Miranda Returns to the Bathtub

6x7 cm film

The second candle session with Miranda was much like the first. As a way to inject some variation into the session, we began the session with a smaller candle, that didn't need a holder. Because this had a broader base then the taller candle stick, we could sit it directly upon Miranda's body, which moved the light source very close to her body, which in turn made it easier to include the candle flame in the image. The first successful image uses the glimmer of the candle in the water to define the lower reflection of Miranda's hip in the bath water, while the pure white glow of the well-lit tub and back wall helped separate her hip in the other direction.

6x7 cm film

During our first session, every image we'd made worked with Miranda lying in the water, but for this session, we explored some of the possibilities offered by her sitting; the specular highlights of the water running off her body struck me as quite beautiful. The obvious problem with this approach was that the longer exposures required by working with a single candle presented some problems with Miranda keeping still. Fortunately, she could push her back into the wall of the bathtub behind her, and keep steady that way. The narrow focus required by the image was quite suitable for the image; Miranda's hand and the candle just a little soft, and the water drops on her face and breast are in sharp focus.

6x7 cm film

The final images of the session worked with the reflections in the water, similar to the work at the end of our previous session. Again, I was frustrated by my inability to get the camera low enough (the edge of the bath was in the way), which make me even more interested in eventually pursuing the idea of building a space in which to do studio-nudes in water; the reflective possibilities pull me back to the Simulacra work, while the visual possibilities of water on skin are self-evident.