Diane Arbus: Nudes

Diane Arbus is an American photographer known for her intimate black and white portraits. Based in New York, her artwork bore witness to the community of “outsiders" that lived within the city. Marginalized groups, such as trans people, performers and sex workers, would be befriended by Arbus. She aimed to photograph those who were unaccepted and unwanted in a way that was sensitive and personal. Her photography allowed them to be seen as human beings, a comfort they weren't given by mainstream society. Her modus operandi consisted of building genuine relationships with her subjects, in order to capture them at their most candid and unguarded.
And her approach was no different with her series of nudes. Typically capturing naturists at nudists camps around Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Arbus would fully immerse herself in these environments by getting naked too, thus allowing her to take photographs as a part of the crowd as opposed to an outsider. She took note of the social interactions and etiquettes amongst campers and how they differed between various camps, figuring out the rule of acceptable behavior and toeing the line between the acceptable and the taboo. The result is a series of sincere and intimate images, of which you can find your own on Artsper.