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The Breasts in my Camera
Practical photography was discovered in 1839, with the invention of the Daguerreotype. And what was one of the first things mankind took an image of? Why, a naked woman of course. Ok, actually, it was a statue of a naked woman, due to the long exposure time needed. But I doubt there is a man alive that hasn't taken a few polaroids of a girlfriend at one point or another (or at least wanted to).
So what is it that compels men to take pictures of naked women, and perhaps specifically, their breasts? Is it as simple as breast envy? Do we all simply want our very own pair to play with and have and hold and fondle and... you get the point. That is certainly a possibility. If a man can't have breasts, he can at least "own" them by taking a picture of them.
For me, at least, that's not it, though. For me, a woman is a living, breathing work of art. I hope that doesn't across as some male chauvinistic comment, because it is not meant to be. It is meant as a compliment. The form of woman is high art. And no part of that form is more distinctly identifiable as feminine than the breast. One could argue that the pudendum is more definitively "female", but the case I make for the breast is this: Take a silhouette in profile of a man and a woman in profile and ask any child who is able to talk which is the mommy, and he or she will certain point to the figure with the breasts. Thus, in a long winded sort of way, I hopefully make my point: In the art form of woman, the focal point is the breast.
Therein lies the reason I take pictures of women, and by extension, their breasts. When I am photographing a model I am capturing the very photons of light that have caressed that model's skin, and holding them in a form that, with some care, will last for centuries. Think about the power of that, for a moment. Long after the model herself has wrinkled, sagged and even died, her beauty in that moment still lives on. The actual particles of light that touched her for that fraction of a second are held forever in a matrix of silver salts.
Then, of course, there is the versatility of the breast when it comes to photography. Take 50 "beaver shots" of 50 different women, and you will wind up with pretty much the same boring picture repeated 50 times. Why? Because there is really only one or at best 2 poses a woman can assume while showing off the goodies between her legs. Now take 50 shots of one woman's breasts, and you can (with some skill) wind up with 50 different images. Why? Breasts stick right out there for everyone to see, so as a photographer I can move around, and have the model move around, providing a virtual infinity of poses that showcase her breasts. Front shots, profiles, leaning forward, leaning back, from above, from below, close up or zoomed out, the possibilities are endless.
Then there is the fact that breasts are an active part of a woman's body. A picture takes on a completely different tone, depending on what the nipple is doing. A smooth and relaxed nipple conveys comfort, confidence and leisure. A partially erect nipple suggests mild arousal, a degree of tension, some latent energy building and the potential that something is about to happen. A fully erect, almost puckered nipple projects strong desire, energy, enthusiasm, eroticism and excitement. (Or it says turn up the damn heat in the studio.) I challenge any vagina to convey all those moods in a picture.
So go to it, all you closet breast photographers. Find a model willing to bare her boobies for you, and take those pictures you've thought about. Capture that moment, on film or in pixels. Seize on those sometimes rare and always wonderful opportunities to enjoy the art of woman and her breasts.
by David Johnson, yoshiwarastudios.com