Miranda Models in a Foggy Coast (Feltzen, Nova Scotia)

As the day progressed, the fog didn't lift much, but we decided to head to the shoreline to work regardless; after working on the Cassandra Portfolio I was more open to the idea of working in fog, and actually looked forward to using the soft, delicate light, and undefined horizons if possible.

35mm transparency film

After the outdoor work of the previous day with Victoria, I was interested in continuing to explore the juxtaposition of the female body against the visually rich rock. While I hadn't seen the earlier work, the images we'd made still danced in my mind's eye and called for more. Miranda was more then keen to follow my lead, and over ninety minutes, we created seven 8"X10" negatives, and exposed a roll of colour slides.

8"x10" film

In typical Boutilier-Brown fashion, this session covered less then 30 metres of shoreline, from start to finish. The amount of reflection and care that is going into each image is only part of the reason for the small amount of ground covered in the session; the rocks and shoreline were rich in possibility, and I was loath to move far, lest I miss an opportunity. Miranda worked hard with the spaces that caught my eye, and was even willing to get a little wet in the cool of a fall Atlantic Ocean (which, truth be told, was probably at its warmest temperature all year), all in the name of art!

What I think will prove to be one of my strongest 8"x10" images for the year was made towards the end of the session. I'd seen a section of rock broken off from the bedrock, and asked Miranda if she could lean into it, drawing her body off the level rock, and sweeping it up onto the triangle-shaped rock. I made the first image as I had envisioned it, with Miranda's shoulders and head the focus of the image, and the rest of her body receding.

8"x10" film

I was pleased, but proceeded to explore the pose from other angles, and it was then that I saw the lines of her legs to hip to knee, and realized how close I'd come to missing such a dynamic image! I quickly relocated the tripod, recomposed, and made a second image (it is extremely rare for me to make a second 8"x10" negative of a pose, as it represents 1/12 of my film for a given session). With careful composition and focus (using both the front swings and tilts possible with the view camera), the entire image came together on the ground glass before me.