An Indoor Session with L_

Because of the time-based aspect of my work with Aurora (she is only going to be pregnant for so long), I have not worked much with other models since the beginning of the fall. Pretty much any time I have had to make or work on images has been put into the documentation and exploration of Aurora's pregnancy. I had initially put aside today for another session with Aurora, but when I learned she was not available, I eagerly seized the chance to work with another model as a change of pace, and asked L_ and Krista if they were free and interested in working with me. Fortunately, neither model had plans, so we agreed to meet, and see what happened.

8"x10" film

As it turned out, Krista was unable to come, so what I had anticipated to be a two-model session quickly morphed into a continuation of my collaboration with L_. Like may of our sessions before, much of the work we produced focused upon portrait nudes, combining the power of the gaze of the model with the implied comfort and intimacy of her nudity.

Digital original

In many ways, this session is a continuation of two bodies of work; my ever-growing series of nudes of models using available light and white sheets, and my collaboration with L_. Working within such a minimalist set of parameters imposes a definite sense of continuity to the white-sheet work, while the addition of more imagery to the body of work that L_ and I have produced over the last year and a half simply builds upon an already solid foundation.

Digital original

Almost every image of the session had at least an element of portraiture to it; L_'s comfort with the camera and the process combined with the beautiful light of the afternoon made it hard to resist. I seem to go through phases in my work where I will concentrate on bodyscapes and universal images (meaning images where the model is not presented as an individual, but more as an "every-body") for a while, and then flip back to focusing upon the Nude combined with portraiture. I am not sure if the reason for this focus at the moment is spending so much time photographing Aurora's pregnancy, which inevitably focused upon the body along, but there was certainly an unconscious focus on portraiture during the session with L_.

Digital original

The close of the session was spent with the last of the afternoon's light (the sun is now pretty much set by 4:30 pm) in the bathroom, working with L_ in the shower. The combination of colour images and water on her skin lead to a number of striking photographs. These are very much rooted in the work with Aurora in the shower, and while my bathroom only has a skylight, the subtle highlights from skylight helped give the images a sparkle that keeps them alive.