A Natural Light Session

6x7 cm film

My first session with Natasha was in the studio, though a good portion of that session was actually spent working with the available light that came through a door. For this session, Natasha and I worked in my living room, with the diffused light through our double-deck door. Unlike the studio, however, we had a pull-out bed to work on that provided a broader variety of poses for Natasha to explore.

6x7 cm film

For this session, while I had the Mamiya RB set up and in use, most of my attention was focused upon the 8"x10" view camera; the diffused light through the sheet was more then enough to work with, and the success of the images I'd made with Natasha three weeks earlier made me want to explore the possibilities natural light offered. Also, Natasha was interested to see how the two approaches differed; she was pleased with the studio images, but agreed with me that the studio seemed a less then perfect setting. As it turned out Natasha was much more comfortable in the available light setting, though I suspect this was a much a reaction to approaching the session as an experienced model as it was to the space in itself.

8"x10" film

On the whole, the session flowed well; often I explored the possibilities of a given pose with the Mamiya, using the lighter camera to discover the angle or perspective that worked, refining the pose and composition, and then setting up the view camera to make the final exposure. This is very similar approach to how I have traditionally used 35mm infra-red film outdoors, and it seemed like a natural evolution to take that tactic to my indoor work. The precision and planning necessary to make an image with the 8"x10" camera is something that I revel in, and it was wonderful to have the time and patience granted by Natasha to work at the pace such an approach demands.