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.