Illustrated Guide to Nude Photography Terms

Now for a variety of reasons some models are not comfortable with nudity, but as you can see my work is based on the muscular male form and it would be impossible to create these images if my models were fully clothed.

Most men who are interested in modeling for me grant that at least some parts of their body will be exposed in the images we create, but how much of their bodies and which parts?

An entire lexicon of terms has been coined by models and photographers over the years to describe various levels of nudity. Unfortunately they have different meanings to different people. So in order to better communicate with potential models I have written my definitions of these terms and created the following pictorial definitions of them.

If you model for me, your nudity limitations are agreed before scheduling the shoot and determining your fee, and they are written into your model release.

Semi Nude

The model is wearing at least one article of clothing, at least something that covers the model's groin. If the image shows the model’s groin, the clothing is visible.

Implied Nude

The model is wearing at least one article of clothing, however the photograph has been composed or cropped so that the clothing is not visible. Or some other object, such as a sheet or a body part, obscures the clothing. In other words, although the model was wearing something during the shoot, the image implies that they are nude.

Nude No Frontal

The model is nude, however the image does not show the model’s genitalia. Either the image has been composed or cropped to hide genitalia or some other object, such as a sheet or body part, obscures the genitalia.

Nude

The model is nude, and at least some of the images show the model’s genitalia. The photographer has rights to use those images along with the others captured during the shoot.