Candid, voyeuristic, sexy, minimalist. These are words used to describe the work of Argentinian based photographer Germán Saez. His tastefully crafted photographs find the perfect chemistry between raw and polished. There’s also a simplicity to the work that allows the photograph to just be without saying or doing too much which gives the image an opportunity to speak for itself.

Tell us how you got started taking artistic nudes.

It started mostly as entertainment from intimate moments with ex-girlfriends. Later, I tried shooting some friends and after that, it became another style of my photographic work with different women.

There’s a ‘girl next door’ quality to many of the models you photograph which we now see are personal friends. Are they professional models in your portfolio as well?

There are professional models, actresses and also just friends or girls that contact me through my website and want to have some nice nude photos for themselves. Also, when I travel I try to contact models or everyday girls and improvise photo shoots in my hotel or in the streets.

Do you prefer analog or digital and what is your weapon of choice?

I don’t have any preference really. Love to shoot with my Lomo LC-A or Polaroid, but now it’s almost impossible to get instant film. My main camera at the moment is a Canon EOS 50D. With film, I don’t see too much reason now to use 35mm negative. I prefer 35mm/120mm positive film and Xpro (cross processing).

Your portfolio is very balanced between black & whites and color photography. What factors determine when to use black and white and when to use color?

The first “filter” for a b/w choice is if I don’t have any interesting color. The other filter is the mood of the picture. If there are good colors, I try to get a cross process look, forcing the white balance in camera and of course, adjusting tone and contrast in post-production.

Your subjects tend to yield an expressionless yet brooding feel about them. What direction are you giving them while trying to achieve this look?

I love expressionless. It’s a directive I commonly give. It forces me to get an interesting image playing with angle, framing, lighting, and backgrounds instead of a lovable or forced gesture of the model. But, if some nice gesture or pose comes with no premeditation, it’s also great for me.

There’s also a candid and voyeuristic feel captured in many of your photographs. Describe your approach with this style of photography. Basically, I think my better pictures are good because you can think they are part of a film. I like to make people imagine what happens after and before that frozen moment they are seeing.

So, it sounds like your prefer to work in “the moment.”

I love to improvise. Sometimes, there’s a basic idea or script, but I enjoy just go the streets or a room with no plans and deal with random furniture, buildings, people, lights and colors. Maybe because of that, I enjoy shooting concerts. It’s maybe the hardest environment to shoot. Light and subject changes continuously, so, aperture and speed too. Photography is something that happens in different moments. For some people the act of photography is when they have the idea and prepare everything for the shoot (who triggers the shutter is not relevant). For others, it is when they are in the lab or in the post process moment. For me, it is when I frame, adjust settings and shoot.

Please tell us what the future brings for you and where we can view more of your work.

I’m preparing a magazine for the immediate future (printed and PDF version) and also working on a delayed first book. You can see a selection of my professional work at http://germansaez.com/en/, thousands of photos at http://germansaezphoto.com and daily ones at http://germansaez.info/daily_picture/. Also I have a photo essay called Fotos Privadas (Private Pictures) at http://fotosprivadas.com.ar