Miranda and Trav in a Bath (Feltzen, Nova Scotia)

After Victoria's departure, I began to work with Trav and Miranda, again keeping the session indoors because of the heavy fog outdoors. Rather then work in the same spaces in which I'd just finished photographing Victoria in, I decided to work in the bathroom, first with the shower, and then with the bath - both of these spaces were well lit, and full of potential.

35mm transparency film

We began working in the shower, both because it is a space I enjoy working with couples in, and because I wished to carry out an experiment; infrared film shower nudes. I was not sure if there'd be enough infrared radiation coming though the fog to light the shower stall, but figured it'd be worth the risk, given how strong the results could be. The trial proved a success, and while I'd made images of Trav and Miranda in the shower in colour as well, it was the monochrome softness of the infrared which really came through in the end.

When the models shifted to working in the bathtub, both the black and white and colour images proved successful. I began exploring the possibilities of the setting with the 35mm camera, using the speed and spontaneity possible to frame up images. Most of the photos I made in colour were tightly framed, using a portrait lens up close to focus on the details. My favourite of these has an interesting play of lines, with the complexity of Trav's hands folding across Miranda's belly interrupting the lines of her pelvis.

35mm film

While I was working with the 35mm, I kept in mind the 8"x10" camera, and when I saw an image that would suit the larger negative better, I shifted gears, and set up the Toyo. In the end, I only made two images with the view camera, but the second, shown below, is one of my best-seen couple images of the last years. The obvious intimacy and comfort of the image, drawn from the simple inclusion of the half-hidden hands, and the extra knees does it all. By using a careful forward tilt on the lens, I was able to extend the focal plane across Miranda's torso, so the majority of the image is in sharp focus. The small water-droplets that sit between the breasts and across Miranda's arm just finish the delight in the image creates for me.

8"x10" film

For all the fun the models had with this session, the results have a still tenderness which is particularly pleasing. As the weekend had been planned around Victoria alone, the chance to work with a couple, and produce such rich images, was more then welcome.