It's a hot summer's day in the nation's capital and members of Get Naked Australia are cooling off by taking it all off, ready to pose in a particularly colourful photo shoot.
Founder Brendan Jones describes Get Naked Australia as a "body-positive group that runs clothing-optional events to help get people comfortable with the skin they're in".
Today members and friends of the group have come together to strip down and throw coloured dust at each other for a group photo — with participants in the shoot ranging in age from their early 20s to their late 70s.
"We are giving a uniquely human experience for people to step out of their comfort zone and learn to feel comfortable with their body," Brendan says.
Get Naked Australia's core ethos, Brendan says, is about embracing the naked body, "combating the tidal wave of negative body image material" that people are faced with every day.
"Body dysmorphia's a massive problem in today's society and, I think, being naked socially with other people is a confronting yet extremely rewarding thing to do," he says.
"We're just trying to show normal, natural bodies and people having a good time learning to be comfortable in the skin they're in."
Brendan says that no one at the events is trying to take a peek at each other's naked bodies.
"You learn very quickly in this environment. No one's looking at you — all of those fears are all in your head."
Lauren Sutherland says that, with each Get Naked event, her confidence grows.
An organiser of the group, she thought an event in Canberra was a "no-brainer" after the success of the same colourful event in Sydney, giving visitors to the Sydney Opera House and one of Australia's most famous beaches an eye-full.
"We had a really good group of people [who] attended the recent Spencer Tunick [photography session] in Sydney [and] on Bondi Beach, so we thought, hey why not replicate something like this in Canberra," she says.
"I've been involved with this group for so long, yet every single event, I find a new piece of myself that I just love and embrace.
Lauren says the events encourage participants to "embrace the body they're given" and denounce negative body images, a notion perpetuated on social media.
"People and social media really give you the highlights of their bodies or their body image, and you don't normally necessarily see what's out there or what's normal," she says.
"People might feel a little bit self-conscious about a particular part of their body, they come to an event and they realise that everyone is different, everyone has those different parts."
Naturists and self-love
So, who is attending these events?
Sophie Rutherford is a self-described naturist, a word for the practice of socially private or public nudity.
She says she has always been fairly comfortable in her skin but attending the Get Naked Australia events has added another dimension to her own brand of body positivity.
"Being around other people of all shapes and sizes just like makes you feel so good on the inside," Sophie says.
"It like neutralises everyone and brings everyone to the same [level] when you don't have clothes and I just think it does wonders for my body positivity."
Sophie says getting together with other naturists is one of the "happiest" aspects of her life.
"People [ask], 'Don't you just look at people and judge?' and 'how do you even have a normal conversation?' and I'm, like, 'You have to come and experience it to know it's not like that'," she says.
Benjamin Howard, also a self-described naturist, is attending his first Get Naked Australia event.
A big believer in positive self-image, Benjamin says he is impressed by everyone who takes part in naturist activities.
"For people to come out, strip down to bare all, there's no [judgement], it's just all love at the end of the day," he says.
A personal trainer, Benjamin echoes the message of body positivity that seems to be a big reason why Get Naked Australia exists.
"In this day and age, having confidence in one's body and self-image is massively important," he says.
Founder Brendan says he would like to see the Get Naked Australia community grow even more.
"The events we run are very screened and it's a very safe environment," he says.
"I love seeing new people coming to these events, because you can see their walls break down."
