Have your feelings about being photographed at a nude beach changed over the years? — Frequently Asked Questions on True Nudists

MarkOriginal Poster

Dec 1, 2019

I know mine have. When I was in my 20's I was at a secluded beach on Lake Ontario and was laying out nude. I heard a clicking noise and looked back to see an old guy with a 35 mm camera taking pictures of me. I was furious and chased him down. I yelled at him and told him you don't take pictures of nude people without their permission. I grabbed his camera and removed the film (Yeah, it was that long ago) and pulled the film out and held it up to the sun. He is lucky I did not beat him up I was so mad. He offered to pay me to do a nude photo shoot and I refused. The thought of being photographed nude really bothered me. Fast forward a few years to 2001 and while on vacation accepted a dare from 2 couples that were staying at the same hotel as me that the women would send nude pics to Playboy Magazine and the men would send them into Playgirl. Well of all of us, mine is the only one that got accepted. They sent me a letter requesting another signed release form and saying they would pay me for it. I just moved to Florida at that time and was strapped for cash so I signed it and the photo was published in the "Real Men" section. For a couple months after it was published I would get approached by women at Haulover Beach wanting to take pictures of them. I always agreed figuring that a full frontal nude pic of me was just published in a national magazine so it was no secret what I looked like nude, and I was getting more comfortable being photographed nude. At that point I started the policy that I never refuse any women's request to take pics of me nude. Fast forward to the present. Now that everyone has a phone with a camera and a lot of people are texting? at the beach I know I have been photographed several times at the nude beach, plus having participated in 3 World Naked Bike Rides about 20,000 people have taken pics or video of me riding nude. I have found that I now enjoy being photographed nude and have reached the age that I don't care if the pics get out and take the fact that people actually want to take pics of me nude as a compliment. I now have a sign that it is OK to take pics of me that I put on my umbrella at the beach.
How have your feelings changed over the years?

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Replies

JE
Jerry
Dec 1, 2019
Yes, my attitude has changed over the years. I think it has more to do with age and as I age, I realize that what others think of me matters less to me than what it did when I was much younger.
I havent had my photos published in a national magazine, only online on a few sites. As far as I know, no one other than myself has taken any photos of me nude either, just ones I have taken of myself. When I first started posting my photos online, I made a serious effort to make sure my face wasnt shown, that no identifiable features were shown (birthmarks, tattoos, etc.), and that nothing in the background was uniquely identifiable to me. Granted, there might have been a few people who could have identified a specific combination of things in some of the photos, but then those would have been people who I would have invited to take the photos for me if I knew that they were into something like that.
More recently, I have been taking photos that show my face, and some of them I even leave the metadata (including the phone GPS location) in the photo when I post them. If someone would approach me and ask to photograph me naked, I would probably accept the offer, its just that not many people will ask an old guy to let them take his photo while hes nude.
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NO
noodengr2
Dec 2, 2019
I honestly have no objection to being photographed in the nude. Whether a candid random pic at a beach or venue or a posed one. Click away. Several tasteful nude pics of myself or others are on display in my home. Plus I have been filmed while nude and the resulting video is part of a young man's bicycle journey across the USA. That documentary has been shown on Italian Bike TV. I was even unknowingly captured on film while sunbathing nude faceup in my backyard by a low flying plane. The resulting aerial pic of my homestead hangs in my kitchen. As for changing my attitude I was a bit shyer 30 some years ago. But gave up giving a rat's ass what others might think years ago.
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AL
Al
Dec 2, 2019
I have become much more comfortable with the prospect that someone might take a nude pic of me on a beach. But in my 20s I would have reacted just like the OP did.
Age, how far along I am in my work life, my improved comfort level in who I am/have become all play a role. A nude pic just isn't that big a deal anymore.
But even now I dislike the idea of the trolls furtively taking pics without permission. It's a nuisance I wish beachgoers didn't have to put up with.
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MA
ManOfWicklow
Dec 2, 2019
If you're bothered about being photographed, stay out of public places. I have and always will take photos in public, and nobody will ever prevent me from doing so.
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MA
mako09
Dec 3, 2019
I'm of the firm belief "if you don't want to be photographed nude, then don't go nude in public or socially" even the once sacred nudist domain of the nudist resort, now everyone is walking around with a phone that has a camera on it. I remember the first time I was approached by the resort staff, while taking nude photo's of my wife and was informed cameras were not allowed in the resort. Then as I was being scolded about taking photos the managers phone rang and she answered it and I said "what were you saying about camera's?" then I said at least people can see that I'm taking photos, with a phone "nobody knows who is taking your photo?"
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BR
bradf09
Dec 3, 2019
Part of going nude is seeing and being seen regardless of some comments to the contrary. There is a need in each of us to be wanted and appreciated. That comes in different forms, pictures and teasing can be a great fun venue that way. There is a space between the person being photographed and the photographer, sometimes small but, so there is a bubble there but can still be a very fun way to enjoy or assets and have someone show how they enjoy our openness.
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ER
Eric/Reina
Dec 3, 2019
I have come to the point that I am not worried about having my photo taken while I am nude. My nude time is either in my house or in a location that nudity is expected. A nude photo of me would depict a nudist living in the nudist lifestyle.
If a photo like that was then published, without manipulation, then it would be spreading the nudist lifestyle to someone that may be curious. I am not one to beat the nudist drum. I will not be the leader of a nudist protest. I have not, yet, put myself out in an event that would be viewed by textiles ie. naked bike rides, Bay to Breakers and such. I am not beyond doing one or the other but I believe I need to finish my career first. However, if a photo was taken of me it would be while I am participating in nude activities that I would like to be accepted as normal behavior.
I am comfortable in my skin. Click away.
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RT
Reuben Titus
Dec 17, 2019
I've changed drastically. From being scared to be seen nude for many years to I don't care. And while I don't pose for pictures naked and don't want to be looked at with an intent to lust. If I get pictured somewhere while lacking clothes it won't bother me like it once would have.
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MA
ManOfWicklow
Dec 17, 2019
If you don't want to be photographed, don't be nude in public places. I have and and always will take photos wherever I wish when in public. AND, nobody will ever stop me.
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Tom === Thomas S. Tierney
Dec 20, 2019
NO! Let then snap away. Have even posed with some of them. Usually women.
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SH
ShavedNudist27
Dec 20, 2019
I'm proud to be a nudist and I always promote the nudist lifestyle. I don't mind having my picture taken.
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BO
bobbie
Dec 29, 2019
i have been to a few places around here and have been photographed and have no care in the world in a way we are all the same just some are bigger or smaller thin tall short who cares we are human and being outdoors nude is a great way to spend time and if people don't remember we DO come to this world nude and everyone loves us so do we become shy at a certain age stay nude and enjoy the short life we have
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TI
Tim
Dec 31, 2019
Back in the day with job worries and such I did care. So I stayed out of public places that allowed nudity. Then, about 20 years ago I was in Pensacola for training after 9/11. I was working 2nd shift so I spent the day on the beach swimming, nudity wasn't legal but no one cared. The job needed me more than I needed it so ever since I just don't care if someone takes a pic.
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ShavedNudist27
Jan 1, 2020
I would love to be in a Spencer Tunick photo. His body panted, group photo's are very beautiful.
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MA
MarkOriginal Poster
Jan 12, 2020
[quote]NO! Let then snap away. Have even posed with some of them. Usually women.[/quote] That happened to me many years ago. I had a full frontal nude pic of me published in Playgirl Magazine and for about a month when I went to Haulover Beach in Miami I would be approached by women asking if I was the guy in Playgirl. I would say yes and they would ask if they could get a pic of me. I always said yes
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MA
MarkOriginal Poster
Jan 12, 2020
[quote]My feelings about this have varied a bit over time, but not by much. In California, a lot of the beaches back up to a cliff. It's possible to stand at the top of the cliff and while using a telephoto lens, photograph people on the beach. There's nothing you can do about it. And, I thought, oh well. I was skinny-dipping in a lake one time -- middle of the day. I was in a small bay when a boat came into the bay. They get their video camera out (old film time; yeah, this was a couple of years ago) and started filming me while I swam around. And, again, I figured, nothing I can do about it, oh well. At this point in my life, I just don't care.[/quote] Similar thing at Haulover Beach in Miami. There are condos just North of the beach and anyone with a telephoto lens can get pics of the nude people I have walked the nude beach and saw someone in one of the condos with a large telephoto lens obviously taking pics. It did not bother me at all, as a matter of fact I am at the point where I love it when people take pics of me nude.At my age I take it as a compliment and use it as an incentive to stay in shape. So if you see me nude at the beach shoot away!
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TI
Tim
Feb 1, 2020
I would love to do that as well.
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JE
John English
Feb 24, 2020
Sound odd but whenI was younger I worried if someone would recognize me but that does not matter any more and I am open to people about being a nudists
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ME
Member
Feb 24, 2020
I have not been in an environment where someone would take a picture without asking, so I haven't thought about it much. I dont think I would like it, but I'm not sure it matters all that much. I'm just a typical male, so whatever.
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AL
Al
Feb 24, 2020
[quote]Sound odd but whenI was younger I worried if someone would recognize me but that does not matter any more and I am open to people about being a nudists[/quote] Doesn't sound odd at all. Many of us were more cautious in younger years, as hinted at in the original question. For myself, I would decline posing for a stranger who requested a pic on a nude beach but I've probably been in the background of some pics and that's OK now. When I was younger I was more concerned, might check around me to see whether there were cameras being used. .
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ST
Steve
Feb 24, 2020
No. When I student-taught at 19, the principal of the small-town school where I was called me in to reprimand me for being seen walking barefoot in the town's central park. "Unbecoming the profession..." I realized that I did not want to live with that sort of scrutiny. And then at 20 I came out as gay, and became involved in the gay liberation movement. Doing so - testifying, public speaking, and so forth - amounted to a complete surrender of privacy, which was a dangerous thing to do for a gay person in 1970. But the movement could not have begun without people willing to take that risk. And once it was done, it was done, and liberating in a way much broader than the sexuality issue. I determined at 20 to try to live one life, uncompartmented, nothing to hide. I try to be sensible about not offending or confronting people and not getting arrested. But beyond that, click away.
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JO
John
Feb 26, 2020
To be honest, I've absolutely no idea on this one.
When I first started into beach nudity in the 1980's there were very few cameras on the so the question didn't really arise.
These days there are so many phones with good cameras everywhere that I don't think we have any control whatsoever so I don't think it's worth worrying about.
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FL
flsmoothie
Feb 26, 2020
At age 65 Im nearly invisible. Even if there was a photo of me nude, dont think people would see me.
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RO
Ron
Mar 15, 2020
I have been to nude venues now for almost 30 years and when I was first in a group setting nude I really think I didn't want to be photographed individually fully nude. But I did get in some group pictures kind of in the background. As I have aged I have relaxed that attitude and have had occasion that friends have taken my photos fully nude. I have even taken up acting and on agents profile have checked the box that I would consider nude jobs. I figured who would really want a 69 year old male nude but if a job came along , why not.
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