Light, shadow and skin

COURTESY PHOTOS/KENNETH WAJDA Model Lauren showcases a starting pose that helps subjects relax in front of the camera for Kenneth Wajda.

Westcliffe photographer making name with his artistic-nude portraits

By TRACY HARMON
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

WESTCLIFFE - Kenneth Wajda is making a name for himself as an artistic-nude photographer whose compositions go beyond the cookie-cutter boudoir photos other shutterbugs are cranking out.

As a result, his subjects - all women, so far - are traveling to Westcliffe from as far away as Arizona, California and Illinois to have a session with Wajda.

"I often cannot believe that a person is unable to find a qualified photographer in a city the size of Chicago or Philadelphia, but time and time again, they tell me that there isn't anyone working with an artful style like my work," Wajda said. "They say it is worth the trip for something they are going to do once in their lives."

Even women who come from as nearby as Denver or Colorado Springs are getting a glimpse of one of Colorado's best-kept secrets in this scenic rural community.

In this self-portrait, Wajda is wielding his favorite camera.

For Wajda, the photo sessions are a chance to be creative with light and shadow on the human skin and nothing more. He moved to Westcliffe five years ago with his fellow photographer and wife, Mary O'Connor, from Trenton, N.J., where both worked for the Trenton Times.

"I always wanted to take my time, set up lights, create and mold the pictures. It made it easy to get those jobs - mostly lifestyle photos - that no one else wanted to do," Wajda recalls of his newspaper days.

As a result of going the extra mile with his photographs, one year he won all three awards in the feature photo category of the New Jersey Press Association's annual contest. One of his favorite things to do is morph photos together in Photoshop like the image he created to go with a story on "Astronomy Gifts for Christmas" - it features a silhouetted man gazing at the sky with binoculars and a separate shot of the moon nestled in a purple sky among glittering stars.

When he moved to Colorado, he and Mary both entered a photo contest at Fremont Center for the Arts in Canon City. Mary won first-place honors, and Wajda got second and third.

"Afterward I wrote a story (for his Canon Beat newsletter) commenting on where were the nudes? So I put a link on my photo site for nude photography and the first woman to contact me wanted pictures for her husband who was stationed in Afghanistan.

"So she got her pictures and I got my first portfolio," Wajda said.

Since then, he has developed an artistic style for nudes that brings him an average of one or two customers a week, many who are looking for unique gifts for holidays such as Christmas or Valentine's Day or for their husbands who are stationed overseas.

The secret to Wajda's artistic photos is simple. His subjects don't look at the camera - and there are no pouty-lipped, come-hither stares. He skips the vampy poses and feathered boas that other photographers seem to find essential. "The images are very much light and shadow - light is what makes the greatest photographs. We are not trying to be alluring, instead we are trying to make very natural photographs," Wajda said.

Wajda's subjects have ranged in age from their 20s to their 50s and have had varying body types.

"I try to work with positives and I encourage people of all sizes if they want to do it. There is an element, for me, that people in their daily life can approach this - you are who you are.

Wajda's photo compositions are a study of light and shadow.

"I think people leave these sessions saying it was an empowering thing, a great reinforcement that does a lot for their self-esteem. So many women have had their self-esteem lowered from those airbrushed supermarket magazine photo images," Wajda said.

For optimum results with the very sensitive images, Wajda signs away complete rights to the photos for each subject, so they know their privacy is preserved. He also has a specific protocol he follows with each woman.

"I take the pictures in a safe place, a warm environment in my tiny little studio. I always encourage them they can bring someone with them and I never touch anyone - I give all verbal instruction on poses," Wajda said.

The artistic nude photo sessions each result in about 200 to 225 images, which customers can view during the shoot and then usually end up picking about 20 favorites, Wajda said.

Although the sessions have yet to draw any male subjects, Wajda said he has had inquiries from couples who are willing to try the adventure together.

For Wajda, it's all about sharing his love for creativity. When he's not doing photo sessions, he designs Web pages, works on his Canon Beat newsletter, writes screenplays and shoots digital movies that he said are simple stories of people.

For information, log onto www.ArtisticNudeGift.com  or call the studio at (719) 783-9283.

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