Ingrid at Long Lake

Digital infrared original

Ingrid's nick-name is "the elf", and her love of posing in nature proves it is an apt one. In this case, I used my tilt-shift lens to extend the depth of field as much as I could, keeping all but the closest plants on the forest floor in sharp focus, while keeping a good balance between the top of the frame, where Ingrid is, and the bottom, with the old tree trunk and foliage.

Digital infrared original

The real joy of working with Ingrid is how well she poses; in this case, even before I'd set up the camera, she had worked herself into a pose that placed her perfectly into the scene; I'd selected the setting as the sun was reflecting off the water, and without any prompting from me, she placed herself right where the magic was happening.

Digital infrared original

The photograph above was quite the surprise to make; Ingrid had moved out of the open water to under the tree as a joke, expecting like me that it would be a horrible option with dull light and poor contrast. As it turned out however, in infrared, the contrast between Ingrid and the open lake behind her was minimal, while the water around her went dark (reflecting the tree above)...the result was quite pleasing.

A Sambro Island Field Trip

Digital original

I've wanted to photograph on Sambro Island for much of my life, having grown up sailing past it numerous times a year.

Digital original

This field trip was a unique opportunity to visit the oldest standing lighthouse in North America, and certainly was worth the visit. The island was a wonderland of pristine views of the surrounding ocean, and lovely sun-bleached rocks like the above glacial erratic.

Digital original

Sadly, the island is showing the price of neglect; with no keeper, and only sporadic maintenance, the out buildings on the island are starting to really suffer - like this building below the light proper, which has lost much of its back end.

Four Models in Wolfville

Digital original

The first images of the session were of Ingrid, posing in a corner of the pool at the bottom of the falls - the light here was magical, with the light of the sunlit trees above Ingrid reflecting in the water around her feet.

Digital infrared original

After working with Ingrid for a while, I switched to photographing Monique, whom I hadn't worked with for several years; we began working on the waterfall itself, but quickly moved off to the side, where a curved fallen tree had caught my eye. I asked Monique if she could try posing on it, and quite quickly, this image was born.

Digital infrared original, 11 image stitch

It was only close to the end of the session that Miles and Natasha modeled (Miles was photographing for the first portion of the session); it was a great pleasure working working with them again (they moved away from Halifax years ago, and I only get to see them occasionally). Almost all the images of the couple were of them together, working with the natural interplay between them.

Stephanie & Miles at the Coast

Digital infrared original, 2 frame stitch

This session was something of an improv; Miles was in town for a visit, and had arranged to work with Stephanie on some mermaid photos (Stephanie's alter-ego is a mermaid), and I was asked if I wished to come along; once it was clear that both Stephanie and Miles were keen to do some figure photos as well, I was on board (and providing transportation).

Digital infrared original

Working right at the mouth of Halifax harbour had numerous advantages, the most pleasurable of which was the liveliness of the ocean - many of the coastal spaces I photograph in are somewhat sheltered, but here there was nothing between the rocks and the open sea, so when Miles found a space that worked for a pose surrounded by seaweed, I took full advantage of the setting, and waited for the perfect wave!

Digital infrared original

Once we finished with the first setting (and Miles was thoroughly soaked) we changed the location a little, and made some photos working with the waves sweeping around Miles; it was challenging for him to keep perfectly still, but in the dozen or so exposures I made, he was still enough in several.

Digital infrared original

At the close of the session, I made some standing portraits of Stephanie; Miles held the diffuser to soften the light on her, and the square crop (more reminiscent of film, and perhaps an affectation in the digital age) seemed perfect for the final image.

K_ & W_'s Second Day of Modeling

Digital infrared original

The second day of working with K_ and her friend W_ in New Brunswick saw us head further afield, and find more successful environments to work in, this time along the banks of the St John River. In the forest that ran between the river and the road, we found several perfect stands of trees to work in, and in some cases, entire trees that had been uprooted by recent storms; one of my favorite images of the day was of K_ reclining in such a tree, a figure of grace in the midst of chaos.

Digital infrared original

My favorite image of the day, however, was made a couple of minutes later, as K_ sat in the smooth curve of a large branch; the sunlight coming through the leaves cast a wonderful highlight on her back, and the sweep of her hair was absolutely perfect, mirroring the slight movement in the tree above her.

Digital infrared original

Though the river wasn't exactly warm, and the day's brisk wind made full immersion less than pleasurable, W_ did some modeling standing in the shallows along the side of the river; it is a challenging thing to just stand and be nude, but as soon as she started pulling at some of the river grasses, everything came together in an image somewhat reminiscent of the photo secession style from 100 years ago.

Digital infrared original

The last photographs of the day, and the visit to New Brunswick, were made in a nearby lake - a little warmer than the river, both models did some modeling in the water proper, but again, it was a standing pose - this time of K_ walking slowly towards the shore, which really stood out!

Christ Church Cathedral at Night

Digital original, 2 frame exposure blend

After a long drive from Moncton, I arrived in Fredericton just before sunset; after a quick bite to eat, I headed out to do some dusk photos of Christ Church Cathedral; several years ago I photographed it, but lost the images in a memory card failure, so it was nice to finally revisit the location.

W_'s first Two Sessions

Digital original

W_ had never planned on modeling for me; she'd accompanied K_ on her first session working with me earlier in the day, and by the end of the afternoon, asked me if I'd like to photograph her. When K_ and I finished up in her friend's house, W_ disrobed, and we proceeded to make a series of particularly pleasing portraits against a wonderfully textured wall.

Digital original

After a break for dinner, W_ and I headed out to a hillside location nearby, to work with the evening light. The sky was layered with soft clouds, and the evening sunlight was softly diffused, providing lovely highlights on W_'s figure as she looked to to the last light of the day.

Digital infrared original

The last images with W_ were made after sundown; the dying light was wonderfully soft, and I photographed W_ through a sea of high grasses, which created a wonderfully soft screen between us - a lovely romantic image to end an unexpected, but very pleasing session.

K_'s First Time Modeling

The primary reason for this trip to New Brunswick was to work with K_; she'd contacted me online after learning of my work from a friend, and after some back-and-forth over, we made plans to spend two days working together.

Digital infrared original, 2 frame exposure blend, three image stitch

The primary challenge (as often is the case) was my lack  of knowledge of the area around Fredericton, but with some assistance from our mutual friend, and luck, we found some outdoor spaces to start working with, and eventually created the above image - the best of our outdoor session on the first day.

Digital infrared original

Much of the afternoon was spent working indoors in the apartment of a friend of K_'s; as soon as I saw the position of the window in the shower, I asked K_ if she'd be up for posing in the shower. Minutes later, my favorite image of K_ was made, above.

Digital original

The close of the session saw straight portraits being made as K_ lay on the sheet-covered couch. The morning and afternoon sessions weren't perfect - the lack of locations was certainly impairing how much K_ and I could explore the possibilities of working together, but at the same time, so really pleasing images came out of the day, so at the very least, we've laid down a foundation.

Tanya along the Petitcodiac

Digital original

As soon as a couple of days of photography in Fredericton were confirmed, I immediately contacted Tanya, to see if she'd have any time to work with me while I was passing through Moncton. As it turned out, she could arranged to take the day off, so we met mid-afternoon, and headed south of Moncton to work along side of the Petitcodiac River.

Digital infrared original

The light for this session was fabulous, alternating between soft cloud-filtered light, and strong, angular sunlight. Whenever the sun came out, I immediately shifted to looking for spaces where the shadows would compliment the pose, and an old wharf pier, long weathered and surrounded by grasses, provided the perfect stage for a sun-drenched pose.

Digital original

All in all, this was a great session; Tanya is always a pleasure to work with, and though our sessions are few and far between, we have never failed to make some really strong photographs. The last images of the session were of Tanya lying back on some abandoned and crumpled culvert tubes, with the late afternoon sunshine falling across torso, and just kissing the line of her cheek. A lovely final image for a great couple of hours of photography.

A Day of Field Trips

Digital original

I lead no fewer than three field trips today, with the first one being along the Halifax water front by the morning light. I've photographed the above sailboat many times before, but never saw this really pleasing composition prior to today.

Digital original

The second field trip was at McCormack's beach, and immediately both myself and the students were captivated by the life along the shore line. A hot summer day, people were playing the shallows, swimming and fishing.

Digital original

Whenever I wonder if I really need to carry all the gear I do, I remember images like the above, and realize that without my netural density filters, I never could have realized such an interest photograph.

Digital original

The last field trip was focused on night photograph, with the students and I experimenting with painting with light along the Dartmouth waterfront. A long day, but some really enjoyable experiences, and successful photographs.