I am never comfortable in any clandestine activity nor will I ever attend secret meetings. I am an open person by nature and everything I do must be open to photography and subject to blogging. I can’t attend a party or go for a walk in which photography is forbidden. The only activity that I can think of where cameras are forbidden is a criminal one. And yet many nudist resorts and nudist activities have this no-photography rule as if nudity were a crime.
NEWT is one of the very few naturist activities I can think of which treat nudity as perfectly normal. My wife who isn’t a naturist once chided me when she saw my many blogs on naturism. She said, ‘You behave towards the photos of your nude hiking as if they are photos taken at your kids’ birthday party.’ Wow! That was a compliment because that’s precisely the way I want to treat the nude photos. They are no different from pics taken at a child’s birthday party. Nudity is decent, natural and right.
I don’t want to go into my usual tirade against the so-called ‘naturist’ activities and resorts organised by people who don’t see nudity as truly natural and would go so far as to ban the camera. Whatever excuses they may give are usually nothing more than lies. To say that they treat nudity as perfectly natural is a foul lie. I have nothing to do with such activities because in my mind, you only ban the camera if what you do is criminal and wrong and since nudity is neither, I can’t attend such activities.
NEWT is the ideal activity for naturists who truly believe in naturism. People with unresolved issues about nudity may find the free photography daunting but it’s easy to get used to it if the person is truly a naturist. All it takes is one snap of the camera and he or she quickly discovers that there is no pain from the camera flash. The person’s problem with nudity is immediately resolved. This is why I always tell people who are concerned about being photographed by others to attend NEWT. The fear of being photographed is an irrational phobia that can only be overcome by having more photographs taken. What better place is there to do this than at NEWT where the scenery is breathtakingly astounding?
Once the person has got over the phobia, he will be thankful that there are so many people who are happy to take pics. I find the free photography policy at NEWT very encouraging because I usually get pics taken of myself in places that are really beautiful and I’m sometimes surprised I’ve even been to those places. From my experience, photos taken of me by others are usually far better than those I take of myself. That is why I’m delighted when others are so kind as to take photos of me. When the photos are subsequently shared, their pics of me are usually the ones I use as my future profile pics.
Here’s a pic in which I posed for my camera at the rapids. I was fortunate to have four other photographers taking pics of me at the same time (as you can see from this photo – they are on the bridge). And I can assure you all four of them are better than me at photography.
<img src=”https://www.naktiv.net/file/pic/photo/2017/08/c15c1c3a1b1fad0d01712ace1043c2ef_500.jpg”>
Ok, so lets think this through. A friend of mine wishes to attend a nude event for the first time. What he doesn’t want is pictures taken of him/her by every random person, who may then use them, for example, on this site or others. And then maybe people in his work will see them. And maybe the 55 years old in work will not judge, but the people his age might. And that may make him feel embarrassed. He is 25. Not 55, with grown up children looking for something to do. He is 30 years younger. By age 55 maybe he will be fine in pictures and not care anymore either who sees him. But give him a chance! So, without places banning the camera to allow people to “ease” into it, then his only option is not to join at all. So, you have one less younger member. Unless you wish this activity restricted to 50+, then there has to be consideration that you yourself may feel comfortable taken by every person you meet, but not everyone is you. And you shouldn’t expect them to be comfortable because you now are. Was there a time when you were not? How young were you at that time? Different ages for different people to adapt. We have to cater to all tastes. You can go to places where photos get taken all the time. He needs something where they are not. You go to the other 99. He can go to that one. That’s why we need camera bans at certain places. Thank you.
an enthusiastic NEWTer is always a good thing to hear from!
Great photo, great blog, more like this!
Thanks, Richard! This year, the weather was good EVERY day. That's why we could get better pics and more of them. I was wondering if perhaps late July – early August might be better because it's warmer. This year, Polly's absence was most keenly felt.
We'll be there next year! Paws'n'all 🙂
There's another healthy effect of NEWT. I have seen people who are otherwise uncomfortable about their nude pics appearing online becoming more accustomed to being open naturists. I think NEWT is a good cure for closet nudists. They become so inured to being photographed nude that they soon forget there is a difference between being naked and being clothed. That's when a person truly treats nudity as perfectly natural.
You have the true definition of someone 'being' a nudist/naturist. When being naked is natural & unnoticed, when putting clothes on is 'odd'.
the problem is not exactly the nudity, but how to avoid someone to take photos from a person that does not want it. You cannot take even photos of a clothed person without a permission. You are only free to have photos of your own, but in a small space is difficult to take a photo of your own without having another one unexpectedly appearing in one of the photos. That´s why they simply ban all cameras… And the fear that some of the photos may appear on somewhere they do not want it. But assuming when you are hiking in a public place, all people involved are naturist that have no problem in appearing naked before anyone else.
Clothed clubs and clothed hotels do not ban the camera. Why should nudity make any difference if the nude person claims that his nudity is natural, wholesome and is something he's not embarrassed of? Nudists who want the camera banned in nudist places have never clamoured for the camera to be banned in non-nudist places. Why is that so? It must mean that to him, nudity is not so natural. He's more at home with clothes on. I can assure you that many nudist clubs that organise nude hikes will have the same ban on cameras. NEWT is different because Richard who started it just got his philosophy right from the very start. If he had started with an anti-camera stand, NEWT would have been like any commercial nudist activity – fearful of being photographed, always photographing only from behind and all this is unhealthy. It will only serve to reinforce the false and warped textile worldview that nudity is embarrassing.
I understand your point, i was just trying to sympathize on the other side. I did not see any children participating and i think if children took part, the photography will be an entire different topic than this. Other thing is that when you go to a beach for instance, where families , singles, couples are there, there will be a small portion that would look for other than plain naturism. Swingers, Voyeurs or even pedophiles can be there, among the true naturists, so the question of photos is different also. even in clubs there are many stories of pedophiles taking photos from naked children. So, it is complicated. Thanks for sharing, anyway.
I understand what you mean. It's complicated if there are naked children because of those damned paedophiles. Maybe that's why Naktiv Admin very wisely exclude children from the website. Because of the cursed paedophiles, we have huge problems when children come into the picture and that's a shame because children would actually enhance the innocence, decency and naturalness of nudity. But we live in an imperfect world where vile filthy paedophiles slither looking for their prey. There should be a way to exterminate these pestilential paedophiles who prey on children. Thanks for providing this perspective which I didn't even consider initially.
The Taiwan Naturist Association once posted a video on youtube which included nude children with their parents together with other naturists. I was in that video too. A friend saw that video and he said he was surprised to see that nudity could be so normal and 'proper'. When I first told my entire world about my naturism and I started to refer them to my blogs in which I openly posted my photos, I had a lot of opposition and general 'frowning'. But of course that was only the initial stage but soon people accepted me for a naturist because they know there is no sex involved. And I noticed that many of them accepted naturism more when they realised that I even went to a naturist beach with my son. Once naturism is seen as a 'family' thing, it's very hard for even the most vehement naturism opponent to oppose naturism. Children have a way of normalising everything especially when they are your own children. But the paedophile menace is a very real one.
I should also mention that the video posted by the Taiwan Naturist Association is no longer there. I can't find it any more.
Ok, so lets think this through. A friend of mine wishes to attend a nude event for the first time. What he doesn’t want is pictures taken of him/her by every random person, who may then use them, for example, on this site or others. And then maybe people in his work will see them. And maybe the 55 years old in work will not judge, but the people his age might. And that may make him feel embarrassed. He is 25. Not 55, with grown up children looking for something to do. He is 30 years younger. By age 55 maybe he will be fine in pictures and not care anymore either who sees him. But give him a chance! So, without places banning the camera to allow people to “ease” into it, then his only option is not to join at all. So, you have one less younger member. Unless you wish this activity restricted to 50+, then there has to be consideration that you yourself may feel comfortable taken by every person you meet, but not everyone is you. And you shouldn’t expect them to be comfortable because you now are. Was there a time when you were not? How young were you at that time? Different ages for different people to adapt. We have to cater to all tastes. You can go to places where photos get taken all the time. He needs something where they are not. You go to the other 99. He can go to that one. That’s why we need camera bans at certain places. Thank you.
It does sound like a special time for special people. No hiding behind high fences in a naked compound. No artificial activities to pass time in a compound. You are just out there on trails, roads, and villages, and naked is simply your choice of undress. What is so special about that kind of nude is that its so ordinary. Cameras aren't hidden because you aren't ashamed of being naked. Thanks for the pictures and descriptions.
I like this pic. It makes me feel as if I were a superstar. Haha. Or an Academy Award winner. LOL
But you are a star!
You are very kind, Jacques Marie, but you are the real star. Without you, we missed all the wonderful photographs. Really looking forward to seeing you next year.
Looking forward to seeing you next year. I need to look at the dates of NEWT because my son's graduation may be in early July. It's not confirmed yet. The only reason I will give NEWT a miss is if it clashes with my son's graduation. Apart from that, as long as I'm healthy, I'll be there.
Very well said Lim. I look forward to being able to join all of you in a forthcoming NEWT. I still have to put priorities on my kids for vacations, but NEWT is just the next item on my To-Do… Since I started to hike naked, it has just become the right and only way to hike. And yes, nudity is 100% natural, unfortunately many people do not see it this way. I look forward to reading more report in NEWT.
I completely agree, well said !
Thanks.
Imagine if you go for a nude hike and when you're home, your family and friends ask to see the photos and you say, "Photography is forbidden". What will they think? They will probably think you've gone for some sexual orgy where photography will of course be forbidden. That's what I really don't like about nudist activities that are kept secret and furtive. They might as well say they're a mafia group.
I love the original article you wrote T. L. Lim. Well said. The reason people are shy around camera’s is that to many people don’t get naked. It won’t be normalized until we naturists shed our clothes in front of camera’s as if there is nothing wrong with it – because there isn’t!
I was fearful until I posted my first image to my blog https://bccin.wordpress.com. Now I have no issue with it, I am confident and I have even joined the Board of Directors of the Federation of Canadian Naturists.