After two sessions in the studio, both Aurora and I felt it was time to return to available light; I by far prefer to react to an environment, rather than having to create one. Aurora suggested her apartment, which would both put her in a comfortable personal space, and challenge me to react to a totally unfamiliar location. Mid-morning, we convened and began to work, starting with her sitting on a light coloured couch.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhecrLi6wRobrGVvF8rKRTeE3DTegJRE_mEVwhn2kIGMCzjSIrhd81z7I3K3-2d2YAefjeLlJ5ekhyphenhyphenisFWrc3xwCVeqKThFLwp8U_CMZxl4J4fl9NSVzjivJMUPoEl2DtOKBno8_FKRxUw/s1600/120-02-266-05.jpg) |
6x7 cm film |
One reason why I think most people prefer photographing outdoors is
because of the low light levels indoors; this is easily overcome with
one of the simplest and most accessible of photographic accessories, a
tripod. All of the images of Aurora I made on this day were made with
shutter speeds between one eight and a full second, depending on the
setting. The freedom to make an image as it occurred to me, as opposed
to being restricted by the limitations of lighting is a great advantage
that more the offsets the slower pace of working on a tripod.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIT8X9Lko06Pd9OpOhjJ8cyaOoyDfSL0mp9shUgFdyxoszxDWFmUTvkXNqS3iA4Iw_MfS5j5O6gaocQGKoq4MaZ28qbvZdzfOS1yoo8Q4Mffv3awxASLMxd7pqd16WUubgIov7DA9tfSo/s1600/120-02-267-02.jpg) |
6x7 cm film |
After
we spent some time exploring the possibilities of the couch, I was a
little lost as to where to work next, until I caught a glimpse of the
light in the hallway, outside the living room. Lit only by a small
window on the lower landing, the light was dramatic and strongly
angular. Once Aurora moved into the space, things really came together
with the window light giving a rim-light to her figure, and enough fill
light coming in from the rest of the house to stop her figure from
becoming a shadowed silhouette.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVmD3Rp4EPNWkVuHTo8Vi0NkcVMEiZOAA0K3_0OOC991XZ5Tz-v0E4DhOEotPV_hXL6Ua2yh8Buo1QUKE8az6nousLWugWwKNkobCa_9xI1beFnr2sQEK6SufuyLk5UONsU-1UIc984LQ/s1600/135-02-32-06.jpg) |
6x7 cm film |
The last location for the session was in the shower; when Aurora and I had discussed working in her house, she'd mentioned her bathroom, with a window over the bathtub; I had envisioned working with her in the bath, lit by the window behind her, but when I saw the room layout, everything changed; the window was higher, just perfect for lighting a shower-nude. I asked Aurora if she'd be up for shower images, and she was more then willing to give it a try. As the day was overcast, I had to use 3200 speed film to make the images; even with that speed film, the exposures were in the quarter second range.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTv1CdjjN3OehVyk1nuU-23naEE9KuyuSDbCCzpMgBlEYccf7NqjmsRfkxXHVcSU96bkGrPD2YAEb6L8w5sB6ukpKT_lWC8Xu0k9PIg7sTuKIiAwv_UWwUq9a0bGcgkUR79xJBTtkzFiM/s1600/120-02-269-06.jpg) |
6x7 cm film |
The images that happened were magical - the backlighting made the water almost glow, and as it bounced off Aurora's skin, it made a glow seem to appear around her body. The only frustration was that working with medium format (my Mamiya RB) didn't permit me to correct the perspective of the images; the window was off-centre, forcing me to angle the camera into the room, thereby distorting the window shape. All I kept thinking during the session was "if only I had my 8x10 camera". Perhaps next time.