How To Photograph A Nude Model Using A Digital Camera And Candlelight
Very few photographers have tried using candles as lighting in their nude photography;
however it's a very interesting source of light that produces a beautiful and unique effect. Quite naturally you will find that candles don't produce much light, so you will need a good number to lift the overall light luminance to a usable level and be prepared to work with long exposure times, so a tripod is almost essential and a cable release would also be useful. You can also use the mirror lock up facility if you have that option on your camera. Make sure those candles are placed in safe positions where nothing will catch on fire!
Since your exposure time will probably be several seconds, it's important that you find a position for your model that is comfortable and allows them to stay fairly still or you risk having images with unwanted blur from the model's body movement. It's that slow exposure time though with the gentle flicker of the candle light that gives us the special final effect.
When preparing your image, take some time to look at the different lighting effects as you move your candles into various positions and study the transitions between highlights and shadows. After you find the right balance try a couple of test shots to see how the image looks and check if you need to make any changes. Since candles have a very warm colour temperature you will probably want to do a custom white balance with your digital camera using a white piece of card.
A handheld light meter can also be useful for measuring luminance in different parts of the image. Accurate measurement of the lighting is essential to avoid burned out highlights or shadows with no detail and if you have a computer available you can download some test images to check them inside Photoshop before you continue with the main shoot. Always shoot in RAW mode if you have this option available because it will produce better quality images and allow you to make more changes later on during postproduction.
After you have taken your pictures and saved them on a computer you now have the option to work on the final effect where you can decide if you want to have the image in colour or black & white, along with other changes you can make to noise levels, contrast and other areas. One of the great benefits of using candles is that the lighting is extremely flattering to female skin, so that should minimise the amount of skin retouching you need to do. Have a go and see how amazing candlelight can be for creating professional nude images.