The Golden Fluffies 2008

The Fluffytek Photographic Nude Blog Awards 2008

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Welcome dear friends to our third and final Golden Fluffies Awards, given to the best photographic nude blogs in the world.

Well, what a year it’s been! There have been some utterly fantastic images on the blogs this year, and some superlative writing. The winners of this year’s awards have dedicated literally many hundreds of hours to blogging, to presenting the very best nude photographs, analyses, stories, interviews and sharing their lives and their work with thousands of readers.

We extend our thanks to last year’s winners who have all done a wonderful job of carrying the bloggie torch for a whole year, and we extend our appreciation to all the other photographers, models and writers who have given up so much of their lives in the pursuit of their art. Your blogs are collections of your finest work, as well as reflections of your artistic journeys. Your creativity enriches the lives of all those who visit your blogs on a daily basis and so we celebrate your achievements today and we thank you for your daily efforts! Long may your art continue!

O.K. Enough of the mushy stuff. That’s not what you wanna read about…you want results! So without further ado, let’s get down to business.

…Drum Roll…

…Here we go…

Award for best Overall Photographic Nude Blog

This is the main award for the Best Photographic Nude Blog including all styles of photographic nudes. The clear winner this year is

Pretty Girl Shooter

Jimmy D is a photographer who not only thinks in terms of light, but lives and breathes it too. Both Rich and I believe that this particular artist has done more to teach nude photographers how to improve their lighting and photographic skills than any other blog out there. Not only is he a talented photographer, but he is also a delightfully witty writer who regularly enlightens readers with tips on how better their art (sorry, Jimmy I mean craft), as well as examining the philosophy behind nude and glamour photography.

Arise Sir Jimmy! (Readers note that Jimmy plans a DVD and workshops for the future.)

Brazilian Model by Jimmy D

Special kudos to last year’s winner Figures of Grace which remains a top-notch art-nude blog. Additional thanks to BT Charles, Hotel Room Nudes, Aeric Meredith-Goujon, Stacey Leigh and DVS, who all create wonderfully unique blogs with superb photography!

Award for Best Fine-Art Nude Blog

For the second year running, the winner is

Magic Flute Fine Art Nudes.

Stephen Haynes is a highly talented photographer who demonstrates a mastery of the fine-art nude photographic genre. He devotes a significant part of each day to not only sharing his photographic thoughts, but also bringing us fascinating articles on fine-art nude photography. I don’t think he’s missed a single day’s blogging for the entire of 2008 (with the exception perhaps of Christmas week!) This is an incredible feat, and truly this man is one of the world’s most devoted photographic bloggers! Thank you Stephen, for sharing your life and your photographic art.

Abigail in The Box By Stephen Haynes

(We also recommend you visit this blog for an in-depth analysis of the new section 2257 requirements which will apply to all nude photographers in the U.S. Click here to learn more.)

We also encourage readers to visit our other favourite fine-art-nude blogs, Exposed for the Shadows, Figures of Grace, Terrell Neasley, Implications and Experience, So Many Stars, Speaking Truth, Newcastle Art Nudes and newcomers In Between The Moments and Michael V.

Best Model Blog

Our congratulations go to Lela Rae

2008 was the year that model Lela Rae really came into her own. She was photographed by some of the world's best photographers, and developed a (well earned) reputation as one of the best photographic art models in the States, as well as being a sensitive and deeply passionate writer and musician. If you want to experience some incredible photography and learn more about this wonderful lady, then we highly recommend you visit her blog.

Lela Rae By Iksodas

Thanks also to our other favourite model blogs: Simply Nude (alas, now a private blog), An American Model in London, Naked Postcards, Katy T, Naked Philosophy, London Andrews, Complex Simplicity and the deeply fascinating Museworthy (not strictly a photographic blog, but wonderful writing.)

Best Glamour Blog

Young, Rich, Gifted and Beautiful is this year's winner.

Scott Church is a fantastic photographer. Although he experiments in different types of nude photography, his glamour work is truly stellar, and his daily blog is a very useful resource for aspiring photographers with advice on photography, marketing, online videos, and of course some very cool glamour photography. Scott also offers regular workshops and has recently published a new book of male nudes.

Brave By Scott Church

Many thanks to last year’s winner Pretty Girl Shooter, and kudos to Boudoir Photographer (welcome back Will!) and interesting newcomer Studio Marcotte.

Best Photographic Style

This award goes to the nude photographer who has a unique style and elegance, an atmosphere, a way of capturing the essence of woman in such a way that she appears utterly perfect:

Chip Willis

Chip has that gift for capturing unattainable beauty. His images are incredible. The man is a genius, and if we had our way, he’d be published in Vogue every month (We did write to them about you, honest Chip!)

Kate By Chip Willis (clothes by Chi Chi & The Greek)

Many thanks to last year’s winner Iksodas, and to very cool photographers James M Graham and Wolf189. These guys are all top-notch photographers who are the best in their genres. Each has an individual talent for expressing both style and mood through photography and we urge you to check out their blogs. Guys, you’ll never know how hard it was to choose between you this year.

Best Writer of the Year

Our congratulations go to What We Saw Today

Easily the best photographic writing we have encountered this year, we would like to thank model Unbearable Lightness (also a professional writer) and talented photographer Joe Crachiola for sharing their thoughts and wisdom with us on a daily basis. Click here for our favourite post of the year.

If you want to experience some beautiful photography, read about the meaning of life, photographic philosophy and learn more about yourselves and what makes you tick as artists, then this is THE place to visit every day. This award is richly deserved.

Unbearable Lightness and Lea Dodson By Joseph Crachiola

Additional kudos goes to (Not Only) Hotel Room Nudes which remains forever enlightening and fascinating.

Best Online Photographic Art Magazine

Univers d’Artistes is a unique and beautiful blog.

Chris St James has devoted thousands of hours into producing the finest collection of photographic fine art nudes on the planet. This innovative blog features in depth interviews, features, exhibitions and articles of the world’s best nude photographers, models and writers. It is more than a mere blog, it is a world in itself. You can immerse yourself in its daily delights and come out feeling enriched, after having experienced some truly breathtaking art.

Well done Chris! You are the best at what you do. Your courage, hard work and dedication are deeply appreciated.

Special thanks also go to Art Nudes, World of the Nude Art Photography, Fine Nudes, A Flower A Day and CU-CU who also provide some wonderful collections of the finest nude photography.

Best New Nude Photographic Blog

There were a great many new nude photographic blogs started this year. Hundreds in fact, so please forgive us if we didn’t mention you above. However, as the saying goes, the cream always rises to the top, and this year’s clear winner is

Speaking Truth

Dave Swanson of Shadowcape Studio is one of our favourite bloggers, as well as a superlative fine-art photographic artist. His composition is nigh-perfect, and you can certainly learn a great deal from studying his images. Universally adored by the models with whom he works, he is also a talented and voracious blogger, often posting multiple times every day. Dave has a gift for complete honesty as well as a wonderful sense of humour. Rich is frequently wowed by his photography, and I can’t imagine not reading his insightful thoughts on a daily basis. If you don’t put his blog on your daily blog roll, then you are missing a real treat.

Erin, "Tangle" by Dave Swanson of Shadowscape Studio

Best Blog Image Of The Year

Rich’s clear favourite was from An American Model in London blog. He thought the following photograph was stunning:

E-String by Danny Bourne

Lin thought this image by the talented Dave Levingston of Exposed for the Shadows was perfection:

Sheba Of The Mountains by Dave Levingston

And finally…saving the best for last:

The Photographic Blog Special Achievement Award

This award is given for a lifelong contribution to the nude photographic world. Very deservedly, this goes to the very first nude Blog which started it all: Michael Barnes’

Art Nudes

Thank you Michael for your lifelong dedication to nude photographic art. You created the original nude blog, and yours is still the biggest and most successful in the world! It is you who founded our little art-nude bloggie community. Without you, none of this would be possible.

___________________________________

Please note that all images are the copyright of the relevant artists and were posted on their blogs this year.

Addendum:

Lastly, it is with deep regret that we must announce that these are the final Golden Fluffies. Why are these our final awards, you are no doubt asking? Well the reasons are twofold: Not only has there been recent U.K. legislation introduced which will govern what images we can feature, but also there has been an astonishing growth in the number of nude photographic blogs which have started up. Now don’t get us wrong, this is a fantastic thing! But with hundreds, nay thousands of nude photographers now happily blogging away, it is simply beyond the scope of two people to read each of these blogs on a daily basis. The photographic nude blogosphere is simply too darn big. We’ll crack up! So…time to contract our world a little. Rest assured we will still keep reading and commenting on our favourite blogs, and darn it (pause for emotional moment) we’re gonna miss these awards…sniff…

Anyhoo, we thank each and every one of you for all your hard work and dedication, and we wish you all the very best of luck for the future.

And don’t forget to keep on blogging…

Blogging will change the world. Yep, we really believe that!

Lin and Rich
Fluffytek

The Golden Fluffies 2007

The Fluffytek Photographic Nude Blog Awards 2007

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Welcome readers to our favourite day of the year: The Golden Fluffies 2007 Awards, given to the finest photographic nude bloggers on the planet. (Note: this doesn’t mean the bloggers are nude – we have no clue about this – just that the photographs are of nudes.)

Well, things back here at Fluffytek HQ have been a tad frantic over the last few days. In fact Rich and I have been arguing all Christmas week, and we blame you lot. With such a wealth of amazing talent out there, it is nigh impossible to stay objective about the judging process. Indeed, we gave spent days and days re-reading all your blogs and sweating over stunning pictures of naked boobies. Gee, it’s a hard life but someone’s gotta do it.

The Golden Fluffies are our tribute to you, the artists, who give up so much time to run your fantastic blogs, who show your passion for photographic art on a daily basis. It takes dedication, perseverance and downright bloody-mindedness to regularly maintain a blog several times a week, and that’s even before shooting the outstanding photography which goes with each post. The fact that you give up so much of your free time to this art form is pretty amazing to us.

Make no bones about it, blogging is difficult. All the artists featured here have won because their words matter as much as their photographic skill. Writing is an important medium too – it reflects you, the person, just as surely as your photographs do. You are all artists not only because you want to give pleasure, but because you "have to create”, because photography is in your soul.

Art is your life, and it shows. And that is why we are honouring you all here today.

The Golden Fluffies are for you.

All images are the copyright of the relevant artists and were posted on their blogs this year.

Award for best Overall Nude Blog

This is the main award for the Best Nude Blog including all styles of photographic nudes rather than just the classic fine-art nude style. We have argued about this for ages, but finally the one outshines the many.

Dave Rudin’s Figures of Grace. As well as doing wonders for foreign tourism, the Mr Darcy of the photographic world shoots amazing nudes. We particularly like the portrait styles. It’s in the eyes. All in the eyes. Plus his writing’s terrific too.

Sarah Ellis by Dave Rudin

Special kudos to our other favourite blogs, Dave Levingston’s Exposed for the Shadows (stunning outdoor nude and landscape photography), Gary M’s consistently top-notch Implications and Experience, BT Charles (who would have won several awards if only he hadn’t kept deleting his posts) and Mark Saintz’s inspiring Newcastle Art Nudes.

Award for Best Fine-Art Nude Blog

Magic Flute Fine Art Nudes by Stephen Haynes. With interesting cultural posts and gentle witty repartee, Stephen’s writing and distinguished fine-art studio photography have delighted us on a daily basis all year.

Rachel by Stephen Haynes

Best Model Blog

Of course it can only be The Iris Dassault Blog. Superior photography from world-class photographers, and outstanding writing from the leading laydeez of the photographic world.

Iris Dassault and Unbearable Lightness by Jim Young

Special mentions go to Lela Rae, and The Body, Heart and Mind of Orixx. Excellent writing on both, and check out Lela’s images in particular - wowee.

Best Glamour Blog

Jimmy D’s Pretty Girl Shooter. Simply the best glamour photography on the planet, and valuable photographic wisdom and dry (almost-English) humour from the Great Master himself. Read it. You will learn a lot about photography, or your money back.

Tera Patrick by Jimmy D

Special mention to the beautifully written Boudoir Photographer.

Best Photographic Style

For the second year running, Iksodas is the best out there. His art is moody, atmospheric, and always shows exclusive style and exquisite taste. You can instantly spot an Iksodas photograph out of hundreds of others. Oh and his writing is pretty cool as well.

Lane by Iksodas

Additional kudos for the magnificent Chip Willis, and the ravishing James Graham. All three of these chaps deserve anthologies in their own right, and could easily grace the pages of Vogue (well, the UK edition at least.)

Best Writer of the Year

There can only be one Hotel Room Nudes. Art, culture and nekkid chix. D Brian Nelson’s writing is wonderful, warm, honest and funny. The man has stories to tell, and photographs beautiful girls. Read this for your daily dose of wisdom. Our particular favourite post of the year can be read here.

Desiree by D Brian Nelson

Plus appreciative applause to Lela Rae’s new erotic fiction writing (there’s real talent there, methinks), and of course, to Feminism Without Clothes (kicks serious ass.)

Best Blog Image of the year

Both Rich and I had our socks blown off by this one. Wow.

Lela Rae and Reven, photography by Erica Spencer

Runner-up Best Blog image of the year

Please forgive our inclusion of this final image. For some reason, we feel it sums up 2007 perfectly.

Plain Jayne Jones by DVS

Lastly our profound thanks to all readers who have visited this humble blog and web site. Four million hits this year. We’ve no idea why you came, but we hope you found enjoyment.

Just remember Richard’s mantra: It ain’t art unless it’s got boobies!