium, both black and white and color film. Not sure about slides. Development is still available too, although it can take a while (1-2 weeks) before getting the negatives back. Scanning the negatives, as well as retouching them (from dust) is a tedious process.

The biggest advantages for me is that I spend more time composing, and checking out if everything is well in place before taking the image. It learns me to concentrate more on details, on exposure, on posing etc. … One roll of film equals 12 exposures, after that the fun is over. 😀 The fact that you see the image mirrored gives you a fresh view on your scene, revealing flaws in your image/composing remaining unnoticed as you set it up. (But I still have a lot to learn)

A second big advantage is that the images are square format. This gives me a more relaxed feeling when composing, and I believe that the images are more harmonious too. I kind of like this square format more and more. (This made me thinking about modifying a matte screen for my 5D mark II to indicate ‘square’ cropping).

changes I have had:

I had the original focusing screen replaced with a focusing screen with split prism and microprism focusing aids, and that adds to the accuracy of focussing with the camera.  I also had the shutter speeds checked out by the same specialist repair shop that also changed the focusing screen.

To be continued. Enjoy this small portrait series I made with Pauline lately – Rolleiflex 3.5E – Tmax 400 film.

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thank you for reading, see you soon,

Ludwig

Digital publication – NIF Magazine

beauty, Nude, Personal Pictures

a couple of weeks ago my work got published as an exclusive feature on NIF Magazine.

NIF (Nude Is Fashion) Magazine is an online platform for promotion of the nude as a fashion statement. They do so by promoting art-nude and fashion nude photographers on their website.

I thought that ‘Tatjana at Sabine’s house’ was a series that fitted well this description.

look for yourself:

link here

 

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Sarah at Sabines house – Part I – The artists’ studio. (Nudity involved)

beauty, Nude, Personal Pictures

———- 2015 ————

Well I think I should start by giving you all my best wishes for 2015. Good health, a warm shelter and caring people around you, some personal challenges, and the time you need to help develop yourself to a richer being. (not financially speaking, … I think)

I have decided for myself to sell my 3D rendering business, in favor of my photography work. Let’s see what happens next. 😉

This blog had 49.931 views from 9.994 visitors during 2014. You are not alone out there, thank you for following my work! The fact that you are reading these words means you are still there. I would like to repeat that if you have a particular question or request, just ask.

————————-

I asked Sabine if she felt ok about me photographing a model in her studio, and without hesitation she said ‘sure, no problem’. I think Sabine is not really aware yet what exceptional work she makes. She has an amazingly strong and expressive pencil, and she mainly works with the human body as a subject. She is preparing an exhibit for late spring, so her studio is packed with finished works, works in progress, and full of idea’s that are waiting to get realized.

I had Sarah as a model. A thin, almost breakable figure, that contrasted extremely well with the robust paintings all around her. She agreed to pose topless/naked based on a discussed mood board. She did really well, but she got cold really quickly (‘as she always does’ she told me).

I had an awful mix of light sources, which forced me to work only black and white here (cool light coming from a rainy day, Tungsten spots in the ceiling, a phosphorescent lamp over the work bench, and a neutral daylight source Sabine uses to finish off her paintings. This means there is no way to get a proper white balance for all these sources, and you can not correct the different light colors afterwards properly.

Anyway, here are the images. For the technical details: Canon 5D II with Sigma 50 mm f1.4 DG Art and Canon 24 mm f1.4 L II. ISO from 320 to 500, shutter speeds from 1/10th to 1/30th of a second (train yourself to get a stable hand 😉 ) and apertures f2.0 – f2.2.

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Thank you Sarah, for your confidence and cooperation, thank you not caring about the cold, thank you for coming to Ronse this rainy day.

Thank you Sabine, for saving my day (two other locations became unavailable very last minute) and for letting me into your home. Thank you for sharing your ideas and work.

Ivana at the Mansion – part III – the woman behind the model – NSFW

beauty, Personal Pictures

After working with Ivana for about an hour or two, it appeared to me that she hadn’t showed herself in the shoot the way she presented herself when ringing at my door that same morning.

So I wanted her to look NOT like a model for once. So in stead of asking her to convey a certain emotional state, or a certain strength or vulnerability or whatever look I had received from her, now I wanted her to show the real Ivana. Now THAT was a very hard think to do. And I think that is the biggest disadvantage of working with pro models, they kind of lost themselves in those hundreds and hundreds of hours of being someone else.

But I think we succeeded, and Ivana at last had me have an insight in her natural being. So here she comes, the real Ivana. I am proud, thank you Ivana!

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thank you, come again soon, please leave me your thoughts and questions.

warm greetings,

Ludwig

Ivana at the Mansion – part II – NSFW

beauty, erotic, Personal Pictures, Uncategorized

Another advantage of working with professional models is that they often have little or no reservations towards nudity, as long as it is tasteful and not in disrespect to their person.

Ivana is very used to posing nude, and I am getting used to working with models in a natural, unstressed way. I consider it a gift that my wife will let me work with these women, in a way that most people consider at least ‘unconventional’. (Certainly here in Belgium) On the other hand, I must say that in this growing process, I never really felt sexual attraction during these shoots. I think it would be no good idea to not keep control over your male instincts at these moments. That will certainly ruin your photography, and it will most probably ruin your reputation as a photographer. A lot of men asked me if they could assist with light setups in my shoots, but unfortunately I work with natural light only, so I don’t need assistance. 😉

I am very much inspired by the work of Radoslaw Pujan, and maybe you can find some of his influences in my images from time to time. He’s both an exquisite photographer (working mainly on film) but also a good storyteller in his image series.

Enjoy!

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come back soon for another post!

Ivana – The model – at the Mansion – NSFW

beauty, erotic, Personal Pictures, Uncategorized

Ivana is an international working beauty and fine art nude model. She was in Belgium last september, and I took the occasion to work with her for a morning session at the mansion.

Working with professional models has advantages and disadvantages. One of the biggest pro’s is that they very quickly understand what they need to convey in the image. If you want a certain expression or attitude in the image, most of them are quick in producing the look you’re after. Another advantage is that you can be sure they will be present at the fixed appointment date/time. Working with ‘facebook models’ sometimes lends to ‘no-show’ at the time of the shoot. (In excuse of Grandma’s dying and more of this stuff). Ivana also took care of her own make-up, hair was done by my wife Nathalie. Nathalie attended an entire shoot for the first time, and found it enriching and exciting. I was really ok for having her around, and so was Ivana. She’s used to having a whole team present at shoots, so she couldn’t be bothered less with only me and Nathalie around.

We worked in different themes, I’ll show you ‘the lady of the castle’ first.

for those wondering what NSFW stands for: Not safe for work – due to nudity involved.

All images available light only, Canon 100 mm Macro and Sigma 50 mm on my trustworthy Canon 5D II.

Click images for a bigger view.

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thank you for watching, next set coming soon,

Lisa at the Mansion – Part I – The Attic

beauty, Personal Pictures

Well, here they come. Lisa is a dancer, and she can’t keep from moving and being graceful and elegant. She’s also very well trained, and her body shows. The attic is dark, and cold and deserted, but it has window light that plays well with the curves and contours of a beautiful body. This is the first half hour of the shoot, and we still had to get ‘warmed up’, …

I feel it helps getting my models comfortable and at ease when my wife spends some time getting their hair done. They feel less vulnerable and helpless, knowing there is a third person involved and also I believe they feel less threat knowing that I have a relationship that works well etc. … Lisa at least felt at ease from the start of the shoot.

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images taken with 24mm (first one only) 50mm and 100mm

come back again soon.

Ludwig

Tzipac eros contest results.

contests, erotic, Personal Pictures

Tzipac announced its finalist and winners list of the third Tzipac Eros award.

Two of my images made it to the finalist stage, but alas, no winner.

And they forgot to mention my website, which is this blog-site you are looking at of course.

Better next year!

Model: Anna

Dog: Nono

In the Garden of Eden.

Tzipac 2014-1finalist

Tzipac 2014-2finalist

You can see all finalists and the winning images here:

http://tzipac.com/galleries/winners_gallery

Both images are for sale on a limited edition base. (7+1 artists proof)

Thanks for stopping by, see you soon!

Ludwig

Pauline M. at the Garden of Eden NSFW

beauty, Personal Pictures

If i remember well, I think Adam and Eve met at the garden of eden.

I think they must have had a similar feeling as the one I had when I first saw this garden.

It is absolutely fabulous, and I love taking my models here. I can’t thank you enough, Sabine, for lending me the result of your hard labour and work.

Next chapter in the shoot with Pauline.

A great model, lots of character and willing to integrate my ideas in this shoot.

Thanks again Pauline, I enjoyed working with you.

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Come again soon for my next post, another before and after image, with Lightroom development tricks explained.

happy photography,

ludwig

Tatjana at Sabine’s house, B&W

beauty, erotic, Personal Pictures

Next chapter from this same shoot.

I have shown some images I took on film, some digital, developed in color, now some digital images, developed black and white.

You will probably notice that I use square format more often in my images lately. i think they have a more balanced frame, more stable and that fits my photography well.

That is probably also one of the reasons why I love working with the analog 6×6 camera. It frees you from the question of shooting horizontal or vertical. Peace of mind, really.

All in all I think this was a very fruitful shooting session, don’t hesitate to communicate your thoughts and ideas.

Model: Tatjana DN

Hair: Nathalie R.

MU: Heidi H.

Lingerie and mask: Tutti-Passi

Thank you to Sabine, for granting me access to her house for this shoot.

All images except fourth (Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro L IS) and last (Canon 24mm f1.4 L) are taken with the new Sigma 50mm 1.4 DG.

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I hope you enjoyed,

Ludwig