Photographing Naughty

There are many themes that a photographer can adapt into a photographic project. Most often the selected themes or rather subject matter is agreeable to most everyone. Sometimes however some themes may not be suitable for the majority.

But just because a theme that you have chosen is typically suited for a different audience does not by itself mean that you cannot adapt it to fit a more traditional style of photography without necessarily being aimed at one specific segment of the public.

For example, there are many themes that can be turned into a photography project during some festivities such as Halloween. A theme which is often approached by many adults is the naughty one.

If the photographer keeps a broader segment of the audience in mind then the project fits most tastes. There is nothing to say that for a naughty theme to be done correctly you have to show nudity. Often a suggestion is worth more from a photographic standpoint than showing too much of anything.

Keep in mind that you can also do the project that revolves around the more broader definition of the word; more "bad" than naughty. In other words; one theme would be to capture images that expand the meaning and the other would be a more adult oriented thematic purpose, albeit if done in good taste.

Again, how the project is perceived by viewers is really up to the photographer and he or she must take their intended viewers in mind when conducting it.

First a definition: "Word History: The word naughty at one time was an all-purpose word similar to bad. During the 16th century one could use naughty to mean "unhealthy, unpleasant, bad (with respect to weather), vicious (of an animal), inferior, or bad in quality" (one could say "very naughtie figes" or "naughty corrupt water"). All of these senses have disappeared, however, and naughty is now used mainly in contexts involving mischief or indecency." thefreedictionary.com

As you can see naughty is a synonym for bad, so your photos can be of people seemingly being or behaving badly; children behaving badly or doing pranks, adults being mischievous and so on and the images can be submitted to various commercial producers, yet again depending of the intended audience.

Your images should be indicative of situations where the subject appears to be doing something or behaving in a way that is considered to be "bad". Focus on pranks, practical jokes, and naughty costumes.

Do shots that capture the essence of the behavior or scenes that do the same. It is better to pose the shots rather than capturing true life events as this may render you as being callous even insensitive.

Just be sensible with your images and the way that you choose to present the theme. Do not stick to just one basic interpretation of what being naughty means.

However, If you do come upon real life situations which can be composed as part of the project then do not pass up the opportunity, but here focus on rather comical or prank like scenes and behaviors.

Do not try to fit everything into the frame. Including too many details or elements into a scene can rob the shot of its simplicity and can confuse the viewer.

Your audience is really good at capturing the essence of the scene and hinting is often better than full disclosure.