Behind the Scenes · Berlin · workshops since 2012
How a nude art workshop works
See how a fine-art nude workshop runs: studio preparation, model direction, lighting setups, guided group shooting, individual framing time and decisions made on set.
A fine-art nude set is usually quiet. Much of the conversation concerns small adjustments: moving a key light, changing a shoulder line or working distance, or explaining how a shadow affects the form.
Preparation, trust, lighting and model direction shape a photograph before the shutter fires.
The gallery below shows the pace of a session, the lighting adjustments and how Burak moves between group instruction and individual shooting time. It gives you a sense of the set before you join a workshop.
Fourteen years of this practice have built a wider creative community. In July 2026, The Nudes of Istanbul exhibition presented fourteen photographers from this group at Die Akt Galerie, Berlin, alongside an ISBN hardcover book.
What to look for
Watch how the room, lighting and model direction change during the session.
Working as a group
The group starts every lighting setup together under Burak’s direction. Participants observe how the light behaves, see the model adapt to the visual concept, and learn directly from real-time adjustments on set.
Working with one or two lights
Most setups rely on one or two lights. The craft is in shaping, angling, and positioning the source to define form and mood. The lighting changes three or four times over a three-hour session, adapting to new ideas from the room and the model.
Working with the model
Direction is a mix of clear communication and physical cues. The model brings professional experience and interpretation to the set, while the photographer responds with precise lighting, timing, and composition.
Fourteen years of workshops
The workshops began in Istanbul in 2012 and later travelled to other cities. Berlin became the main European base.
The first sessions
The workshop began as a small studio gathering for photographers who wanted to study the human form through light and direction. The core principles were established early: small groups, professional models, multiple lighting setups, and real-time instruction on set.
Venice workshop
A travel workshop built around residential interiors and the city’s reflected light. This experience informed future location-based sessions.
Chios workshop
A one-off workshop using Aegean light and stone interiors.
Berlin as a base
Berlin became the primary European base, providing access to professional models and studios with highly controllable light. Sessions run here a few times each year.
Reduced travel and smaller groups
Travel paused and group sizes reduced. This period focused on expanding the workshop archive and developing written materials on lighting, representation, and set ethics.
The current format
Workshops now run selectively between Berlin and Istanbul, with no more than six photographers per session. Across its full history, the programme has hosted more than 50 workshops and welcomed over 300 photographers.
The Nudes of Istanbul exhibition
The Nudes of Istanbul, curated by Burak Bulut Yıldırım, presented fourteen photographers from the Istanbul workshop community at Die Akt Galerie, Berlin. The exhibition was accompanied by an ISBN hardcover publication featuring Burak’s curatorial foreword A Body Held in the Room and essays by three of the models. Full curatorial statement →
Planned London sessions
The first London sessions are being developed in English, maintaining the same small-group and lighting-focused approach. New dates reach the early-access list first.
Cities in the workshop archive
The workshops use the light and spaces available in each city, with the same focus on lighting and form.
Professional studios and access to a strong international model network. Selected sessions run a few times a year.
Where the workshop began and built its core community. Sessions are held in Turkish.
A location workshop defined by residential interiors and reflected light from the water.
An Aegean workshop built around stone interiors and natural light.
The upcoming European location: small-group, English-language sessions focused on precise lighting.
The session from start to finish
A typical three-hour Berlin workshop
Meet the model and review the plan
The session starts with introductions, a review of the lighting setup and an explanation of the image-use terms. Everyone reviews the rules before shooting.
Guided group shooting
Burak sets the light and directs the model. Participants shoot as a group to understand the visual concept and observe how minor adjustments alter the frame.
Individual framing time
Each photographer gets a short window to shoot from their own angle and make personal framing choices. The workflow stays flexible.
Different lighting setups
The lighting and model direction change three to four times throughout the session. Short breaks are included to maintain focus.
Confirm the image-use terms
The session ends by confirming the agreed image-use terms. Post-production is not covered; the full three hours are dedicated strictly to in-camera work and lighting.
From the workshop archive
Posters · Berlin sessions · 2024
Each poster represents a specific concept, lighting design, and photographer group. The broader archive is visible in the galleries on this page.
Preparing and running the session
Briefing, lighting plans, session timing and written image-use terms.
The model brief
The model receives the visual concept, practical details, and agreed working boundaries before arriving. This gives the session a clear starting point while leaving room for the model’s experience and interpretation.
The lighting plan
Three to four lighting designs are prepared for the model, space and concept. These can change during the session as the model and photographer work with the light, pose and shooting distance.
The pace of the session
Each design begins with guided group shooting, followed by brief individual framing windows. Lighting changes, small spatial or pose variations, and two or three short breaks complete the three-hour rhythm.
The written agreement
Each session works within clear written image-use terms covering permitted uses, credit expectations, and the model’s agreed consent boundaries. Participants know how the photographs may be shared and used.
Related reading
The same ideas that shape the workshops also guide the writing: light, perception, representation, art history, and the relationship between photographer and model.
The Evolution of Nude Art Photography — 160 Influential Artists Through History
Read article →Women in Nude Art Photography — Challenging Perspectives, Redefining the Genre
Read article →The Nudes of Istanbul: fourteen years of workshops
Fourteen years of workshop history became an exhibition, a book, and a record of the community on both sides of the camera.
The Nudes of Istanbul, curated by Burak Bulut Yıldırım, presented fourteen photographers from the Istanbul workshop community at Die Akt Galerie, Berlin. The work developed across fourteen years of workshops and continued artistic practice.
The exhibition was accompanied by an ISBN hardcover publication (ISBN 978-3-00-087439-0 · Mijuk Papers Berlin · first edition of 75), opening with Burak’s curatorial foreword A Body Held in the Room. It also included essays by models Zeynep Renda, Su Yeşil, and Marmelat, placing their perspectives alongside the photographs in the published record.
The exhibition and book bring together photographs and models’ accounts from the workshop community.
Join an upcoming workshop
Join the early-access list for the next Berlin date, the first London sessions, and selected European editions. Six seats per workshop; subscribers see new dates first.
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