Lynn Marie Indoors (Feltzen South, Nova Scotia)

Lynn Marie came to me through her friendship with Carol; she'd viewed my work online, and approached me about wanting to model. The week passed, and one thing conflicted with another, but eventually the stars aligned, and we were able to set a date that worked for both of us.

6x7 cm film

As with the previous day, I'd hoped this would be an outdoor session, but the morning was cool and foggy, so we followed in Carol's footsteps and started our session indoors. For the first images we worked in a small bedroom, with Lynn Marie curled up on a corner chair, and then lying on the bed.

The light was wonderfully soft, diffused through the light fog that was still pervasive outside. This proved a great place to start, as it gave Lynn Marie a chance to get accustomed to the process while at the same time, it provided me with a physical space that gave some variation to the positions and poses possible for the model.

6x7 cm film

After a couple of rolls in the bedroom, we moved downstairs to the temporary studio I'd set up the previous day so we could continue the work I'd started with Carol and the skulls. This time, as opposed to a single caribou antler, I had a full skull and antler rack to work with. I'd known about the full rack the previous day, but had been reluctant to use it without the permission of the owner; for this session Joy headed over and asked, coming back shortly thereafter with the skull.

As with Carol, the introduction of the animal skull provided a catalyst for a whole series of images, each drawing directly from the interaction between the model and the lines and shape of the antlers and bone. Initially, I explored the skull in the most obvious ways, with the antlers curving up around Lynn Marie; this lead to some very striking compositions, the best of which were from a very low perspective, with the antlers sweeping up around the body. It was these images which I'd had in my mind's eye when I first saw the skull on the wall.

6x7 cm film

Once the most evident images were recorded, we proceeded to experiment more with the combination of the skull and the body, working both in close and with distant views. At one point, Lynn Marie stretched out her leg, and I was instantly reminded of an earlier image of Megan; I
placed the skull on the back of her thigh, and switched to a wide angle lens; what I saw took my
breath away! I refined the pose some, did what I could to even out the lines of the backdrop, and made the first exposure.