I think these photographs are simply beautiful. The artist is Dave Levinston. Check out more of his work at his website.

The contrast between the woman’s nude figure and the natural background (a bayou in Louisiana) is striking. I can’t help but wonder how uncomfortable she must have been, wedged up against that bark. But one must suffer for art, I suppose!

About his female nudes, Levinston has this to say, “I photograph the female figure for many reasons. I believe the female body is the original aesthetic object, the source of all our ideas of what is beautiful. Therefore, the female figure provides the perfect subject matter to explore all the concerns of contemporary art, just as it has been an important subject since the beginning of art.”

Here is another photograph of his. In this one the woman goes almost unseen. But in both, I just love how the setting and the figure complement each other so well.

Which do you like better?