Miles on a Beach (Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia)

4"x5" film

This day was more of a reconnoiter for future sessions than a serious day of photography. Miles wanted to show me some spaces on the Eastern Shore. As we had no models for the day, I did not expect to do any figure work, but brought my camera along all the same. When we came to Lawrencetown beach, however, I knew I wanted to work within the space, and Miles kindly agreed to model.

All up and down the beach, people had built rock shelters, some obviously for fires, while others, like the one on the right, were more than likely shields from the ocean winds. These spaces called out for nudes, and as there were a few people wandering up and down the beach, it was a perfect place to work - out of sight and out of mind.

4"x5" film

After we made the initial images in the rock-alcove, we moved back further from the water and onto the dunes. Unlike those on which I worked with Megan, a year earlier, these were real dunes, sweeping gently along the back of the beach. The image of Miles falling back between the dune grass is a strong contrast to the closed, curled nude along the beach, a strong reflection of how the setting helps dictate the pose.