As fans continue to mourn the passing of their favorite Vulcan , Leonard Nimoy 's passion for photography - and the women he put in front of the lens - is also being recognized . Nimoy , called the 'Conscience of Star Trek ' by the show 's creator , once said he used photography to express the idea of feminine power . After eight years of taking photographs of plus-sized women , Nimoy published a collection titled The Full Body Project in 2007 , which featured obese women photographed in the nude . It was when Nimoy was doing an exhibit for a different photography collection that he was turned to the idea of shooting fuller-figured women . After eight years of taking photographs of plus-sized women , Leonard Nimoy published a collection titled The Full Body Project in 2007 , which featured obese women photographed in the nude . For The Full Body Project , Nimoy found new subjects in the plus-size burlesque group The Fat-Bottom Revue . He was inspired by their late founder Heather MacAllister , who he recalled once told him 'whenever a fat person steps on stage to perform , and it 's not the butt of a joke , that 's a political statement ' He said a 250-pound woman approached him after a presentation and told Nimoy he only worked with models that had a certain body type , according to the New York Times . She then asked Nimoy if he would be interested in working with her despite her different shape , and he said yes . Nimoy was nervous the day of the shoot , afraid he would n't do his new subject justice , he told NPR . ' I think that 's a reflection of something that 's prevalent in our culture , ' he said . 'We are sort of conditioned to see a different body type as acceptable and maybe look away when the other body type arrives . ' But Nimoy did not look away , instead he pointed his camera right at her . And his pictures immediately sparked an interest and a response from the public . And a new passion had sparked inside Nimoy . The pictures feature the women dancing , laughing and proudly staring straight into the camera . Nimoy said the pictures show the women 's strong self-esteem . 'These women are projecting an image that is their own , ' he said . 'And one that also stems from their own story rather than mine ' For The Full Body Project , Nimoy found new subjects in the plus-size burlesque group The Fat-Bottom Revue . He was inspired by their late founder Heather MacAllister , who he recalled once told him 'whenever a fat person steps on stage to perform , and it 's not the butt of a joke , that 's a political statement ' . And with that Nimoy became an unlikely , but passionate , size-acceptance advocate . He told the New York Times the book was a 'direct response to the pressure women face to conform to a size two ' . The pictures feature the women dancing , laughing and proudly staring straight into the camera - often times fully nude . Nimoy said the pictures show the women's strong self-esteem , he wrote for R.Michelson Galleries , where the pictures were featured in . 'These women are projecting an image that is their own , ' he said . 'And one that also stems from their own story rather than mine . ' It was n't a far step for Nimoy , who has a history of championing women . It was when Nimoy was doing an exhibit for a different photography collection that he was turned to the idea of shooting fuller-sized women . A 250-pound woman approached him after a presentation and told Nimoy he only worked with models that had a certain body type . She then asked Nimoy if he would be interested in working with her despite her different shape , and he said yes . Nimoy said the book was a 'direct response to the pressure women face to conform to a size two ' In the 1960s while he was filming Star Trek , Nimoy found out that Nichelle Nichols was not getting paid the same amount as her male co-stars . Nimoy approached the managers of the show and immediately had her pay equalized , he confirmed to TrekMovie.com . And in the 1970s he fought for Nichols again , telling producers he refused to do Spock 's voice in the animated Star Trek series if Nichols , who had yet to receive the offer , was hired as well . Tributes to the star have been pouring in since news broke he had died on Friday morning following a long battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease . His Star Trek co-star William Shatner , who has recently come under fire for missing Nimoy 's funeral to attend a charity event , said : ' I loved him like a brother . 'We will all miss his humor , his talent , and his capacity to love . '
Nimoy 's collection The Full Body Project from 2007 featured obese women photographed in the nude . His subjects are the plus-size burlesque group The Fat-Bottom Revue from San Francisco . Pictures feature the women dancing , laughing and proudly staring straight into the camera . In a statement to BuzzFeed, Nimoy's representative said that he was "shocked by these images of his wife which were taken without her knowledge or consent."