Here on the Canadian prairies, the snow came early. However, the temperatures have decided to remain rather pleasant, though on occasion it does get rather windy which makes it feel even colder outdoors.
So why go outdoors while nude and capture that in a photo? What is it that has so many who are comfortable enough with their bodies to take that challenge? Of course, I can’t answer for anyone else. There are likely as many reasons as there are people who take the risk of being fully exposed outside of the private space of home whether that home is a house, an apartment, or even a single room where the door is closed – one’s sanctuary.
As a naturist who is also a member of a naturist club which has a gated property where I go camping, being nude outdoors is a given as long as the weather and temperatures don’t make that too difficult of a task – remember, I live in a northern country. There is no risk, and typically there are no photos taken either. Those images that are captured, in my case, have more to do with my daily journal than about anything else. They don’t become “public” images.
Putting images into the public realm is a completely different kettle of fish. When it comes to my motivation to post images of me, what is that about? It becomes a conversation between my mind and my body, a conversation that stretches me in a holistic manner. With each image, I see not just the physical me, but a hidden, perhaps unconscious, part of me is revealed. I become less of a stranger to myself.
Without this plunging into the depths of the unconscious to self-discover, it would be nothing more than exhibitionism and voyeurism. Of course, both are are present regardless. Humans are curious beings. They want to be seen and validated through being acknowledged as present. But of course, there is much more to it. I now leave it to you, the reader, to add your thoughts, your understandings, your motivations, or your reservations about