Marilyn Monroe was the very first Playmate of the Month, in December 1953. René de Haan was responsible for the centerfold photograph in the Dutch edition of Playboy—which was celebrating its 25th anniversary that year.
He had been working as a photographer for Playboy since 1999. A remarkable achievement for someone who trained as a librarian and had no background in photography.
“I finished my studies in 1982 and started taking photographs out of the blue. Although I had no more talent than the average amateur in those days, I simply enjoyed it.”
René de Haan (1960) looks back calmly on the start of his career from his Amsterdam apartment. Three life-size black-and-white photographs of nude women hang on the wall in the hallway. After all, that is what ultimately became his specialty: nude photography.
Why would someone become a nude photographer?
“Curiosity. Every photographer has it—just look at any photography website. I also prefer taking portraits and photographing people rather than, say, buildings. Technique isn’t really my strong suit either; I’m more focused on the image itself.
And because fashion and clothing aren’t my thing—I know nothing about them—but models are, you soon find yourself drawn to nude photography.”
How did you end up at Playboy?
“It happened the other way around: a model who had posed for Playboy recommended that I get in touch with them. I hesitated for a while because I’m mainly interested in black-and-white photography, and my photographs may be a little too artistic—not really Playboy-style. My photographs are more about the person, who happens to be nude. What I mean is that a beautiful body alone isn’t enough to create something beautiful.”
My photographs are more about the person, who happens to be nude
So in your view, can nude photographs be art?
“Absolutely, yes.”
What kind of talent do you need in this line of work?
“You need to be good with people. You have to instill confidence in the model. They’re already physically exposed, but they also need to feel safe enough to reveal themselves emotionally. Otherwise the image becomes shallow and everything starts to look the same.
You click with certain models; the stronger that connection, the more they give of themselves and the better the final result. I don’t create the photograph alone—I very much need the model for that. If I get nothing back from her, if she behaves like a mannequin, then I’m at a loss too.”
Are models lining up to meet you?
“No. Although some think it’s fantastic, most aren’t willing or don’t dare to do it. Playboy sometimes assigns me a model, but more often I find them myself through modeling websites, and that isn’t always easy.
What does it take to be a Playmate? A beautiful body, but also presence. To me, a good nude photograph has nothing to do with sex—well... not absolutely nothing, but the two don’t necessarily have to be connected.”
What is the status of nude photography in the Netherlands?
“Let’s just say that not every door opens for me because I work as a photographer for Playboy. We’re too conservative in the Netherlands, and the country is simply too small.
It’s different in America. If you work for Playboy there, you’re considered the crème de la crème, and so are the models. It has real glamour and status there.”
What does a Playmate photo shoot look like?
“There’s the model, surrounded by a photographer and his assistant, a makeup artist, a stylist, an art director, and sometimes someone else taking behind-the-scenes photographs. The location may be in the Netherlands, at a private individual’s home, or even at the model’s home.
Sometimes the team travels abroad to somewhere with good weather, such as a resort in South Africa. The mood board is important: sketches, other photographs, and images that give an idea of roughly how it should look.”
Do you have Photoshop on your Mac?
“Yes, but I don’t use it much. I only adjust the colors and contrast a little and remove the occasional bruise or pimple. It doesn’t need to be too perfect for me. I’d rather photograph someone as they are than lie about their appearance.
I want to see a real person. To me, the ideal is natural too. That’s also why I’m very selective when choosing a model. I know what can be done with a computer, but I don’t want to rely on it. It simply has to happen during the shoot.”
So the photographs you publish in the magazine are almost entirely natural?
“Well, the editorial team does make a few changes too—to the skin, for example. But it’s nothing compared with the American Playboy. There’s a story that they once Photoshopped a model so heavily that she appeared in the magazine without a belly button...
The American and Dutch editions of Playboy hardly exchange any images either, because their styles and ideals of beauty are so different.
What does it take to be a Playmate? A beautiful body, but also presence
In America, everything is even more perfect; the women no longer look real. Plastic surgery on a PC. Even body shapes are altered with Liquify tools—they cinch the waist a little more.
The Dutch Playboy may be glamorous, but it’s more girl-next-door and more realistic. Even so, whenever they start working on my photographs, I always ask them to please keep the results natural.”
Do you feel responsible?
“Yes, to some extent. I realize that, as a nude photographer, I contribute to the prevailing ideal of beauty. I also find it troubling that girls compare themselves with women in photographs that I know for certain have been Photoshopped. Again, I’m not looking for a ‘hot babe,’ but for a woman with a beautiful presence.”
