I discovered the project “Nude in The Living Room” through an advertisement on Facebook.

Usually, I just delete these ads without really looking at them as yet another nuisance. It challenged me. It was different. Just the title of the project does something. Anonymous and naked, these two words side by side intrigued me. I found the concept original. There is something in the description of the project that reasoned with my love of life, my attraction for a simple and fair vision of natural things.

I was seduced by the photos, by the life they give off, and by the project. I must say that I am not very receptive to photography in general. The retouched photos that we see all the time in pubs are probably in large part the cause of this disinterest. However, I have also happened, on a very punctual basis, to see art photographs and to appreciate some of them. There are very nice things in this area but it does not attract me much. I really liked the photos from the “Purity” collection. They give off something pure, sober and extremely delicate. I was struck by the delicacy of the portrait of an old man seated, his arms around his legs, head bowed. I found this very dignified, very handsome man.

The Backstage collection touched me in a different way. It is darker, sharper. It gives me the impression of a great elegance, a little wild. It captures something that requires a stop and makes you want to discover, understand, feel this very special atmosphere. As I look through these photos, I like to see these very different people. If sometimes the poses can be similar, the bodies are unique. I love their diversity. Everyone has their own personality. Idan brought out the beauty.

Curious by nature, I like to experiment with new things. It’s a character trait that has grown over time. Recently, I had a few difficult times that left me exhausted. I drew from it a need to discover deeper, more compelling. It’s a feeling somewhere between hunger for discovery and gluttony. I signed up, a bit on a whim, without really knowing what I was looking for or even if I was looking for something. I was probably looking to do something unique. I was in a very special state of mind. Every new thing that I could experience, discover, learn or realize was a bit like going on a treasure hunt. I always have this pleasure. It is less imperative but the prospect of something new remains a great joy for me.

Connecting to my body has never been a priority for me. For a long time, I paid absolutely no attention to my appearance. The way I was dressed didn’t interest me at all. As long as my clothes were comfortable, it suited me. I started to pay a little more attention to the way I am dressed when I started my profession of accountant where my dress could have a certain importance vis-à-vis the customers.

At that time, I met a woman the age of my parents, a manager. I was struck by its elegance. Time had passed well on her but she had something in her appearance, in her support and her clothes which made her very beautiful. I wanted to release something too. I am not shy, nudity does not bother me. I may have been a little when I was a teenager but it happened. I lived for a while with people, mostly men, for whom it didn’t matter. However, I often come across people who are. In general, I take care to respect their modesty. However, I sometimes forget and open the half-clothed door when a friend comes to visit me and I’m not ready, or change myself in front of everyone after sport by failing to do it discreetly. Seeing me in underwear sometimes surprises my male partners.

A few years ago, I did fencing. Before that, there was no question of me doing any sport. I did five years of fencing. At that time, my body changed a lot. My muscles developed, I started to move more fluidly. I felt my body transform deeply. I forgot that feeling a bit when I stopped playing this sport. I went from a very dynamic job in commerce to an office job. I had a contraceptive implant put on me that made me gain a lot of weight. I exceeded 75 kg for 1m60. I started to have health problems. Then, overwhelmed by events, I decided to lose weight. It was a way to take control of my life. When my relationship to my body was reduced to overweight and severe headaches, I again felt that it could be different. I wanted to practice a new sport. I had changed a lot and fencing no longer appealed to me. I wanted something new. Two years ago, I decided to practice a martial art. I have wanted to for a long time. I tried kali eskrima (Filipino martial art which is practiced mainly with sticks) and I found myself practicing this sport and chanbara (Japanese fencing which is practiced with foam sabers). These are two practices that shape both the body and the mind. These are not just sports. They are also the arts of living to which deep values ​​of self-respect and respect for others are attached. The practice of martial arts has changed my relationship with my body, my way of holding myself, of feeling it. My muscles have grown again. My body changed shape. It has become more harmonious and more comfortable. My attention, thinking and coordination skills have been refined. I became less clumsy, more precise, faster, more lively, more relaxed, more serene. I felt more comfortable there.

In this context, posing for the project “nude in the living room” seemed to me to be a chance to see my body in an even different way, this time in a visual dimension. This experience allowed me to become aware of the external aspect of my body no longer in my posture, my movements and my musculature but in a physical beauty that I have always neglected. I wanted to see myself beautiful.

I was very excited to have this experience. I didn’t want to wait. I have spoken to very few people around me. It wasn’t shame, embarrassment, or anything like that. It was rather to spare me reflections like “You’re not going to do that?”, “Are you not afraid?”, Etc … These are reactions that I have aroused more than once for all kinds of things that I have undertaken such as changing jobs or jobs, traveling alone, cutting my hair or adopting a cat. So no, I was not afraid to experiment. The opinion of those around me did not prevent me from doing what I wanted. This type of thinking is boring and I got into the habit of doing what I wanted by only telling certain people very close to me. Unfortunately, the nude photo is associated with pornography, which is a great shame because the bodies have a simple beauty that is worth remembering. The curious thing is that nobody ever asked me that kind of question when I made an appointment with an osteopath for the first time, when we are there in underwear and that ” in addition, the osteopath touches his patients. The people I talked to about it had the expected reaction, which in no way affected my enthusiasm. I had taken the time to visit the site and the project seemed serious to me. This experience had become very important to me. I felt it would bring me something. I think new experiences are growing. I think there was an intimate need there that I wanted to fulfill.

I took the time to look at the photos on display at the studio. They were really beautiful, drawn in large format and displayed on the walls! I don’t like digital. There is nothing like a work of art physically exhibited in a place and under conditions that enhance it. This is how it acquires all its power and makes it the most beautiful. Watching these photos under these conditions was soothing. I didn’t need a new motivation.

It was a little strange to come out naked from behind the fitting room but I quickly forgot this feeling. It was all natural and I didn’t pay attention to it any longer. Asking was very strange at first. I had forgotten a bit that I don’t like to pose for photos at all, whether it’s group photos, friends, family or alone. In general, I avoid doing this. I was uncomfortable to pose, to take positions which were not at all natural, sometimes a little uncomfortable. I had the reflex to freeze at each pose. Smiling when asked to smile is unthinkable. For me, it can only be spontaneous. It’s something I do naturally. I am unable to pretend to smile. Then it happened. I relaxed and it became fun. The time of the pose passed very quickly. I forgot the pose side and had a wonderful time. It was so natural for me to be naked that it seemed strange to get dressed. It was a bit like closing something.

I was fascinated to discover the photos. I’m not sure what I expected. Some really looked like me, as I saw myself in a mirror. I recognized my features, my body, my way of holding myself. Idan was able to grasp expressions and attitudes that are me, small natural and spontaneous expressions that belong only to me. Others are more surprising, magnificent. I didn’t know I could look like this. When I discovered them, I knew that they were photos of me, but of a totally foreign, different, almost another, very beautiful self. I wanted to take a print for myself. Digital never has the same effect as reality. It would have seemed strange to me to take this step and not leave with a photo. I knew that a digital photo would never leave my computer and that it would be forgotten in a folder without my touching it.

The choice was difficult. There were several that I liked very much. I was fascinated to see Idan sort them out. I could not have made a choice alone. I think we probably spent more time on this selection for me. In the end, three stayed. I couldn’t decide between them. They were all very beautiful and all different. At first, I didn’t want to hang them at home, just have them, as a kind of proof that I could also be this beautiful woman. I found it strange to hang pictures of me at home, and especially pictures of me naked. I don’t know why this shyness was holding me back. After all, it was really something special. I think it stirred me a lot.

It was a truly wonderful, surprising experience. It was another way of taking care of myself and above all another way of seeing myself. It is a very personal process. The photos that were taken, the one that joined the project and the two others that I chose, are works of art, which makes them really special in themselves. I am very happy to be part of this artistic project. In a much more intimate way, they allow me to realize that my body is beautiful, that it is not limited to physical sensations. They send me back an image of my femininity that I really like. These photos are, in addition to their nature of work of art, another vision of me, of what I was at this particular moment, a vision that I could expose at home, keep for myself or transmit, be. Receiving them by email was a nice moment. When I read the object “Your photograph is ready”, I thought “already? “And I was very excited. I couldn’t wait, I immediately opened the photos. I can’t find a word to describe the feeling I had when I rediscovered them. I was looking forward to receiving them. They are even more beautiful than in my memory. I’m really happy with what they mean to me. They show me a bright part of me that I didn’t know. This experience completed something for me. A piece in my perception of me has been put in place and brings me a new harmony. They show me what I have become after an intense period of profound changes in my life. I think I will retry the experience one day. I will no doubt do so when a new period of great change occurs. I may also do it earlier, just for the sake of beauty.

I discovered Idan and his project “Un Anonyme Nu Dans Le Salon” quite by chance, on social networks in early 2019.

Following a work done on myself a few months before, I had just discovered naturism and finally began to accept my body.

In love with nude photos (rather male), I went to see Idan’s website and fell under the spell of his work.

2019… the year of my 50th birthday, I told myself that it was the right time to embark on this adventure and sign up for a session that took place at the end of January. It was both a challenge and my birthday present.

Chance or not… After I registered, I came across a photo of a friend that had been made by Idan. This reassured me that I had registered for this session. Because I must admit that I was a little anxious about doing this session. I had never done this before… let alone naked in front of a “stranger”!

But as soon as I arrived, Idan was able to put me at ease. After our discussion, I naturally undressed behind the screen before positioning myself naked in front of him ready to follow his instructions.
Idan guided me throughout the session which allowed me to take real pleasure until I forgot my nudity!

The moment of the selection was very difficult… on the one hand by the fact of discovering myself naked in the photo and on the other hand by the large number of pictures all more beautiful the ones than the others. But once again, Idan knew how to accompany me to make these choices.

To date, I have unfortunately not yet been able to attend an exhibition and have never shown my photos to other people. It was a bit my secret garden.

Very recently, more than a year after I received my photos, I showed them to a person who means a lot to me and I was surprised by his very positive reaction (as much on the project as on my nudity and the quality of the photos).

To conclude, I would just say that this session was for me a very nice experience that I would love to repeat on another collection maybe!

A big thank you to Idan, without whom I would surely never have been able to live this beautiful experience.

It is difficult for a man to pose nude in a society stamped either with prudishness or exacerbated sexuality. Nudity is the unveiling of one’s intimacy with a strong pornographic whiff for some prescriptive mentalities in society. It is trendy to blame people who pose nude.
The body I show doesn’t match the aesthetic value of Greek male beauty, even though I try to come close to it with physical exercise.
What tempted me in working with Idan is not so much that he shows super heroes with sculptural aesthetic qualities, or bodies with well-built set of muscles but rather normal bodies in which beauty can be proceed.
The photographer does not judge but is there to reveal the part of physical beauty that may be a reflection of the soul.
The sitting requires some trust, taming and benevolence. Naked bodies reveal stories, and possess marks of the life the body has had to bear and assume. That was my case just before the shooting, as I had to bear distressing days. It is most important to take time to talk with the one who will lead us before the objective.

I discovered Idan’s project by coincidence… I didn’t know him. First, the concept appealed to me: to take pictures of strangers, with no restrictions, as if it were an inventory. I liked that systematic and hazardous choice. And what’s more, to photograph them nude, it is to photograph them as they really are, with no taboos–no artful devices.

I also liked the idea of posing nude because it’s both natural (that’s what we are like) and quite “exceptional” (the public nude is restricted to specific times and places). Because it is disturbing.

When you are naked in front of a stranger who examines you from behind his lens, it weakens you. You feel vulnerable. But the paradox is that you also feel stronger. Undressing in front of somebody you do not know and with whom you do not keep emotional ties nor complicity is somewhat absurd. You strip on the sly. But once you are naked, you become a hero. You become somebody, a model, a subject. You transcend yourself. Nude is traditionally linked with art: painting, sculpture, dancing, shows, photos… Otherwise, you enter people’s privacy. When you sit nude, you belong to art. But art has nothing to do with beauty. And the anonymous model doesn’t need to be handsome to become art. I wasn’t even interested in the “beauty aspect” of the photos (and yet they are beautiful) but in that desire of his not to choose and to bet that deep inside of us, there is something that tells of our real self. A photo is not beautiful because it is aesthetical (unless aesthetics should be the only target) but because it gets close to the truth. I talked of all that (of his whole project) at length with Idan, through mails, before I made the appointment. I enjoyed the sitting.

Once you’re naked, you no longer belong to you. You exist in the other’s eyes and I was curious and eager to see that expression in those eyes. Therefore I obediently took up the postures Idan suggested. I was no longer reluctant nor embarrassed. You obediently stare motionless, at an image of you can’t perceive. You offer the photographer your intimacy, your easy-going attitude, your fragility and, in exchange, the photographer gives you his look. And that look makes you different. I could have been shameless when I posed. Maybe I would have liked to be so. The body and its secrets no longer matter, though they remain the very topic subject of the photo. What matters when you pose is the intensity of the expression of the eyes when people rest them on you. You want to expose yourself as much as possible to be captured as well as possible.

When I came in his studio, I was well aware that I was the oldest of his models and I wanted him to give an account of my withered body. I was also interested to see how Idan would react before that waning body as so far, he had only photographed young models. While I was sitting, I quickly understood that he would not attempt to tone down or to conceal my wrinkles with the device of the light. And that he attempted to grasp my real self. The emotion lies in that truth he managed to find. I loved the photo he chose at once. I like the contrast between my severe look and my relaxed body. When I look at it, I feel again the very emotion I felt when I was posing before him. It was magic and I won’t forget…

Every year for 4 years at the time of my birthday, I have a stroke of madness! Purchase of a motorcycle, piercing, etc. This year, I couldn’t find … And then one rainy weekend day, I am looking on the net for a nice exhibition in Paris and I come across the exhibition of Nude in the Living room  which intrigues me greatly. I discover that this photographer lives in Paris and is looking for models… I start to think: what if people at work find out? and my family? STOP! A stroke of madness, do not think!

And then there is a real project behind. And then those who find fault do not have the courage to do it … Come on hop, I send an email for information.

Little by little, I find myself facing the photographer who seeks to know my motivations, my complexes, my personality during a completely informal interview.

At the time of undressing, I am strangely comfortable. In front of the red background and Idan who regulates the lighting, I am relaxed but I have no idea of the poses I am going to do. I wonder how I look naked there in a studio.  As time goes by, the smile becomes more natural, we discuss while “working”. I fully trust Idan who guides me in the gestures and facial expression to adopt. I remember perfectly a cigarette pose while I was still naked in front of the red background, an unexpected pose to allow the camera to cool down.

Memorable!

The hardest part was watching the photos appear on the screen after the shoot was over. I’m no longer naked but I’m discovering myself as I was 5 minutes ago.It was difficult for a few moments, until we start sorting, and once the photographs which do not correspond to me aside, return to the relaxation!

A few weeks later, on my birthday, I receive a message telling me that my photo has been published. I’m on a friend’s weekend in Grenoble and we connect together to find out which photograph has been chosen. I’m thrilled, and my friend is in awe, and I’m sending the link to several trusted friends. Since March, I have been announcing it to more and more people, even at work! The pose is not exhibitionist but is still rock’n’roll and fits me perfectly. Too proud, I bought the photo in memory of this stroke of madness. And around me it’s always the same reaction: admiration, the desire to do it too but no one has crossed the line … yet!

First, a presentation is essential. I am 46 years old, I’m a father of a 14 year old boy and freshly divorced at the time of my participation in the project. I live in Seine et Marne and I work in mass distribution, as an administrative framework. Physically, I think I look like everyone else. Finally, that’s what I think, because the reality is totally different. I don’t like my body. I am tall, round with shapes, especially in the abdomen. In fact, I don’t like my body from the shoulders to the thighs. Apart from this part, it’s okay !!! Sexually, I have long considered myself straight. In fact, I wanted to be straight to set up a mold and do like everyone else. And then, during my marriage, I realized that my universe was rather turned towards the man and the masculine. I lied to myself thinking that I had better accept myself surrounded by men. As if being in the company of men could reassure me about my own body. Because the problem came from my body. My personal life at the time was punctuated by heterosexual pretenses and a gay reality. I would have liked to be gaunt like all these stadium gods and at the same time, I tried to reassure myself on my own body by dating men. I am quite modest in front of women, and paradoxically I can be completely liberated in the presence of one or more men, when there is a sexual objective at the end. All this was before my divorce (which I did not provoke, but which imposed itself on me)

For 3 or 4 years, in light of what I have just said, I began to look for a photographer who will agree to take my naked photo and especially someone who would manage to sublimate this body that I did not like. To try to make something of it !!! Either artistic nude, or close-ups of my body, but always with the idea that: YES, even I have a body that can make you dream or fantasize.

One day, hanging out on facebook, I came across Idan’s publication about his project “nude in my living room”.

It was a real eye opener for me. Idan’s project is really what I was looking for. Highlight strangers, “normal” people, with faces, physics of everyone. I found the “purity” project, very pretty and some photos really touched me. The overexposure of the bodies makes the contours soft and the vision of the naked body is totally different from what I could imagine from a nude photo. There were men like me, and they were handsome. It was magic for me, and I had never seen such a project. The more I looked at the photos, the more I told myself that I was going to be able to realize my dream. But suddenly, reality came back to me. It was going to be necessary that, me Fabien, I put myself naked in front of a stranger for something other than sex. It was a real problem for me. How was I going to react? In the end, why do it? I’m ugly, so no interest for Idan. I don’t like myself, so the rendering will be like me: ugly.

And yet, I did violence to myself. I signed up saying it was now. I hesitated, but not long: 1 hour maximum. It was for me. I made an appointment very far back in time (again, we don’t change either). One day when I knew I would be alone, without excuse to cancel or postpone. It was a Saturday afternoon in August 2019. I remember very well the weather outside (it was very hot) and the state of mind in which I was: a mixture of excitement and anxiety , but with a touch of envy. I had absolutely no idea how the session was going to go, I imagined a huge white studio everywhere. I didn’t know it yet, but this session was going to be a real therapy for me.

I arrive in front of this big white building, full of accommodation. I tell myself, like this quickly, this thing is shady. How can there be in this building, THE studio that I imagined? I ring, the doors open and Idan comes to greet me in his studio which looks strangely like an apartment in fact. I wait a few minutes while waiting for Idan to come get me. Pictures from the “Purity” collection are hung on the wall. Curiously, I no longer have any apprehension about the place, when it does not at all resemble my imagination. Idan picks me up and invites me into HIS studio. And there it is a little shock: a dark, intimate room, with a sofa, a desk, a fitting room, 2 huge photographer’s spots in front of a white wall. Wall made of a large roll of paper unrolled from ceiling to floor. I find the space between the wall and the spots quite small. This is the place.

Idan invites me to sit in front of his desk and offers me a drink. I accept, because my throat is very dry. And as indicated on his website, Idan begins explaining the session, asking me questions about my motivations, what I am, who I am. I answer all his questions, without evasion. No intimate questions, it’s rather me who addresses these questions: my private life, my relationship to my body. Then comes the fateful moment when Idan invites me to go behind the fitting room where I have to undress. 

In fact, by removing my clothes one by one, I do not ask myself too many questions, except technical questions: how I put my stuff: on the floor, on the hook on the wall ??? Frivolous questions, but questions nonetheless. On the other hand, once naked, the question of death: what am I doing now. So I come out of the screen, I’m afraid, I go ahead and try to hide my privacy with my hand.

Idan invites me to position myself on the white wall, he begins his instructions on the poses, and from this precise moment, my body no longer matters to me. I’m focused on his instructions and nothing else. I don’t ask myself any questions about, how I am, is my sex visible or not, what I look like there, naked in front of a stranger in sometimes improbable positions. NO nothing, no more discomfort. It’s like I’m dressed, like I’m not naked. Upon reflection, I am quite surprised at myself by this lightness and the way I had to pose.

I have no idea how long the session will be. At no time did I think of the poses taken. At no time did I say to Idan: No, really not like that, it’s too much. He is professional and knew perfectly what I was physically able to do, without having to worry about my appearance.

Session ended: Already !!!!

Passing behind the fitting room, I sit in front of the desk and the sequence of the choice of photo begins. Idan explains to me how to do it and we start the choice. The photos are scrolling, and I see myself naked for the first time on a computer screen. There were no less than 200 photos I think. I feel good. Do I look beautiful? Yes on some yes. Because the angle is better, because the overexposure is better. I manage to make a positive judgment on photos showing this body, my body, which I do not like. I even manage to make a choice by saying: this one is better than this one. Exit the sentence: “this one is less worse than the other”. I can find something positive in Idan’s work. I have no further questions at this time. I am driven by the madness of the choice of the photo. We agreed on the photo which will be put online. It was only then that I realized that anyone would be able to see me physically naked. Of course I knew that when I came, and Idan explained it to me. But until now, I was thinking about myself, my body, my nudity. At the time of the final choice, I realized that my naked body was going to be exposed.

Friends, my family, my co-workers, could see me naked. But it was a nude that I had chosen. An artistic nude. Not a twitter nude…. No, a handsome thing, a pretty good guy in fact. ME.

I was on a cloud, I was well and reassured. I was especially proud of myself and also of Idan’s work !!!

I have kept this experience for me for a long time. No one around me knows. Except one: my new companion. I showed her the photos I had acquired. We discussed it together and she found the project very interesting. Because yes, this project has largely contributed to the fact that I assume what I am.

I changed how I see myself, so I changed what other people’s minds could imagine. It’s complicated as a sentence… !!!! I am no longer afraid of my body. I don’t necessarily like it anymore, but I accept it as it is. The next step will be for me to talk about it freely to my friends and colleagues. It’s possible in the very near future…

I regularly follow Idan’s work and project, and I really want to reschedule a session on a “free” or “paid” project. I want to enjoy and see myself differently, and I’m ready to show more. I am delighted with this experience.

This photo session fulfilled its primary mission: to make me accept my body.

One day, my daughter showed me “Who’s That Nude in the Living Room”’s website and told me about the concept: posing nude without any artifices and without having the picture being touched up.

For me it was obvious, I had to do it!

Being a woman of a certain age, or rather being a woman who already turned a certain age, I wanted to show what others are seeking to hide: the marks of time…

In an age focused on beauty, falsehood, the ideal and the glory of youth, I decided to display something else! I do not regret posing for Idan and I’m not ashamed of it. I would advise those who might resent getting older to be daring! Uncover yourself! Pose for Idan and his project!

I like Idan Wizen’s concept: Showing how beautiful the human body with all its imperfections is. My desire to take part in this project was aroused through exhibitions. I was there at the first two, and bought two pictures to ornate my home. Watching them constantly increased my desire to pose and perhaps to have my picture touching a secret female admire. Being of a shy nature, it took me 6 months before I made up my mind to step in! But, The curiosity and the desire of a new experience were stronger.
Posing for a professional photographer is something rare, and my career in Adam’s suit was short.
The stress quickly goes off: Idan is a gentle professional who put people at ease. He enables you to show your real nature and to enjoy being photographed in different postures. The final result is quite lovely even if you generally dislike seeing yourself in a picture, in a video or elsewhere. Assessment: A unique experience, a photo worth to keep and to show to your grandchildren and… a new collection to start. Just do it!

I am an amateur photographer and I have long wanted to take nude photos…However, I am a very modest person and I have a lot of scruples about nudity; whether it was mine or that of others… But the desire to experience the model prevailed and I decided to come and pose for Un Anonyme Nu Dans Le Salon, ignoring my modesty and going beyond in order to understand and learn from this photographic experience.

The hardest part was registering on the site, but once the email was sent, it was a form of relief that set in. Having already seen other photographs, and finding the project magnificent, I did not regret a single moment.

As for the photo session, everything was simple: as soon as I met the photographer, many of my apprehensions disappeared; He explained to me the course of the session, answered my questions. What surprised me the most was the total absence of judgment and comments on his part, he is totally neutral and that made things much easier for me. Thanks to the photographer, I managed to feel like me… really me. A real feeling of freedom during the photo shoot, following the photographer’s requests quickly became natural.

In the end I will not have chosen the same image as the photographer but I preferred to let him choose, the vision of the other being for me very important in this process, to go to the end. This experience is added to the others and participates in making me who I am.

I showed the photo to several of my acquaintances, many of them found it very beautiful. I will buy my photograph. However, I did not try to convince anyone to pose, I explained to people my approach and I let everyone decide.

Thanks Idan.