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.