Ingrid at the Dam

Digital original, 28 frame stitch

As with the session with Christina, this was a perfect time to use the EOS 10D; there wasn't enough time to merit taking the 8"x10" camera and, after seeing the results of my stitching work with Christina and Elizabeth, I was more than confident that if I saw an image which really captivated me, I could create a composite image which would permit larger prints to be made without any problems. While the EOS 10D, with its 6 mp sensor produces a very high quality image, it is always good to have more information to work with, if a larger print is desired.

When we arrived at the dam, it was barely flowing with water. This permitted Ingrid to clamber down off the dam and into the actual water-flow; I worked my way down into the shallow stream below, and proceeded to make a number of images of Ingrid and the top of the dam. The best of these has an almost sculptural quality, with Ingrid's compact form dwarfed by the sheet of water below her.

Digital original, 14 frame stitch

The rest of the session was spent working on and around the granite blocks that made up the sidewalls of the dam. The late afternoon light was beautiful, and as the dam is under a highway overpass, it came from the side more then above, which proved to give it a particularly striking quality. Almost all the images have a drama to them which comes from this light.

Digital original

The last dozen images or so were portraits of Ingrid; I realized after her departure in 1999 that I had few portraits of her, and hoped to make up for this through concentrating more on nude portraits as I continue to work with Ingrid. Of the images from this day, the most pleasing was the one show here, with a little "Ingrid smile", which gives some insight into her playful side. I hope to continue to push the portraits, but this bodes well as a beginning.