September 25, 2001

Victoria Indoors (Feltzen, Nova Scotia)

This morning found the world cruelly shrouded in a chilly grey fog; the idea of a final session with Victoria with the morning light on the rocky coastline was quickly revised into an indoor session. This was not really objectionable, as I was more focused on working with Jeff's 12x20 camera, more then the location of the images themselves.
8"x10" film
As much as my main interest was in making images with the 12x20 camera, I began the session with Victoria using my 8"x10", a decision made for two reasons. First, with the 8"x10" I can make twelve images a session, as compared to the four possible with the 12x20, and second, for any vertical image, the current configuration of the 12x20 precludes vertical images (Jeff has expressed interest in solving this problem by next summer). As much as I am drawn to the 12x20 as a format, I have to admit that the strong horizontal aspect ratio is somewhat of a limitation, and as such, isn't appropriate for every image and certainly precludes it being my main camera for an entire session.
12"x20" film
So for about an hour, Victoria and I played with the soft, even light provided by the fog, and made portraits and bodyscapes within the main room of the house. Usually I avoid including specific references to a space in my images, preferring instead the more sterile, universal appeal of a neutral, featureless plane. Since working with Cassandra on the white couch however, I have slowly revised this position, including from time to time a specific reference to a space - usually obscured and somewhat out of focus, but none-the-less present.
12"x20" film
All of the images made with Victoria on this morning have some reference or other to place, which is a marked departure for me. I think part of this is a larger, conscious effort to push my work forward. My passion for photographing the figure is certainly as strong as ever, but more and more, I have found myself taking risks and making experimental images in the hopes that the results will propel my work forward.
8"x10" film
I'm not sure if these images stick out as unique from my larger body of work, or simply function as a continuum of an overall direction, but I am certain they met the objectives I'd set out for them. As part of the large body of work Victoria and I have been creating since 1998, these images contribute a new perspective, which in tandem with our other work, certainly make the whole series richer.

By the time I'd run out of film for the 12x20, we'd also run out of time, and Victoria had to leave for Halifax, an hour away.

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