Heavenly Beauties

As my title to this review suggests the photos inside are not on par with the cover! this is a nice book of B&W photos of parts of the female form, some are even in focus. The majority of the models inside are thin to the point of their ribs show even when not streching. most have small breast and do not have the almost hourglass figure of the cover model. Sure there is a small precent of the models inside that are as well proportioned and pretty as the cover model, but it is a small precentage. Also in the cover shot the surroundings/landscape inhances the female form and does not that your attention elsewhere, whereas inside many of the photos the surrondings detract or even obscure the model. I am a photographer and I can appreciate most any part of the female form as the subject in a photo (although I prefer the whole more), but many of the photos here look as if taken by a high school student the frist time they ever photographed a nude model.

This book is a collection of black and white nude photography. There is some variety, though, not quite as much as I would like to. I would recommend to check it out in random order instead of sequentially. It may be a bit monotonous if done so.

One of the minus of the book is the fact that most basically every model is quite skinny. I know that the accepted standard of beauty call for thin slender women, but I think all these models are underweight, some of them severely.

Good for the money, but not great.

I have never had any issues with skylight pubication. this is no execption. Many photo feel 'real' and not staged. A very fine collection.

Pascal Baeten's "Heavenly Beauties" is a good publication on the subject of black & white photography of artistic nudes. The photos are retrospective in character to the mind's eye of the nude figure in an untarnished natural world or in some instances the nudes are placed in simplistic man made structures looking long abandoned but exhibit a strong pensive quality. The images captured here remind me of an idyllic image of the nude inhabiting a teetering world on the brooding edge of reality and illusion. This is a noteworthy publication on the nude subject.

The photos are that type that have you coming back to the book repeatedly. The lighting is above reproach and the locations are varied and well thought out. It's a great book for creative ideas on photographing women. Never crosses the line as do so many other photobooks.