Who would have thought? Although the shorter days, and lower-angled sunlight, does present a challenge to maintaining that fading summer's glow.
[description: a nude figure lays out in faded, evening sunlight]
I realized something. And this is something you've probably already figured out, but...I've been worrying over the fact that I still have so many outdoor/nice weather shoots to post, even though the summer ended months ago. And yet, here I am, on a dry, seventy degree day in November - a bit cooler than those ninety degree days we had in October, but certainly warm enough to do yard work in the nude - enjoying the weather outdoors, and taking pictures of myself while doing so.
Because, you see, the truth is, when I'm cold and bundled up indoors, I'm less inspired to get up and create nude art. But when I have a chance to get outdoors naked, I feel like documenting it in some way. It's not like I don't think indoor nudes are interesting, but something about getting naked outside really gets me going. Maybe it's because I've spent so much time inside naked, and the outside thing is still novel to me.
After all, it's only been in the last year that I've had a regular (sort of) opportunity to go outside naked. And though I've spent a lot of time doing that at nudist resorts over the last eight years or so, that's a context in which I'm not allowed to pull out my camera. So maybe that's it. In any case, I predict I'll continue posting outdoor nudes - just maybe less of them, as the weather gets progressively colder - through the winter, even when it starts snowing.
[description: animated gif image of a man raking leaves in the nude]
I took this photo for comparison. I don't want to say there isn't a reason for it - protection from the elements, which is maybe more important the older and frailer you get, or an old-world mentality where baring skin is still considered scandalous (although, on the other hand, I do know some pretty old people who are deeply entrenched in the nudist lifestyle) - but I have to admit the contrast is striking, when my rather older neighbors come out to do yard work bundled up in their jackets and long pants, on a mild day that I think is perfect to enjoy some out-of-season nudism. Then again, I recall seeing them in long sleeves throughout the summer, too. I guess it just goes to show that it's all a matter of preference.
[description: series of selfies laying out nude on a cot as the sunlight wanes]
It's a testament to how much my life has changed in the last ten years, since I did my original Daily Nudes project. Then I was hiding in the shadows, sneaking around the house late at night. Now I'm basking in full daylight. My life's not perfect, and there are still things that could be improved, but I've come to believe that what Mick Jagger once sang is true - you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find...you get what you need. Of course, it probably helps that with age comes wisdom and opportunity - getting to know yourself well enough to know what you want, and having the confidence (and authority - which is doubly hard to come by when you're a minor, and you're living under somebody else's roof) to take it, without needing the approval of others first.
"I'm not searching for a reason to enjoy myself.
Seems it's better done than argued with somebody else."
- The Yardbirds
