January 7 2004--Artistic nude photographs really became popular after the "Ladies of Rylstone", a group of English women age 40-60, posed nude for a charity calendar in 2001. (There's even a popular movie about their story--Calendar Girls.)

Now, classical nude photographs are topping many people's Valentine's Day wish list as they make a special and unique gift for a spouse or lover.

Kenneth Wajda, a professional photographer in Colorado, has been shooting commissioned nudes for the past three years and has seen the interest in this form of art grow dramatically. "It used to be a rare occurrence when a call would come in, someone inquiring about a nude session. Now it happens weekly," Wajda said.

Clients have traveled from as far as Illinois for a photo session. "One woman called saying she couldn't find a photographer in Chicago. I told her I didn't have any recommendations and that she could fly out to Colorado. Well, she did, and was quite pleased with her photographs. "You are a true professional with a great eye for light and artistic expression," she said. "I felt very comfortable and had fun doing this."

Many clients are also finding that this is one gift that gives something back--the subject of the photograph is often the one who benefits the most from the experience.

"I've photographed women from age 20-50 and they leave the session feeling empowered at having done the shoot, glad they finally took the step to do it, and many comment and say it wasn't weird at all (after the first few minutes)," said Wajda. "Many also say they'd thought about doing this forever, but didn't know where to begin. And now are glad they have."

Some of Wajda's clients have chosen a nude photograph as a gift to themselves, their reason being to "celebrate my body, capture it as it is right now." Naturally, many people are hesitant at first about displaying their body but the photographs capture the beauty that is already there. "They are always excited to see the results and are amazed when they see the images that their body is so beautiful," Wajda said.

The quality of his work is fine art nude portraiture, not the boudoir style that was popular some years back.

Wajda began shooting nudes about three years ago after he moved to Colorado. Prior to that he was an award-winning photojournalist for 13 years in New Jersey, covering news, pro sports, fashion and features. "Of these, I used to love to shoot the fashion and feature photos (which include his award-winning photos) because they involved lighting and creating the image from start to finish," Wajda said.

"When I'm working with a model, I tell them that really, I'm seeing their body like I would a vase or any other three-dimensional object. And that their body is beautiful and an honor to work with," said Wajda. "I am working on poses with light and am creating an image through the recording of that light reflected off their body. Every body is beautiful and my photography just captures its beauty through the use of light and shadow."

Before the session, he talks to the subject about the shoot to explain the many choices available to them. The session can take place inside or outside (if the weather cooperates and a suitable location is available). It can be in real locations (houses, barns, etc) or his studio (which is a series of backgrounds). Or he can bring a portable studio to their location.

They subject often says they hadn't thought about these things and it gets them thinking about what would be appropriate for them. A gardener posed nude in a field of wildflowers is a very different kind of person from a person who shoots in a bright, airy bedroom or Victorian mansion. The subject who chooses to be photographed abstractly against a black background in a studio setting is a different type of personality than a marine biologist who wants to be photographed nude underwater or a horse wrangler who's really riding bare-back.

"I think talking about real, logistical elements about the portrait really helps the client to feel like they have a say in the kind of photo that will be made (they're commissioning it) and lets them know that I, as the photographer, am a professional who will work with their vision, and bring the technical and artistic qualities needed to it, and not someone with a camera after self-gratification," Wajda said. "I always say to them, if we can think of it, we can create it."

Wajda is extremely professional about his work; there is never anything sexual about the session. Out of respect for his model, he will never touch his subject--all directions to the model are made verbally.

He is also the founder of the Professional Association of Artistic Nude Photographers, (PAANP) which holds its members to a very strict code of ethics. Not surprisingly, this code was written with the model's rights, not the photographer's rights, in mind.

By the time of the session, having talked about so many choices and observed so many different styles, the client often comes to him knowing approximately what she wants-- abstract close-ups on black without a face; high-key full-figure poses on white; partial nudes; etc.

One recent client said, "I really enjoyed the shoot and seeing the work you do. I am extremely excited to see them. I couldn't believe how fast the time went." And on seeing the photographs,
"Those are SOOO awesome. I am so impressed! I love them. You are very talented. I will show them to (my husband), he probably won't believe that it's me. Will also send to parents. I love them. You work fast."

"It's a gift of self, a celebration of your body and the depiction of the 'creator's finest masterpiece,'" Wajda said. "Every single body is a work of art!"

As a photographer in considerable demand, Wajda is now taking his photo studio on the road. While he's been offering location sessions through the Front Range of Colorado and New Mexico, for clients willing to cover travel costs, he is scheduling location shoots throughout the rest of the U.S.

Wajda's studio is called Artistic Nude Photography of Colorado, located in Westcliffe (south of Colorado Springs). For more information, call 719-783-9283 or visit his online portfolio at www.kennethwajda.com/nudes.




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