Sienna and Azura

Black and white erotic photography

Black and white erotic photography can be subtle or overt. This composition may go under the radar in the living room. Upon closer observation, one will see this nude figure study does not bow to modesty.

Two nude figures recline under a big sky. They are posed on a large rock. Shot from a low vantage point, the image has a striking, dramatic perspective. One figure leans far back on her elbows. Her knees are bent and her body is twisted slightly to the left, leaving the viewer with a clear view of only half of her body. She looks back over her left shoulder and her hair falls down over her back, behind her large hoop earrings.

Her companion is behind her, with her nude form mostly hidden from view by the first figure’s legs. She sits upright with one leg extended long. Her head is cocked to one side, with her hair falling down over her shoulder. An array of compositional elements distract the viewer from the details of the nude pair.

A dramatic landscape unfolds behind the figures. Rolling, arid hills are dotted with vegetation. The sky stretches out above with white clouds floating in it, brilliantly lit. The image has a gritty, black and white photography feel, including areas of coarse detail and some graininess.

Long shadows imply it is either late or early in the day. Light paradoxically emanates from the horizon in the opposite direction. The figures glow in contrast with the deep tones of the hills and mountains in the background.

The expressions on the figures’ faces are ambiguous. They each gaze in opposite directions beyond the frame of the image. The figure on the left cocks her head to the side, as though she is listening for something. Her companion also has a look of concerned anticipation on her face. Both appear alert and attentive, all of their senses awake.

This narrative of black and white erotic photography is set in Red Rocks, Colorado, under an emblematic blue sky. Although the colors of the geography are impressive, black and white photography has power too. The title hints at colors. One might reasonably speculate that Sienna and Azura are the names of the two women who sit nude on red rocks under a blue sky, but the title refers to hues key to this landscape.

Inspirations for black and white erotic photography

The inspirations for black and white erotic photography are various. These celebrations of the beauty of the feminine form are more than portraiture or boudoir imagery. Compositions rely on the contours of the body as well as the texture and pattern of the interior shapes such as muscles and bone structure. Situating the two figures in the scenic panorama reveals another influence.