Northwest Dive Club

For photo design class we needed to create a black and white nude of the human body. The instructor wanted us to create the lines and beauty of the human body using light. I believe he wanted similar to "bodyscapes" created in the studio. My idea was the light ripples carving the lines of the body, not exactly what he is asking for but hopefully close enough.

Being in washington I could not find a pool or model willing to subject herself to the cold. So I flew to Oahu to spend time with my X on Valentines day and shoot some nude photos of her


Feel free to C&C I'm sure my professor will be 300% harsher ( he has a reputation of ripping Prints of the wall).

You can find the images on my website here.
http://www.actionbyderek.com/Art/Line-s ... 7185_eH2gP
I have these in print on metallic paper through Bay photos.he prints should arrive tomorrow! Since our school print cage does not offer metallic prints, so I am hoping that it will give it a little extra pop.


Also its calfing season in oahu, We ended up swimming with a mother and very young calf

I'm not sure this is appropriate for this type of forum. But if I'm being overly sensitive and prudish, at least put a warning on the thread that is isn't appropriate to open at work.

WylerBear wrote:I'm not sure this is appropriate for this type of forum. But if I'm being overly sensitive and prudish, at least put a warning on the thread that is isn't appropriate to open at work.

you're absolutely right, Sometimes I forget these things as an artist. I removed the Embedded images and one can see them through the link I attached

I'm no artist, but I can tell some nice shots when I see them Looks like it could be straight out of a (european) Armani or CK ad.

Where's that like button again?

Nice work for sure! It may not be what he wants but it sure is artistically pleasing. You must still be on pretty good terms with your X. She certainly appears to have a nice body.

if you look at the original size, the area to the right of the tattoo, and slightly right of the light, the goosebumps are really neat. an unexpected view...

what a coincidence
i am thinking of taking an art class
and going to hawaii
can i get her number?

WylerBear wrote:I'm not sure this is appropriate for this type of forum. But if I'm being overly sensitive and prudish, at least put a warning on the thread that is isn't appropriate to open at work.

Nothing prudish here in your comment at all..... I just wonder what on earth the poster thought that folks on this forum might comment on that would be helpful? But that likely wasn't the intent. Just my two cents.

i would think that he simply wanted to share his art with us. as many of our members do. i appreciate the diversity of passions that we have here, though perhaps it would be better suited in the everything else forum so that all may enjoy it.

LOL, you guys (dphershman) have an odd way of talking behind a persons back. Even though the question was not directed at me, I feel I must defend my morality of posting a shot taken under Oahu waters on a PNW forum. So here is what I thought others would like to comment on (or you could read the above comments and get an idea for yourself):

There are a few professional caliber photographers on this forum. While fine art may or may not be their style I would still assume that they are familiar with its foundations and be able to give me some pointers on the composition, B&W style Or just an overall appreciation of the human body underwater (diving)

So why I admit embedding the nude images onto the forum was an ill thought. I do believe that the photography section is the appropriate place post.


For all the others, Thank you for the support and I am glad you like them. Fed ex just dropped off the metallic prints and they look absolutely fantastic!

kat wrote:i would think that he simply wanted to share his art with us. as many of our members do. i appreciate the diversity of passions that we have here, though perhaps it would be better suited in the everything else forum so that all may enjoy it.

Well, it did fit into the "underwater photography" niche pretty well. And I, for one, am glad it was posted here. I thoroughly enjoyed looking at them.

My understanding is that one of the more....revealing.....pics was visible in the original post, but that was changed after some input. It's just common courtesy to warn folks that something might be Not Safe For Work- or "NSFW". Many of our members could get in serious trouble for surfing "adult themed" sites while they are at work, so we don't want that here. NWDC's ethos has always been a polite "PG13" kind of thing: If you're linking to something with nudity, you should warn people. Profanity is tolerated, sort of. F*ck and sh1t are preferred, but not necessarily required. Otherwise....use your best judgment.

One persons art is another persons porn! Just like any other subject. Some chose to see the beauty in the human form while others see nothing but shame. There is nothing offensive in those photos unless you chose to see it that way.

For those that chose to take offense, did you not read even the first line of the post which clearly stated it had to do with photos of the nude human body?? It seemed pretty strait forward to me. Yes, I agree they should not have been posted on the open forum but there is nothing wrong with posting a link as it is now and asking for input when you have clearly stated that it contains human nudity.

Dusty2 wrote:One persons art is another persons porn! Just like any other subject. Some chose to see the beauty in the human form while others see nothing but shame. There is nothing offensive in those photos unless you chose to see it that way.

For those that chose to take offense, did you not read even the first line of the post which clearly stated it had to do with photos of the nude human body?? It seemed pretty strait forward to me. Yes, I agree they should not have been posted on the open forum but there is nothing wrong with posting a link as it is now and asking for input when you have clearly stated that it contains human nudity.

Great post, Dusty2!
Now I know who the people were that complained about the pic of Jackie Bissett that I posted a while back...........

Just to clarify. I think the photos are beautiful and indeed are art. My question was whether they were appropriate in this scuba diving forum. Derek responded quite appropriately and changed the original post so that the nude photo did not show up on someone's work computer which was great. Done deal.

I'm scarred for life.



Agreed - "NSFW" combined with "WARNING - NUDE PICTURES" would be a great warning... just let people know what they're clicking into before they do it. I enjoyed the pictures too, but I've got to say that the goosebumps really put a damper on it for me.

Derek, thanks for posting these. I think it's nice to have an opportunity view and discuss creative work. These are obviously underwater photos and present all the challenges of shooting in that environment. It makes for a good and appropriate discussion.

First and foremost these are all great and I would be very pleased to get these results myself. I think you've found a really creative way of approaching the assignment and hope you do well.

Given that you encouraged a little C&C I'll take a shot. I'm just a guy who points a camera at things so I accept that my opinion is worth as much as you are paying for it. Also, I really had to stretch to find something to critique as they are all very nice.

If the metallic paper gives them a bit more punch then that will be a great finishing touch. Photo #1 is a bit of a brain twister for me. The lightness and what look like surface ripples in the background makes me want to rotate it to the right 90 degrees but the shadowing on the body makes me think is is correct horizontal. Yes, I'm being really picky. Of the two torso shots, the darker of the two really does it for me. In the lighter of the two, the shadows are light enough that I find myself trying to look into them. It's a bit distracting. The darker one, really highlights the lines and lighting. My favorite pic though is the close up on the tattoo. The lines and shadows are really pleasing and draw your full attention. I honestly didn't even notice the privy parts until the last time that I looked at it because I was so drawn to the lines. I'm really not sure how I feel about the goose bumps. They add an interesting texture but It would be interesting to see the same shots with and without. I suggest going back to HI and doing a reshoot to compare. To make things easier, you can bring me along as your photo assistant.

Again, thanks for sharing and like I said, they are all very nice.