What is nude photography: simply explained

What is nude photography can be described with the help of terms from art. Nude photography is a genre of photography that can be divided into other categories. You can find out what these are and what they mean in this practical tip.

Nude photography: what is it?

Nude photography is an artistic way of photographically portraying the human body. The body is photographed partially or completely naked. A distinction is made between the following forms of representation:

• Partial act: Body parts are (partially clothed) photographed by close-ups. Above all, the shape, structure and representation of the body are in the foreground.
• Half act: This is a genre similar to partial act. Often there are photos in which one body is partially clothed or covered (mainly the primary sexual characteristics), while the rest is free.
• Vollakt: Vollakt is the representation of the completely naked body. Here too there are many sub-genres that form a broad spectrum of different photography styles.
• These main genres can be divided into many other categories that are also known from other areas of photography. Low-key photography (high contrast and dark shades) is particularly common here.

Nude photography and pornography: these are differences

While both nude photography and pornography are considered erotic, the two should not be confused.

• Nude photography is less about arousing the viewer's sexual stimulus, but more about the artistic representation of the scene.
• It is more like pornography when the sexual process is necessarily in focus.
• Even if nude photography and pornography are separated, there is no clear line between the two. Nude photography is sometimes very revealing and can be provocative, so the transition is fluid.