But there is one thing I want to say: something happens when you place yourself far enough away. Not just geographically. Also mentally, physically, through exhaustion, through unfamiliar language, through an environment that gives you nothing to hold on to. Then you see things, almost inevitably, that you don’t see at home. About yourself. About what you do. About why you do it.

Whether you’re looking for that clarity doesn’t even matter much. It comes anyway. On a mountain path somewhere in Tokushima prefecture, it surfaces while you’re really only thinking about your feet.

I’m glad I went.

And I’m glad I’m back.

Here’s the 131st edition of Five Nudes Friday.
Enjoy your weekend!

Just like back in 2024, I had the opportunity to work with Satsuki in a renovated traditional Japanese house. It amazes me how easy it is to pick up where we left off in 2024. Despite the language barrier we were, again, easily able to communicate through gestures, some basic words and tuning into the atmosphere of the house and the chemistry between artist and muse.

I haven’t processed all the photos yet, but here’s an example of our shoot.

I’m walking the second stage of the Shikoku pilgrimage, a centuries-old Buddhist route through 88 temples on the island of Shikoku. I walked the first stage two years ago, and I’ve been looking forward to continuing ever since. It’s a week of solitude and slowness, and for me it’s also a way of reflecting on the past year. There’s something about walking that creates the right conditions for that kind of thinking.

After the pilgrimage I travel to Kyoto, where I’ll be working with Satsuki again. We worked together there in 2024, in a different house. This time we’ll be in another old renovated Japanese house. The project we’re building together is something I hope to eventually turn into a book or a zine. It’s still taking shape, but the direction feels right.

Then Tokyo. Shinjuku specifically, which couldn’t be more different from a week of walking alone through temples. I’m genuinely looking forward to that contrast: the quiet of the pilgrimage, the focused creative work in Kyoto, and then the noise and anonymity of a city like Tokyo. Each part of the trip needs the other ones.

But that’s all still ahead. For now: a Six Nudes Saturday.

Have a great weekend!

Enjoy your weekend!

On a much brighter note, I just realized that The Nude Canvas Newsletter is approaching 2.5 years of celebrating incredible artistic nude photography. That feels pretty special.

So here’s to another year of Five Nudes Friday. Thank you for being here and for continuing to look, read, and support this space!

Let’s keep creating, be more tolerant toward others, and stay aware of the beauty around us.