Lilly
and I had produced some very strong work in a series of sessions in
1998, but due to hectic schedules, had found it hard to get together to
work this year. Finally we managed to work out an evening we both had
free, and we headed for the country.
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4"x5" film |
Our
initial plan had been to head for the coast, to make a series of nudes
working against the setting sun. This project was shelved however, due
to a fog bank we encountered en route. Turning back, we opted to try the
Ingramport River, which was about ½ way back to Halifax. By the time we
arrived at the river, there was less than an hour left for us to work,
including our driving time.
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35mm infrared film
|
Working
under a time restriction is never my forte, but Lilly and I did the
best we could, with surprisingly strong results. The couple of 4"x5"
images we made were well framed, focusing more on the setting. The
composition used the body as an element of the setting, as opposed to
the focus of the images. What was more interesting, however, were the
35mm results. I was testing a new 20mm Canon lens, but because of the
setting sun, did not have enough light for hand-holding the camera while
imaging.. After putting the camera on a tripod, I made a series of
photographs using a one second exposure - my first long exposure images
made on infra-red film. The results mirror my 4"x5" work, but also
contain the elements of infra-red that appeal to me so strongly: the
dark, murky blacks and wonderfully luminous skin-tones.
![]() |
35mm infrared film
|
The
best result for me from a technical point of view was the overall image
quality of the session. The Canon 20mm lens proved to be every bit as
sharp as I had hoped, producing images that surpass the images I
produced earlier in the summer with a 20-35mm zoom. I have always used
fixed lenses on my 35mm cameras, and now regret my brief venture into
zoom lenses. The cost in terms of lens speed and sharpness is by no
means outweighed by the slight increase in convenience.
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