Dave Rudin, figures of grace!

Today, I am honored to provide a feature on Dave Rudin, a fine art photographer, who resides in Brooklyn, NY and who is very talented in photographing the nude as you will see in some of his photographs posted in this blog. Dave has been educated in the classical arts and very much appreciates the works of the greats who have come before us, whether the art was in sculpture, painting or music. Please enjoy the thoughtfulness Dave has provided in response to my questions and learn a little something about him and his beautiful artwork.


Q. Dave, why do you shoot the nude?

A. There are many ways in which I can answer this question, all of which would be correct. I could say that I was a Classics major at university, that I love classical, Renaissance and Baroque sculpture and that I view the nude figure as a living sculpture, with my work being a kind of continuation of that tradition of figurative art.

I could also say that I began to photograph nudes in 1995 as I had admired the work of those who had done it previously and I wanted to try my hand at it.

Perhaps the best answer, though, would be to say that I love photographing beautiful things, and what can be more beautiful than a beautiful woman nude?

Q. What constitutes a great nude photograph to you?

A. I don't think there is one formula that one can apply to make a great photo. In general, though, it's the result of a convergence of a lot of variables - the location, the model, the mood, the pose, the light, etc. A photographer can go out with the intent to make a great photo, and while planning is often required, it's never a guarantee. Rather, great photos often just seem to present themselves when everything comes together - a matter of being in the right place at the right time - and it's up to the photographer to realize it and push that shutter button.

Q. What elements do you incorporate into your work that make it uniquely yours?


A. I think it's difficult to achieve a unique, recognizable style when photographing nudes. After all, it's a nude model in a setting, which is pretty much what every other photographer of the nude photographs. I don't set out with an overt plan to be different or unique, but I would hope that my general photographic vision sets my images apart from those of some others. Basically, I try to imbue my images with a classic, elegant and graceful style - which is why I call my website "Figures of Grace."

Q. Who and what have been your influences in your work and who, past or present do you admire as a photographer of the nude?


A. No art is created in a vacuum. All artists are influenced in one way or another by the world around them, whether they know it or not. Some influences are conscious and intentional, while others are more subliminal. I have discovered afterwards that some of my photos were directly influenced by things ranging from an ancient Egyptian pre-dynastic sculpture to a painting by the French master Ingres.


Regarding photographers who I admire and try to emulate in some way, probably the first I should mention is Horst P. Horst. While he did photograph nudes, he was primarily a fashion photographer, and almost all of his work bore the classy, elegant and graceful style that I wrote about above.


I have to mention Edward Weston, who I think of as the originator of the classic fine art nude, and Lucien Clergue, who is probably the greatest living photographer of the art nude and readily admits to being influenced by Weston. Others to mention are John Swannell, a British photographer who is probably better known in the UK than in the US but does wonderful nude work; Patrick Demarchelier, the fashion photographer whose nudes are very simple but very effective; Howard Schatz, who's done some wonderful work underwater and in the studio; and of course Helmut Newton, whose style of eroticism is not what I do but has probably been a great influence on countless photographers of the nude. I've also been looking lately at the work of Andre De Dienes, a European photographer who moved to the US and while best known for his photos of a young Marilyn Monroe, also photographed nudes in a free and open style that mixed fine art with glamour.


Those photographers who I've mentioned are all well known, but then there are the many photographers who do very good work with the nude but are relatively unknown - people like my friends Dave Levingston, Ted Preuss and Vernon Trent, to mention a few.

Q. How do you see your work evolving in the future?


A. I once heard that a musicologist said that Mozart "died older" than Beethoven, even though Mozart died at age 35 and Beethoven at 57. That's because Mozart had found a style of composition that he was comfortable with and stayed with that, while Beethoven was always searching for something new and different in his work.


This is something that I've thought about for a long time regarding my photography. Many years ago, I asked myself how much longer can I go on on photographing models in the same Edward Weston poses. My studio photographs often seem to be images of a model just standing there in front of a backdrop.


I have thought about trying different things, like multiple exposures, incorporating motion, being less formal with my compositions, using a Holga, etc. The problem I have is that when I go out (or stay in) with a camera and a model, I tend to fall into the same pattern of doing things in my usual way, and I really have to remind myself to try things differently. Still, I have been encouraged with my multiple exposure results (when I've remembered to do it, that is) and I hope to continue in this vein. As for doing things the old, comfortable way, I think every photographer is looking for that next great image - a "signature piece," as I think of it - that can be so rare and elusive.

Q. What process do you use?


A. I use film and make my prints in a traditional darkroom. That's because I love film and the whole process. It's like magic. I used to be an active amateur (ham) radio operator, and I always found it magical to be able to talk with someone in a distant part of the world via the airwaves. Sure, you could talk with someone on the phone (and now with a computer), but to me that was just cold, hard technology and that's how I feel about the digital process.


Ansel Adams famously said, comparing photography to music, that the negative was like the musical score and the making of the print was the performance. I like my art to be made by people, not machines, with each piece being unique, if only in a small way. After all, if you went to a piano concert, would you be happy to hear a player piano playing back a pre-recorded piano roll, or would you want a real, live human being to be playing for you?

I want to thank Dave for being so generous with his thoughts on the nude and with his photographs as well. Every time I do a feature with another photographer or artist, I am always impressed with the artist's thoughts and creative processes and hopefully, fans of the nude will see that photographing the nude takes imagination and thought, not just a simple focus on the subject on hand. To see more of Dave's work and to learn more about him, please check out the links below.

Website: http://figuresofgrace.com/
Blog: http://figuresofgrace.wordpress.com/
Model Mayhem: http://www.modelmayhem.com/daver