Wild and Free – Naked in Nature

What is the deal with the recent onslaught of photos online where people are dropping trou for the camera?

In the 1970s, a group of free-spirited skiers took a photo to commemorate their time spent at one of the most endearing ski “lodges” in one of the newest towns around. That photo can be remembered with just two words: Toad Hall (full story through the link). For the rest of you, it looks like this:

Of course, the world gets more conservative, the powers that be watch closely for any sort of debauchery, and as such, it’s unlikely that a photo like this will encapsulate a time so well in Whistler.

Nowadays, everyone but the staunchest of Luddites now has a camera in their pocket. It’s so much so that you rarely ever hear “shoot, I forgot my camera”, and you practically never hear “I left my phone at home”.  The opportunity to capture the moment is so dear that moments are being captured far away from prying eyes. And  people tend to get a little more… daring, shall we say.

Firstly, given the weather we’ve been having lately in the mid-30s, it’s not surprising – and honestly, a little tempting – to remove every scrap of clothing between the body and the great outdoors.

Perhaps it’s the sheer freedom of being miles away from anyone that inspires people (mostly guys but some girls) to bare all for the camera. That particular form of expression isn’t something one can exactly try out in public. For the same reason you might howl or scream at the top of a mountain – to disrupt the silence and peace, if only temporarily.

Or maybe it’s the opposite. Rather than disrupting the serenity of the scene, one wishes to connect with it more by way of zero inhibitions and boundaries. A man holding an axe in the buff is somehow manlier than with traditional lumberjack garb. The primal instincts kick in, and before you know it, you’re felling a deer using only a sling.

This isn’t something that you plan or contrive – it isn’t like “Yeah, I’ll climb to Rainbow and then you can all gaze upon my ass!”. It’s a spontaneous decision. One minute you’re hanging by the lake, after a long hike, your clothes are sticking to your frame, and the next thing you know, you’re surveying the wilderness with the moon out. If you’re fortunate enough, someone has the wherewithal to get their phone out and immortalise your awesomeness.

Of course, there’s also the tried-and-true reason: I asked one guy what his reasons were and his response was simply “I was with a hottie on a private beach… Pretty self explanatory.”

Stay wild, and don’t forget your camera.