L. i D.
L.:
D.:
Mam nadzieję, że z biegiem czasu będzie się to jednak zmieniać i pójdzie w dobrą stronę, żebyśmy nie oceniali ludzi z góry przez pryzmat tego jak się ubierają i jak wyglądają.
Myślę, że to może mieć też duży związek z samoakceptacją. Jeżeli ty w jakiś sposób nie akceptujesz swojego ciała i masz z nim problem, to często jest tak, że gdy ludzie widzą, że ktoś inny tego problemu nie ma i – tak jak na przykład L., nie wstydzi się swojego ciała na zdjęciach i pokazuje je – wydaje im się, że to tak nie powinno wyglądać i ich to bulwersuje. Jak dla mnie, to ten problem ma wiele poziomów, jak np. podłoże psychologiczne, kiedy ludzie kojarzą to sobie wyłącznie z pornografią. Próbują to nacechować – wiesz – w sposób, który jest erotyczny, a często są takie zdjęcia, które nie mają w sobie tego elementu. Jest nagość, ale ona nie jest w taki sposób ujęta.
W pewnym momencie ta cała kwestia została zdemonizowana, tylko szczerze mówiąc nie jestem w stanie powiedzieć, co do tego doprowadziło.
Why do young people struggle with nudity?
L.: It’s hard to say exactly why that is. I think people are simply afraid of being judged. When it comes to women, it might have to do with the fact that, in our culture, girls are expected to be modest, and showing more skin is seen as trying to get male attention or as an invitation to bed—which, of course, isn’t true. And as for men, I think it often comes from insecurities and shame. Sex education in Poland is quite poor, so sometimes we think there’s something wrong with our bodies because we lack a point of reference in others—and few people are willing to expose themselves to public opinion.
D.: Or maybe it’s because of the recurring stereotypes we see in films, for example, where a woman wearing more revealing clothes is portrayed as seducing men or even as promiscuous.
I hope that, over time, this will change for the better and we’ll stop judging people solely based on how they dress or look.
I also think it’s closely related to self-acceptance. If you don’t accept your body and have issues with it, then when you see someone else who doesn’t have that problem—like L., for example, who isn’t ashamed to show her body in photos—it may feel wrong or even upsetting. To me, this issue has many layers. One of them is psychological—people often associate nudity solely with pornography. They try to sexualize it, you know? Even though there are plenty of photos where nudity is completely desexualized. The body is bare, but it’s not presented in an erotic way.
At some point, the whole idea of nudity became demonized, but honestly, I can’t pinpoint what led to that.
L.:
Mam wrażenie, że rodzice czasem uczą swoich dzieci nagości w złym kontekście. Zamiast w tym naturalistycznym, żeby pokazać, że ciało człowieka jest tylko ciałem, to od razu przechodzą do tej nagości, która jest związana z seksualnością.
D.:
And aside from photography, just in everyday life—haven’t you noticed how many people our age seem to carry this unhealthy sense of shame? What could be the reason for that?
L.: I think parents definitely play a role during a child’s upbringing, when their personality is still forming. When parents teach a child that they have to cover up so no one sees their private parts in a changing room, it gives the child the impression that a naked body is something bad.
I get the feeling that sometimes parents teach their children about nudity in the wrong context. Instead of a natural approach—showing that a body is just a body—they immediately connect nudity with sexuality.
D.: Exactly. And swimming pools, for example, should be a place where nudity is treated as natural.
And there are more places like that - saunas, changing rooms at school or the gym - where nudity should be normal.
D.: Right. I think schooling also plays a big part. I remember in my middle school, if someone had anything “wrong” with their body, they were immediately picked on or mocked. Or if someone was overweight. And I wasn’t surprised that next time, that person waited for everyone else to leave before changing clothes. That kind of experience can leave a mark — so even as an adult, even with someone close and trustworthy, you might still feel uncomfortable getting undressed. I think girls experience the same thing — it’s not just a “boys’ locker room” issue. Though in male spaces it tends to be more direct, while with girls it’s more like subtle jabs, which might make it even harder for them.
L.: Women are also judged by men. Women judge men on their looks far less than men judge women.
L.: To też prawda. Chyba to zależy od danej osoby i środowiska. Najwięcej kompleksów tak naprawdę nabywamy w szkole.
Many women I’ve spoken to said they feel more judged by other women.
L.: That’s true too. I guess it really depends on the person and the environment. Most insecurities are formed during school years, to be honest.
L.: Myślę, że to się jeszcze pogarsza.
D.: Mnie nawet ciężko się odnieść do tego, bo nie mam porównania jak jest teraz.
Do you think things are getting better or worse?
L.: I think they’re getting worse.
D.: It’s hard for me to say, since I don’t really have anything to compare it to nowadays.
D.: L. mnie chyba bardziej oswoiła.
L.: Dla mnie to jest coś takiego po prostu naturalnego. Odwołując się do wiadomości, jaką kiedyś dostałam – ktoś mnie zapytał, dlaczego zdjęcia, które robimy są bez ubrań i jak to wpływa na zdjęcia? A dla mnie pytanie powinno być odwrotne – jak ubranie wpływa na zdjęcia? Że to powinno być bardziej „po co człowiek jest ubrany na zdjęciu?” niż „dlaczego jest rozebrany?” Człowiek jednak tak wygląda i to jest normalne według mnie. Ja nie mam problemu ze swoją nagością ani nagością innych osób, chociaż też zostałam wychowana w taki sposób, żeby zakrywać, nie pokazywać, ale w pewnym momencie sama zrozumiałam, że to jest naturalne i nie musi być od razu z jakimś podtekstem.
Yeah, it’s a very personal thing. So how is it for you two, personally? What’s your own attitude toward nudity and the body? Which of you helped the other become more comfortable with it?
D.: I think L. helped me become more comfortable.
L.: For me, it’s just something totally natural. Referring to a message I once got — someone asked why the photos we take are without clothes and how that affects the photos. And for me, the question should be the other way around — how does clothing affect the photo? It should be more like, “why is the person clothed in the picture?” rather than “why are they naked?” Because that’s what people really look like — and that’s normal to me. I’m not uncomfortable with my own nudity or the nudity of others. Even though I was raised to cover up and not show too much, at some point I realized it’s all natural and doesn’t have to carry any hidden meaning.
D.:
L.: Nie byłoby to aż tak naturalne.
D.: Dokładnie.
And what about you?
D.: I used to have a harder time showing nudity publicly. It felt more personal to me. I never had a problem being naked at home, for example. I wasn’t ashamed of my body around my family, or in changing rooms. I never felt like I had to hide, that someone would see “something.” For me, it was just how people are made—we all have bodies. But, you know, being naked in a private space and putting yourself out there publicly are two different things. I’m totally fine being naked around L., walking around the house and everything—it’s very natural and I enjoy it—but I’d probably feel more hesitant... I mean, maybe not exactly uncomfortable, but...
L.: It just wouldn’t feel quite as natural.
D.: Exactly.
D.: No tak – że to jest normalne. Dla mnie te zdjęcia są takim mega przełamaniem. W dużej mierze się zgodziłem, by samemu się spróbować i przejść coś, czego jeszcze nie przeszedłem w swoim życiu i są bardzo ciekawym doświadczeniem, które wiele mnie nauczy w kwestii nagości i oswajania się z nią, bo też nie powiedziałbym, że jestem w 100% z nią oswojony.
Yeah, I get that we’re breaking a barrier here, but the goal is to show people who are afraid or ashamed that it’s totally okay to allow themselves that comfort at home—and lots of people already do it.
D.: Yeah—because it’s normal. These photos have been a big breakthrough for me. I agreed to try it myself, to experience something I hadn’t before. And it turned out to be a very meaningful experience that taught me a lot about nudity and becoming more comfortable with it. I wouldn’t say I’m 100% at ease with it yet, though.
L.: Ciężko powiedzieć w sumie. Niby rodzice nie mieli problemów, ale czułam taki trochę dystans do tematu nagości. Może nie tyle, że oni nie chcieli, żebym chodziła nago np. po domu ale ja czułam wstyd przed nimi, co wydaje mi się, że było jakąś usterką w wychowaniu z ich strony. Z resztą oni też nie praktykowali chodzenia w negliżu.
So how was it during your upbringing?
L.: It’s hard to say, really. My parents didn’t exactly have issues with it, but I still felt some distance around the topic. Not like they didn’t want me walking around naked at home, but I personally felt embarrassed around them, and I think that was a bit of a failure on their part in how they raised me. Plus, they didn’t walk around naked themselves.
D.: U mnie też nie było takiego czegoś, żebym pamiętał swoich rodziców kompletnie rozebranych.
And you?
D.: I don’t remember ever seeing my parents fully naked either.
D.:
Right, but maybe it’s more about how they reacted to the topic?
D.: My parents tried to raise me with as much freedom as possible and didn’t try to control me. I mean, they gave me the basics, the core values, but if I wanted to run naked on the beach as a kid, they didn’t scold me or tell me to get dressed. Same at home. I never felt the need to hide my body from them—I knew they’d seen it all. And because of that, I never developed that kind of shame.
L.: Mhm
D.: Duże znaczenie mogło mieć to, że mam trzech starszych braci, z czego jeden jest niepełnosprawny i tej jego nagości było dużo, bo trzeba było np. pomóc go wykąpać itd., więc też byłem z tym oswojony i nie robiło to na mnie żadnego wrażenia. To było ciało ludzie po prostu.
Exactly. I think it's more about how not to develop an unhealthy sense of shame.
L.: Mhm.
D.: It probably made a big difference that I have three older brothers, one of whom is disabled, and there was a lot of nudity involved because we had to help bathe him and so on. So I got used to it, and it didn’t really affect me. It was just a human body, plain and simple.
D.: Jakieś ograniczenie.
L.:
Exactly. And later, when you’re older, it might happen that you have to deal with it to help your parents or someone else, and suddenly it’s...
D.: ...some kind of barrier.
L.: The earlier we befriend nudity, the better for us.
D.: No ja też uważam, że to jest niesamowite wyzwolenie, kiedy potrafisz się pogodzić ze swoim ciałem – tym jak ono wygląda i potrafisz się tą swoją nagością z kimś dzielić. To jest coś takiego, co – zwłaszcza jeżeli chodzi o związek – bardzo łączy i wytwarza się mocna więź między ludźmi, bo tak jakby już WSZYSTKO jest rozłożone na czynniki pierwsze i nie ma żadnych tajemnic.
L.:
D.: To po prostu bardzo uwalnia człowieka i ja jakbym miał pomóc komuś oswoić się z nagością, to bym właśnie od tego zaczynał – żeby się przyzwyczaić do siebie, do swojej nagości. Nawet – wiesz co - samego siebie oglądać przed lustrem, żeby zaakceptować swój wygląd, chociaż wiem, że to nie jest niestety łatwe.
It's great that you managed to avoid that.
D.: Yeah, I also believe it’s an incredible liberation when you're able to make peace with your body—the way it looks—and when you're able to share your nakedness with someone. Especially in a relationship, it really creates a strong bond between people because everything is just out there—no secrets.
L.: No awkwardness either.
D.: It just frees you, and if I were to help someone get comfortable with nudity, I’d start with that—getting used to your own body, your own nakedness. Even—you know—just looking at yourself in the mirror to accept your appearance, though I know that’s unfortunately not easy.
L.:
So in your case, that comfort you had during adolescence carried smoothly into adulthood, but you must’ve experienced some kind of change since there wasn’t that kind of freedom in your home.
L.: For me, the change was quite drastic. Nudity was kind of a taboo topic around my parents, and I had to teach myself that it’s something normal. I think it really started with photography. A breakthrough moment was a workshop with Albert Finch. That was the first time I posed nude in front of a large group of people. Fortunately, Albert's approach to nudity and the sense of safety he created during his sessions made it so I didn’t feel awkward.
L.: Tak naprawdę to był długi proces. W modelingu ciało jest głównym narzędziem pracy i trzeba je umieć wyeksponować. Ta świadomość ciała jest bardzo istotna. Zaczynałam od zwykłych portretów, potem przełamałam się do zdjęć w bieliźnie, gdzieś po drodze pojawiła się nagość zakryta, aż w końcu odważyłam się na akt. To się działo stopniowo i oczywiście nie z dnia na dzień. Najważniejsze to dać sobie czas, żeby przyszło to naturalnie. Zdjęcia aktowe od zawsze mi się podobały. Uważam, że to jest jedna z gałęzi fotografii, w której to nagie ciało jest pięknem w czystej istocie. Chciałam być tego częścią, odważyłam się i nie żałuję.
But where did that desire even come from? Because it’s not exactly common for someone to suddenly decide to undress for a photo. Like you both said — it’s one thing to walk around naked at home, and another to do it in front of a stranger, regardless of whether they’re male or female.
L.: It was really a long process. In modeling, the body is your main tool, and you have to know how to present it. Body awareness is essential. I started with regular portraits, then gradually moved to lingerie shoots, then implied nudity, and eventually had the courage to do full nudes. It all happened step by step, definitely not overnight. The key is to give yourself time so that it comes naturally. I’ve always liked nude photography. I think it's a branch of photography where the naked body is pure beauty in its essence. I wanted to be part of that—I took the leap and I don't regret it.
L.:
And before that first nude shoot, were you already comfortable with your body and being naked in daily life?
L.: I think D. had a big influence on that. From the beginning of our relationship, nudity was a daily thing.
L.: Pewnie tak!
D.: Ja myślę, że nie działałem też w taki sposób, żebyś ty mogła odczuć, że czegoś powinnaś się wstydzić. My mieliśmy od razu taką mega luźną więź jak kumple, którzy się razem wychowywali i razem w piłkę na boisku grali.
Maybe because he didn’t have that barrier and it wasn’t a big deal for him, while it still was for you?
L.: Probably!
D.: I also don’t think I ever made you feel like you had anything to be ashamed of. From the start, we had this really relaxed vibe—like buddies who grew up together and played football on the same field. And I think that made a big difference—there wasn’t this whole “Oh wow, she’s going to get undressed!” or “I need to take my shirt off…” You see I’m skinny, right? That “should” be a limitation in theory, but it wasn’t. I never had that thing like, “Oh man, maybe I’ll just leave my socks on or something.” For us, it just happened naturally and quickly.
L.:
So when you started doing nude shoots, you were already together?
L.: At that time I was just starting out—I mainly posed for implied nudity, and sometimes topless. I didn’t feel bold enough for full nudes yet, but once I met D. and we started spending more time together, that shame during shoots began to fade, and nudity in that context started to feel more natural.
Czyli Twoja zasługa!
D.: Skromnie mówiąc.
So it’s all thanks to you!
D.: Modestly speaking.
D.: No właśnie.
L.:
D.:
L.:
And that’s actually really important—to have someone show you that there’s nothing wrong with it. Most of us who’ve struggled with nudity needed someone to show us that there’s nothing wrong with it. This is you, deal with it. If you don’t like yourself, it can make it really hard to connect with others.
D.: Exactly.
L.: At the beginning of our relationship, we took a trip to Gdańsk, and that’s when D. first shot on film—and you could say that’s when his journey with photography began.
D.: She taught me how to take pictures, and I taught her nudity. That’s how we connected.
L.: Yes! I posed nude there too, and D. took one of his best photos, even though it was the first time he ever held a film camera.
A które to zdjęcie?
L.: To jest to w drzwiach, na którym ja trzymam trampki i zasłaniam ręką biust. W sumie to taka bardziej nagość zakryta.
Which photo was that?
L.: The one in the doorway, where I’m holding sneakers and covering my chest with my hand. It’s more implied nudity, really.
L.:
D.: Musieliśmy do tego dojrzeć. Ja musiałem do tego dojrzeć jako artysta.
L.:
D.:
But still, that was the moment the barrier broke—not just being naked with each other, but sharing that with the world.
L.: Yes. Though we debated for a long time whether we should show those pictures at all.
D.: We had to grow into it. I had to grow into it as an artist.
L.: Exactly—we didn’t initially plan to share those photos. We did them as part of a learning process together, but since they turned out well, we thought—why not share them?
D.: Right. We kept looking back at those pictures, coming back to them... and eventually—I mean, L. really helped me with that. You see—it’s nice to remember all that and realize that I, just by being present, helped you become more at ease with nudity, with opening up. And you taught me that nudity—something we can share on Instagram or this blog—isn’t something bad. That it’s not just “a naked chick,” but a body that’s simply and purely beautiful. And it’s a shame to just keep it to ourselves and never show it.
D.: Tak samo jak ktoś, kto maluje obrazy czy pisze wiersze itd. Co by było jakby on to robił wyłącznie tak do szafy?
L.: Tak trochę bez sensu.
L.: And life doesn’t last forever — you have to leave some kind of mark.
D.: Just like someone who paints or writes poetry. What if they only ever made stuff to hide it in a drawer?
L.: That would be kind of pointless.
L.: Pierwszy raz było przed nieznajomą osobą. Wyszło tak spontanicznie. Nie planowałam tego. Była to wtedy nagość zakryta. Przyszło mi to w sumie łatwiej niż myślałam, ale był stres i taka właśnie niezręczność. Nie chciałam, żeby cokolwiek zobaczył i było to bardzo wstydliwe. Ale praktykowanie tego na co dzień razem z D. i to, że było takich sesji coraz więcej sprawiły, że stało się to dla mnie naturalne, stresy odeszły, nie było więcej żadnej krępacji.
Do you remember what it was like the very first time you had to undress for a shoot—whether it was someone you knew or a stranger?
L.: The first time was in front of a stranger. It happened spontaneously—I didn’t plan on it. It was implied nudity. It was actually easier than I expected, but I was still nervous and it did feel awkward. I didn’t want anything to be seen, and I felt very shy. But practicing with D. daily and doing more and more sessions made it all feel natural. The stress disappeared, and the awkwardness was gone.
L.:
Does it make a difference for you whether a man or a woman is photographing you?
L.: I don’t think so. Both men and women can create images that match my aesthetic, and that’s what matters most when I decide whether or not to work with someone.
L.: No chciałabym, ale póki co nie było okazji. Mam nadzieję, że kiedyś się uda.
D.: Ogólnie na początku związku uznaliśmy, że nie będziemy się ograniczać w tym, co chcemy artystycznie robić czy sobie wmawiać, że coś jest złe, tylko w razie czego dużo rozmawiać o czymś, co może któremuś z nas przeszkadza.
And would you like to photograph nudes yourself?
L.: Yes, I would—but I haven’t had the opportunity yet. I hope it’ll happen someday.
D.: At the beginning of our relationship, we decided not to limit ourselves artistically, or tell ourselves something was “wrong”—but instead, to talk things through if something ever bothered one of us.
D.: No tak, tak. Jest taka świadomość, że to inni faceci, że na nią patrzą itd. Na początku miałem z tym lekki problem, bo to rodzi jakieś myśli w głowie, ale później zdałem sobie sprawę z pewnych rzeczy i się do tego przekonałem. Przestało mi sprawiać jakieś trudności to, że ona w taki sposób pracuje i że to są fotografowie. Po prostu wiem, że nikt tam nie lata z wywieszonym językiem i nie sapie do aparatu i modelek. Wiem też, że L. dobiera sobie rozważnie osoby, z którymi współpracuje.
L.:
D.: I w tej kwestii też mam do duże Niej zaufanie. Wiem, że stara się uzyskać z innych źródeł informacje na temat jakiegoś fotografa.
L.: Na przykład czy współpracował z kimś innym, kogo znam.
Right, because you were the one who had to come to terms with L. being photographed nude mostly by other men.
D.: Yeah, yeah. I was aware of that—other guys looking at her and all that. At first, it was a bit of an issue. You start getting all kinds of thoughts. But over time, I came to terms with it. It stopped bothering me that she works that way and that the photographers are men. I know no one’s there panting over the camera and drooling over the models. And I know that L. is thoughtful about who she works with.
L.: I have my work aesthetic, and I wouldn’t want to work with someone who falls outside of it.
D.: And I trust her a lot on that. I know she makes an effort to get information from others about a photographer beforehand.
L.: Like whether they’ve worked with someone I know.
L.:
D.:
L.:
And how do your friends or family react to it?
L.: My parents... it’s actually quite complicated. On one hand, they accept it, but on the other hand, there are days when my mom comes to me and says, “Delete all your photos from Instagram” or “What are you even doing?” It’s not like she’s demanding that I do it, but sometimes I think they feel like I shouldn’t be showing so much, that I should keep something for myself. But to me, that’s such an old-fashioned way of thinking. Friends also often say things like a guy should have something just for himself… which I think is a really sexist attitude, because it sounds like a woman has nothing else to offer besides her body.
D.: Or like this one guy who said something along the lines of, “I don’t get how you can accept this kind of thing—how a woman strips like that and exposes herself and even posts it on Instagram. If I had a girlfriend, I’d want her to be normal and post normal photos, but behind closed doors she could be a slut—just for me,” as he put it.
L.: I just don’t understand how someone can even talk about a woman like that…
D.:
L.:
D.: Ale Ci foty lajkuje na Instagramie.
L.: No właśnie, więc chyba jej się podoba.
Yeah, that guy really missed the mark.
D.: But it’s disturbing. First, that he immediately sexualized it, and second, that kind of mindset where no one else should even look at “their” woman, and ideally, she shouldn’t even leave the house…
L.: But back to my parents—I think they’ve come to terms with it, but they still have days when they wish I’d find a “normal” job, because they believe modeling isn’t something you can do forever. As for my sister—I’ve actually never heard her opinion on the matter.
D.: But she does like your photos on Instagram.
L.: Exactly, so I guess she must like them.
L.:
Have you ever talked about it?
L.: Sometimes it comes up in a more joking context, like about some of my photos, but I think they’re okay with it. And friends...? There are people who aren’t really into nude photography themselves, because it’s not something they’d want to do, but when it comes to me, they accept it and support me. I think overall, it’s received pretty well.
D.: Było, tak! Koledzy na początku jak zobaczyli, że np. zrobiłem bardziej rozbieraną sesję L. i wrzuciłem ja lub Ona na Instagrama, to na początku się pytali „Jak Ty tak możesz w ogóle?!” Przerażeni byli w ogóle samą myślą o tym. I to też na mnie jakoś wpływało, że „kurcze, może to rzeczywiście coś złego?”. Wiesz, też miałem jakieś wątpliwości. Ale dużo rozmawialiśmy ze sobą na ten temat i siłą rzeczy jakoś sobie to układaliśmy w głowie. Ja też bardzo potrzebowałem w tamtych momentach rozmowy właśnie odnośnie tego jak to wygląda, jak L. na to patrzy, żeby się z tym oswoić. Ale początkowo znajomi nie za bardzo do tego byli… Teraz to już wiesz – luz kompletny.
L.:
Have any friends ever asked you if you have a problem with showing nudity?
D.: Yeah, that happened! At the beginning, some of my buddies saw, for example, that I’d done a more revealing shoot with L. and posted it—or she did—and they were like, “How can you even do that?!” They were totally shocked by the idea. And it affected me too—I started wondering, “Damn, maybe this is actually wrong?” I had some doubts too. But we talked a lot about it and gradually worked through it together. I really needed those conversations to help me get used to the idea—like understanding how L. felt about it. But initially, our friends weren’t really on board. Now it’s all cool though.
L.: Yeah, they got used to it, but the beginning was rough, because we kind of dove into it quickly.
D.: No właśnie pamiętam jak znajomy do mnie podszedł i tak pokazuje to zdjęcie i mówi:
It’s a shock to people, for some reason.
D.: I remember one friend came up to me, showed me the photo, and said:
– “Have you seen this?!”
– “Yeah, I’ve seen it.”
People were really surprised at first that it didn’t bother us, but I think we had a positive influence on some of our friends in terms of getting more comfortable with the topic.
Na zmianę myślenia może?
D.:
You might have helped change some of their thinking?
D.: Maybe, but not all of them. Some of our friends still think it’s not okay.
D.: Właśnie próbowali mi to wyjaśnić, ale nie mieli zbyt dobrych argumentów.
L.: W niektórych przypadkach partnerki miały też duży wpływ na to jak ich faceci to odbierają.
D.:
Did you ask them why they feel that way?
D.: They tried to explain, but their arguments weren’t very solid.
L.: In some cases, I think their girlfriends influenced how they perceived it too.
D.: That happened too, but again—no strong arguments. Mostly just stuff like, “Well, you know, it’s your girlfriend, right? And other guys are going to see her naked?”
Well, they’ll see her, but they won’t touch her, right? ;)
D.: Exactly. I’d be like, “Okay, she’s doing a shoot at a workshop or whatever, but it’s not like the photographer walks up, gropes her, and then takes the picture.” That kind of thinking is just twisted.
D.: Być może, ale to też była pewna walka, którą musiałem ze sobą stoczyć, żeby się do tego do końca przekonać.
L.: Na początku było mu trudno.
But you know, it’s rare that someone like you doesn’t think that way.
D.: Maybe. But it was still a battle I had to fight with myself to fully come to terms with it.
L.: It was hard for him at the beginning.
L.:
D.: Ale ja bardzo szybko robiłem postępy!
L.: To prawda, ale uważam, że powinno się nabrać więcej doświadczenia zanim zacznie się robić akty.
And do you photograph other women too? And how would you, L., feel about that?
D.: I haven’t done nudes of anyone else yet.
L.: We had a more serious conversation about this. D. once asked me, “How would you feel if I started doing nude shoots with other women?” And I remember it kind of shocked me—not because of the question itself, but because he’d only just started his career as a photographer. He’d been doing it for like a month or two, and suddenly he hits me with that. Before I even got into nudes, I had to go through a long process. I was 16 when I started, and I was actually against nude photography at the time. But what do you expect—I was still too young then. It took me three years before I took my first steps into nude photography.
D.: But I made really quick progress!
L.: That’s true. But I still think you should gain more experience before starting to shoot nudes.
D.: Do you think now I could already start taking those kinds of photos?
Ohhh, watch out! Here comes the invocation of the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution!
L.: You know what? I think... the model matters a lot. I’d really want D. to find the right person for his first nude photoshoot. Someone who has already posed before and doesn’t require that much direction from the photographer, unlike a beginner. Otherwise, both he and the model could get discouraged because they won’t really know how to work together.
L.:
And how is it for you when it comes to sharing nudity with others in places like changing rooms, beaches, saunas, etc.?
L.: I think at this point I wouldn’t have a problem sunbathing at a nudist beach. I haven’t had the chance yet, but I don’t think it would bother me. As for pools or changing rooms, I don’t hide anymore. I used to. I wasn’t bold enough to undress in front of others — I’d hide behind curtains or go into a stall. Now I change clothes in front of everyone without shame. On photoshoots with other models, we also undress freely around each other.
D.:
And you? Would you sunbathe on the beach too? :)
D.: No problem at all. I’d actually be happy to, if the opportunity came up. But like I said – I never really had a big issue with nudity. I mean, I remember back in primary school, just like L. said, it was all about hiding behind curtains or whatever. But the more time you spent around other guys, it just became normal — we all have the same thing. We all have a body, and we can’t really control how it looks. Well, sure, we can gain or lose weight, but we’re shaped a certain way, and there’s nothing scary about that. So it never really bothered me to change in locker rooms or places like that. And I’m not bothered by other people’s nudity either.
L.: Tak, jak wspominaliśmy też na początku – to spłycenie nagości do pornografii. Przedmiotowe traktowanie.
D.: To, że ludzie nie potrafią rozróżnić tych dwóch rzeczy i nie wyczuwają w tym artyzmu, tylko od razu mają złe podejście, co wynika pewnie po części z tego, że dostęp do pornografii jest bardzo łatwy i powszechny. Większości osób jakoś nie przeszkadza to, że jest rzeźba rozebrana lub obrazy, na których są roznegliżowane osoby – to jest uważane za sztukę, bo jest czasem w muzeum.
What annoys you about society’s approach to nudity?
L.: As we mentioned earlier – the oversimplification of nudity, equating it with pornography. The objectification.
D.: The fact that people can’t distinguish between the two, and they don’t sense the artistic aspect in it. They just automatically assume it’s something bad. That probably comes from the fact that porn is so easily accessible and widespread. Most people aren’t bothered by a nude sculpture or paintings of undressed figures – that’s considered art because it’s in a museum.
D.: I np. chcą to zdusić w zarodku, żeby to się bardziej nie rozwijało.
L.: I to, że jak dana estetyka nie trafia do kogoś, to od razu to przekreśla totalnie i nie potrafi zrozumieć i uszanować, że komuś innemu może się właśnie podobać.
D.: My też, choć mamy tę nagość obecną na swoich zdjęciach, to nie zmuszamy nikogo do tego, by to oglądał. Wiadomo, że czasem się zaobserwuje jakiś profil, a później przewijają się z niego posty, ale je pomijasz, bo nie jesteś zainteresowany. No ale zawsze możesz sobie wyłączyć to obserwowanie, a nie musisz pisać do twórcy, żeby przestał publikować takie rzeczy albo zgłaszać jako naruszenie regulaminu, bo one się tobie nie podobają. Właśnie takie podejście ludzi jest straszne.
L.: But that’s also kind of a shallow take — like, something old is automatically art, but if someone isn’t a well-known artist and their medium is photography, and they publish on Instagram, then suddenly it’s not considered art anymore.
D.: And they try to shut it down before it can grow or evolve.
L.: And if a certain aesthetic doesn’t appeal to someone, they immediately reject it completely, without trying to understand or respect that someone else might actually like it.
D.: And even though nudity is present in our photos, we’re not forcing anyone to look at it. Sure, sometimes you follow a profile and then posts show up in your feed, but if you’re not interested, you just scroll past. You can always unfollow — you don’t have to message the creator asking them to stop posting that kind of content or report them just because you don’t like it. That kind of attitude is what’s really troubling.
L.: Wydaje mi się, że kobiece ciało uznawane jest za takie bardziej idealne – w sensie proporcje. Może łatwiej jest też ukazać kobietę niewinnie, bo ma bardziej harmonijne i subtelne kształty. Męskie ciała, zwłaszcza przyrodzenie, z jakiegoś powodu kojarzą się bardziej wulgarnie, chociaż na rzeźbach nigdy nie mieli z tym problemu. Ciężka sprawa. Wszystko zależy od tego jak nas ukształtowała kultura.
And what about ideals and the fact that female nudity tends to be more widely promoted?
L.: I feel like the female body is considered more ideal — in terms of proportions. Maybe it’s also easier to portray women as innocent, because they have softer, more harmonious shapes. Male bodies — especially genitals — for some reason tend to be perceived as more vulgar, even though classical sculptures never had a problem showing them. It’s complicated. It all depends on how we’ve been shaped by culture.
L.: Myślę, że nasze podejście jest bardzo zgodne z tym, co ten projekt reprezentuje.
D.: To też jest jakaś część nas, której nikt inny nie widzi, ale z racji tego, że tu jest taka fajna artystyczna otoczka, do tego ten wywiad, to jest to fajny sposób, żeby to pokazać…
L.: Swój punkt widzenia.
D.: No. Bardziej się uzewnętrznić z tym wszystkim. Tak jak mówiłem – miałem wcześniej z tym jakiś problem, ale chciałem sobie też postawić jakieś wyzwanie. No i L. mnie namawiała bardzo.
L.: My się wzajemnie uczymy od siebie.
D.: No, uzupełniamy się po prostu jak puzzle. :)
What motivated you to take part in this project?
L.: I think our outlook really aligns with what this project stands for.
D.: It’s also a part of us that no one else really sees, but because there’s this nice artistic context here — plus the interview — it’s a great way to express that…
L.: …Our point of view.
D.: Exactly. To open up more. Like I said — I used to struggle with this a bit, but I also wanted to challenge myself. And L. really encouraged me to do it.
L.: We learn from each other.
D.: Yeah, we complete each other like puzzle pieces. :)