Curved shadowed bodyscapes define the photography of Will Sherwood in "Body of Work," an exhibition that opens with a reception from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday at 6 Degrees Gallery, a winter cooperative at Berta Walker Gallery, 208 Bradford St., Provincetown. Sherwood will be at the opening, but don't ask him what body part is the subject of any particular photo. He probably doesn't even know, which is exactly the point.

"It seems like a lot of people produce what I call architectural nudes," Sherwood says by phone from Sterling, where he lives. "[With close-up abstract photography] you can create new views, new worlds, sometimes looking like landscapes."

The curves of shoulders could be a small mountain range, a neck near flatlands. But whatever the body part, Sherwood’s work is meant to evoke something beyond that "intellectual view." He's interested in finding something beautiful in body parts that one might not typically consider art- like the close-up of a hand, finger, or ear.

"[My photography is about] finding art in all of us," he says, adding that for him, including a face in his bodyscapes "ruins the picture" because it's recognizable. And models of all walks of life want to be photographed by Sherwood. He figures that's because models are more comfortable being shot in the nude by him than another photographer whose work might be viewed as erotica.

"It makes an easier rapport with the models because they know I'm not trying to exploit [them]," he says, adding that while he began by using friends and acquaintances in his work, others are now seeking him out. A German professor contacted him over the Internet, and body builders often want to document their physique. But bodies don't have to be traditionally perfect for Sherwood to find perfection.

"In a way it's easier to find art in a well-defined body. [But also, there was a model who was] very heavy and had folds in her skin that were very beautiful," he says.

When Sherwood photographs a subject, he'll find the light and contours he's looking for and then snap away, using rolls and rolls of film to capture a single body part. He then takes the film to his darkroom and finds the perfect pictures among the test prints. And the way he prints them makes each picture unique.

"[When with the camera,] I see the general potential of the image that's going to come out, but really it's a selection and editing process," he says.

Sherwood is not only a unique photographer, but is a renaissance man of sorts. He's a computer engineer and a jazz and classical musician who serves as the organist choirmaster at the First Unitarian Church of Worcester. He's also a graphic designer, works an organic garden, and prepares gourmet vegetarian cuisine.

During childhood, his family encouraged Sherwood's varied interests and he credits his father, a professional photographer, with supporting his unique visions and approach.

"I think that was one of the great gifts he had given me: not to say 'Don't do it that way,'" Sherwood says, adding that as a six- or seven-year-old he was shooting images using an old five-by-seven view camera and strobe light.

"My whole being is about the process of art and discovering new techniques," Sherwood says. While he admits that abstract photography has been done before, he hopes there's something new about his own work.

"I like to think that some of my perspectives are fresh," he says.

From our perspective, they are.