Megan First Outdoor Session (McNabs Island, Nova Scotia)

I've previously worked with Megan in the studio, and indoors, but this was our first occasion to work outdoors. The day was perfect - beginning sunny and clear, and gradually clouding over as the day progressed - softening the light and diffusing the shadows. We had the whole island to ourselves, and over the afternoon worked along Maugers Beach towards the Atlantic Ocean.

35mm infrared film

The image above far exceeds what I expected from the viewfinder. Made on Kodak's HIE infra-red film, I had expected it to be under-exposed, as the sun was behind thin clouds rather than falling directly onto the model, as it has in the other successful infra-red images. Far from being under-exposed, the negatives was perfect, with the sky showing rich contrast, and the skin luminous against the sand. For twenty-four hours after processing the infra-red film, I was on a natural high, reveling in the richness of the dune-nude.

4"x5" film

I feel like I am at the centre of a whirlwind...in the last 12 months I have created more and stronger images than in any previous year since I started working with photography. It is frightening, and thrilling at the same time. Every time I go out to photograph, a little voice in my head whispers "Will this be it? Will nothing more come?". And every time I hang up a new set of negatives to dry, and see the ones that "rock", I feel such an elation that all doubt fades.

4"x5" film

Lilly's First Session (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

This studio session was the first session working exclusively with a 35mm camera in over five years. It was a very different way to work for me, and proved quite successful.

35mm transparency film

As the main purpose of the session was to provide photos for the model's portfolio, I decided to leave the big camera home, and just bring the pea-shooter. I did however, bring some rolls of infra-red and chrome in case Lilly felt comfortable enough to do some figure modelling.

35mm infrared film

On the whole, the session went well - it was my first time in an unfamiliar studio, and though studio gear is pretty much variations on a theme, there were a few minor quirks to work out. When we began working with the figure, I worked between two camera bodies, using both film emulsions simultaneously. By far the more successful images are drawn from the infra red rolls - Lilly's fair skin went alabaster, and the colour, though decent, failed in comparison.

35mm infrared film

Given that the session was not intended to revolve around images of the Nude, I was very pleased with the results. Though it was Lilly's first time modelling nude, there were some good images recorded. She is keen to work with me outdoors, and after such a strong beginning, I have great hopes for the images we'll make. The studio is always a double edges sword for me, and I have never resolved the issues it brings to my work, or the problems inherent in its use. Outdoors, on the other hand, seems like a hand in glove...

Erica Models in a River (Rocky Pond Stream, Maine)

35mm infrared film

The successes of the first session with Erica boded well for the work we planned to do the following day, but nothing could prepare me for the space in which we worked, or the images that she would help me produce there. There is little I can do to explain the grandeur of the space in which we arrived after an hour traveling over highways, back roads, and dirt-track. We walked out of the woods to see a swift flowing stream sweep over a wide shelf of granite.

4"x5" film

It was on this plain of water-covered rock that Erica and I worked for the afternoon - the entire session focused on water Nudes.. More often than not, as before, Erica found the pose before I had a chance to direct her - often going far beyond anything I would consider asking of her. Early in the session we were setting up an image when she yelled above the rushing water "What about this" - and then submerged her head in the water. This produced the strongest image of the day - the infra-red to the left.

4"x5" film

This session was my first working with swift-moving water since the images with Kris made two years before. I built upon the earlier experiences - where before I would take as many as five images of a single pose, varying the shutter speed, with Erica I was confident that one or two would suffice.

Chandler Models Outdoors (Orono, Maine)

35mm infrared film

I will be the first person to admit that males are underrepresented in my work. The challenge of finding male models mystifies me, but it has been a constant - even men who are comfortable posing with their partners are strangely reluctant to work with me on their own. It mystifies me to no end. Only three times have I been lucky enough to work with male models who were fully comfortable with the process - Chandler being the most recent.

35mm infrared film

I had worked with Chandler six weeks before, but the weather then had precluded working outdoors. This time our luck was better, and though we only had an hour to work, what was produced was really well seen, and in some ways, surprising. Given the tight time restriction, we decided to stick close to home, working in the same place along the Penobscot River where I had photographed in April. The landscape was vastly different however, as the floodwaters had long receded, and the riverside forests were in full leaf. It was within the base of these trees that Chandler and I began to work.

35mm infrared film

The results of the session were really pleasing - in a single hour of working we managed to come up with a number of dynamic images - all produced on 35mm infra-red. The number of successes is not as remarkable as the camera in which they were produced. Though I usually carry a Nikon loaded with infra-red film, it seldom eclipses the work produced with the view camera. The power and unique beauty of a successful infra-red image makes the burden of the second camera worthwhile, but until this session I had never had a body of images which were so heavily weighted towards the infra-red work. I am not sure if I should attribute this to ever increasing comfort with the film, to the visual effect of the super-wide angle of the 19mm lens, or just to luck.

Lisa in a Studio (Orono, Maine)

Working again at Laurel's house, I set up the studio lights with a very small (3'x5') backdrop, and worked with Lisa for an hour against it. The set up was minimal and simplistic, but a number of successful images were created.

35mm infrared film

The image above would normally, I suspect, bother me, since it is basically a generic glamour pose. There is, however, an undeniable power emanating from Lisa's shoulders, changing a potentially problematic image into one of incredible strength and confidence. I have an equivalent image on 4"X5" film, but it has a totally different feel because of the infra-red film I used instead.

35mm infrared film

The studio lights I brought to Maine only ended up being used two out of four possible nights, but the images with Neil and Laurel, combined with those of Lisa made the second night, made the lugging of the lighting equipment worth it.

Nude on the Stillwater (Orono, Maine)

In my practice, experience with modeling nude is not a prerequisite for producing strong images of the nude. Erica had come across a poster of my work in an art store in Orono, and had asked the store owner how to go about modelling for me. We set up our first session during a 30 second conversation, and met the next day to go to work.

35mm transparency film

Initially I was reticent about working with a new model without spending some time talking about my process, and what they were seeking from the work, but I didn't have another model available for the afternoon, and felt there was little to lose. Within half an hour of working though, I knew my hesitance was misplaced. Erica was an intuitive model, on par with Aeyla from last summer, finding poses quickly, and working within spaces until the flowed around her.

6x12 cm film

Over the two hours we worked, Erica and I moved through three areas along the Stillwater River, exploring the water's edge and the visual potential found there. The three images displayed here are all backed with water - horizon less images which draw on the luminosity and texture of the river to fill in the "sky".

4"x5" film

The speed with Erica found images made the afternoon an incredible success - the final image to the right was drawn from my simple request "what about that rock there?" - before I even had the tripod in place, Erica was lying back, perfectly positioned against the brilliance of the evening light.

Returning to Fort Knox (Prospect, Maine)

6x12 cm film

During my first trip to Maine in August 1997, I was surprised to discover the incredible visual space of Fort Knox, about 45 minutes south of Bangor, in central Maine. Having done so much work with the Nude recently, I thoroughly enjoyed spending an afternoon at Knox, working at leisure with light and space, perspective and view. Someone recently commented that what he liked about my work was the light, how tactile it was, and how I used it to shape the image. The spaces at Fort Knox are all about light and shape, and the bright, overcast afternoon we had at Fort Knox provided the perfect crayon with which to draw the images.

4"x5" film

I have not made many architectural images recently for two primary reasons - 1) I have an iron in the fire which would dictate a very concentrated body of work with Architecture, and 2) I have had models to work with - buildings and ruins (I hope) will be around another day, but a chance to work with a model may pass, and it is simply not worth the risk of missing an opportunity to work with the Nude to work with a building that could wait for another day.

4"x5" film

All this said, it was very enjoyable to spend three hours working at my own pace in a space as visually rich as Fort Knox. With a model I am always conscious of time, not wanting to bore or annoy the focus of my work - with a fort this is never a worry (although sometimes the younger people who are with me get a little tired of waiting) and I can spend as long as I want on perfecting an image on the ground glass before I expose it - or decide it doesn't work. In the afternoon at Fort Knox I made fourteen 4"x5" negatives, three of the strongest of which are displayed here. If I had worked faster and shot more, there would certainly have been more to work from, but I am very doubtful that it would have generated more to work with.

A Couple in a Studio (Orono, Maine)

35mm infrared film

This certainly counts as my latest photo session to date, running from 11:45pm to 2:15am. Laurel and Neil were keen to model again, but my short visit, combined with Laurel's early morning flight meant we only had the few hours late at night to work. Where my first couple images in Maine were made by candlelight, this time I worked with studio flash (on loan from a friend in Nova Scotia), equipped with a silvered umbrella and a honeycomb, so lighting was not an issue.

35mm infrared film

The more work I do with couples, the more I come to understanding the aesthetic I wish to covey. I have become very conscious that it is the sensual side of relationships I have been imaging - creating photos that convey comfort, intimacy and affection. While this focus is still central to my couple images, the kiss photo made me question the place of sexuality within my work.

4"x5" film

Though it is of no interest to me to cross the line into pornography, I am trying hard not to shy away from images because of a blanket condemnation of their implication. Thus the final image to the right. What would have been a reasonably decent solo nude becomes, with the inclusion of the second model, a charged image. The legs across which the woman reclines provides a heightened sexuality to the image which builds on the erotic implication already present due to the pose. I am not sure if this kind of image will become more common in my work with couples, but it builds upon the kiss, and again, pushes my work a little further past where I thought it would rest, while still maintaining my vision.

Two Models at Hadlock Brook (Mount Desert Island, Maine)

My second trip to Maine this year was in theory dedicated to picking up my exhibit, Evolving Beauty. I say "in theory" because my major activity once in Maine was continuing the work with the models I had photographed six weeks before. Almost all the images this April were made during my initial trip to hang the exhibit.

4"x5" film

The image above is by far one of my most successful dual-model nudes, with a strong contrast between the nude lying in the water on the rock crest and the closed nude crouched to the right below. It is often hard to work with two models in a single frame. This setting, however, called for a second model, and seemed appropriately finished with her addition.

4"x5" film

One of the biggest lessons I am learning about working with figure models is that while previous experience may be irrelevant, continued collaboration can do nothing but improve the final images. Ellen and Lisa had worked with me three times in April 1998. These two models are friends, and had asked to model together, so we headed off for Mount Desert Island to find a suitable setting.

4"x5" film

In the end, the session was fairly short - curtailed by bugs and cool temperatures, but it yielded a surprising number of rich images. This is, I think, due to a change in approach - rather than using two models for each image and struggling with the posing, I waited until a scene called for two models, and it came together almost immediately.