Author: Andrew Wright
Publisher: Blurb
ISBN 978 -1-45 -797799-2
RRP: £45: 00 GBP
REVIEWED BY: Sandra Scholes
SYNOPSIS:
The basic premise of The Anonymous Nude: Volume 1 is even women who have no self confidence in their own bodies can look good naked with the right lighting, poses and man behind the camera. They can have anonymity from the reader as they are not showing their faces. In order to achieve this the models strike several interesting and ingenious poses that show their body's beauty and subtle perfection. In the introduction, Andrew mentions that during his photography career the women he met in several different jobs were at first reluctant to pose for him until he put them at ease.
BOOK QUALITY:
Other than it being transported from the courier in a self-sealing plastic cover inside a protective box, the book comes as a black hardback with a black wrapararound cover. On the outside front cover there is the title in white text on a black background with a grey drop shadow, a teaser photograph and text is on the inside front cover while on the back cover outside has a black image of a woman's face on a grey background with a quote from Jayanne Westerman below it. The text on the front cover is stylish and sophisticated as well as simplistic. The book is easy to handle as it is not too large. The paper is 170gsm lustre and has a nice thickness to it that gives the impression you might have handled more pages than you think. It also gives a subtle but quality satin sheen.
REVIEW:
The Anonymous Nude: Volume 1 looks like the sort of coffee table book every discerning man would want to adorn their living room and as the back cover boasts of "beauty, creativity and a hint of naughtiness," one would expect to see exactly that once it is opened. The beauty of the women is in the photographs, the creativity is in the range of poses and the naughtiness is also in the poses as they cover their modesty with cheeky ease, or thrust their breasts or buttocks out at
the camera. However, the women photographed in here are not all models, most of them are from all walks of life. One is even a "very well respected solicitor for a reputable law firm," and could never be exposed for obvious reasons. The only real models are Danielle, Jodie and Lauren and Jayanne. Not that anyone would notice as all the women already resemble models in here.
His models, at least according to the testimonials are lacking in self-esteem, former anorexics etc, yet Andrew has managed to bring out each troubled woman's outer beauty regardless of what has troubled them during their early life, or troubled them before the photo shoot. How much praise Andrew recieves in each testimonial is just right, there is not too much text and not too little. It only shows what it needs to. Though it is good to see that his subjects have appreciated his work, the testimonials do sound a little samey and ending them
with exclamation marks all the time is a might annoying to the eye.
As far as I am concerned, the photographs are very professional looking and tasteful, though there are a couple that do not seem to fit in with the balanced pacing of the rest of the photographs. As the majority of them are quite large in size, there are some that are smaller, and apart from being in black and white there are a few colour ones which serve to break the monotony. Black and white gives a
sense of timelessness to the images as they are reminiscent of the classic photographers such as Herb Ritts, Cecil Beaton, David Bailey and John Tisbury. Some of the poses are quite astonishing - it is as though the models have be transformed into acrobats ready to perform, tossing their heads back and accentuating the flow of their hair. They titillate and entice the reader as the nudes have erect nipples and as some have been sprayed with water to give that "gym sweat" look many find so enthralling. The poses they are in look at certain times dynamic and full of movement, while others are static with them stood with arms behind them or above, and some can be seen making other fascinating poses. The photographs speak for themselves even without the testimonials and to be frank, many will be looking at the photographs and not the testimonials, or even the introduction.
People who appreciate the classical style of black and white photography as well as the professional look of the work might like this book but its price tag might also cause controversy as £45:00 for a book less than A4 in size could be asking a little too much. This is a common issue with self publishing.
The book is also available as a limited edition for volumes 1, 2 and 3 signed by the photographer and featuring a white cover. Limited edition run of 10. To buy go to www.theanonymousnude.co.uk.
No comments:
Post a Comment