A Studio session with R_ (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Because of the day's inclement weather, working outdoors with R_ wasn't an option, but I'd
arranged access to a friend's studio for the afternoon, as insurance against this possibility. R_  didn't really have a preference for the kind of images we were to make and, while I certainly prefer outdoor session to studio work, given we didn't have a choice, I tried to make the best of the resources at hand.

6x6 cm infrared film

The nicest surprise from the session was the image to the right; we'd initially set up the pose against
my preferred black background but something was lacking so I decided to try it with the painted background, just to see what happened. Surprisingly, while it doesn't really "look" like my work, I am really pleased with the results. The combination of the draped cloth and the confident pose adds up to a very different image for me...not sure what that means really, but I know I like the image, and that is enough for me.

6x6 cm infrared film

The last time I'd worked in the studio, it was in a temporary location that somewhat limited the
possibilities due to the small size of the room. Since then, the new location has been completed, with a high ceiling and lots of working space. As I hadn't worked in it before, the session with R_ was both my first time in a studio in six months, and my first time in this particular studio. It always takes some time to adjust to a new space, and combining that with a first studio session with a new model made for an interesting afternoon.

6x6 cm infrared film

Unlike outdoor work, studio images generally revolve around a small number of variations. I always begin with portrait work, because it is the most familiar process for the model. After that, I tend to just let things happen as they do, drawing from the movement and response of the model to my suggestions. With R_, the process worked out quite well, with us doing everything from portraits to mirror nudes. Most of the images that appealed to me were made on medium format Konica, film that I had leftover from last year. While I find this film very difficult to work with outdoors, it seems very much to suit my studio process.