Ingrid and Victoria on Canada Day (Gold River, Nova Scotia)

4"x5" film

After finishing with the Rawdon tree, we drove to Gold River. From all the time we'd spent working there to date, we'd learned that the late afternoon/early evening light was the best, as the sun was screened from view quite early by the trees along the river bank. While light is absolutely essential to photography, under most circumstances, direct sunlight is the least desirable form for it to come in. The harsh shadows and viscous contrast are simply frustrating; in black and white they can be tamed somewhat, but in colour it is practically an exercise in futility.

4"x5" film

After over a year of owning it, I have become quite proficient with my 75mm lens on my 4"x5" camera (equal to about a 24mm lens on a 35mm). I am continually surprised with the variety of images this lens, usually considered an extreme wide angle, can produce. The first two images here are both made with the same lens, yet the distortion commonly associated with ultra-wide angle lenses is absent from the image above. It would be easy to believe that the image was made with a normal or even short telephoto lens. Even when the 75mm lens distorts perspective and scale, as on the left, it is with a refinement which is often lacking in 35mm wide angle work (a good example is the distortion present in my infra-red images). The flexibility of this lens has becoming a major element in in my figure work.

4"x5" film

When we arrived at the Killdevils, the light was perfect; the sky was bright and lightly covered with clouds, and the sun was descending behind the high screen of trees. Victoria had never worked at the Killdevils before, and while I did make images of both Ingrid and Miles, the majority of my time was spent with her. Bringing a new model to a space I am already familiar with always lends a freshness to the images, and being a dancer, Victoria's body-space is well defined. Her ability to work with a location, finding the right pose and body position, is exceptional. This, combined with the incredibly rich visual space of the Killdevils lead to a stellar session.