March 27, 2004

Miranda and Monique in Moncton

It seemed oddly appropriate to spend the evening after a full day in Halifax spent teaching a Studio Lighting Workshop in a studio working working with models. The previous week, Miranda told me of a friend of hers, Monique, who was interested in working with me; I had met up with the two of them the night before to talk about working them and the only time both Miranda and Monique had available before I left to return to Moncton was on Saturday night, so after dinner, we met up, and by 9:30 pm, the session was under way.
8"x10" film
One interesting side effect of teaching is that it makes me far more conscious of my own working practice than I normally would be. After spending the day talking about a variety of lighting set ups for different situations, I was painfully away of how simple my own approach to lighting is - over the two hours of the session, I only worked with two lighting set-ups - one with two lights, and the second with one.

I think the simplicity of my approach to studio work is rooted in my innate frustration with the process - I'd rather work with the nuances of pose and camera position then obsess over lighting each and every image to the max. This works well for me, and certainly makes a studio session move along swiftly. Without an assistant, readjusting the lighting more then a couple of times a session would really slow down the process.
Digital original
For a model posing nude for the first time, the studio is a double edged sword - it is a small, secure space with no chance of interruption, a warm, draft-free environment to pose in. By the same token though, the entire focus of the studio is on the model - they stand in the light, and everything is centered upon them. For Monique, a first time model, this was tempered somewhat by the fact that she was working with Miranda, who is more then comfortable with the whole process. If there was any hesitation or nervousness on Monique's part, it was gone by the time we actually started working, with standing portraits of Miranda and Monique.
Digital original
The session went much as I had expected; Miranda and Monique working comfortably in both aesthetic and more personal images, though as the session evolved, I quickly let go of focusing on the abstract, and concentrated on the chemistry between the models. From previous sessions with Miranda and other models, I had guessed the session would focus on the interplay between the two models; Miranda has a knack for putting other people at ease, and this shows through in the images, even with a first-time model.

March 22, 2004

An Indoor Session with L_

The last session of the Halifax trip was at L_'s apartment and was as good a proof for my approach of never planning ahead as I have ever had. Often when presenting on my work, I'm asked how I come up with ideas, or bring a concept; my answer is always the same, I don't. About as far as I come to planning a session's images is deciding (with the model) where and when we'll work - if it's outdoors, I usually defer to the model's preference for setting, and indoors, we just work with what presents itself, in the way of lighting and settings.
Digital original
The first time I'd worked in L_'s apartment was shortly after she moved in, and there was little in the way of furniture or clutter. This time, however, I'd expected to need the white sheets to simplify the setting, and create the kind of space I enjoy working with. All that changed when I walked into her place; as part of an art college project, L_ had been working with self-portraits in mirrors, and had a number of full-length wall mirrors in one of her rooms. We actually spent the first fifteen minutes or so just looking at her project, and discussing what she was doing with her images, before even considering what we'd spend our time together doing.

In the end, the lure of the mirrors was too much to resist exploring (I had produced an entire body of work with the Nude on mirrors between 1999 and 2001). Initially I was worried that L_ would see my asking to photograph her with the mirrors as in imposition on her already-in-progress project, but she said it would be interesting to see how I worked with the same foil she had been using for so long.
Digital original
I had an odd sense of deja-vu for the entire session, as over and over, I would catch glimpses of what initially had drawn me to working with the Nude on mirrors - the magical ability to see what was hidden from the main view, the incredible repetitions that could occur quite suddenly because of the twist of a hip or the movement of an arm. All this was layers over the very different setting of working in a room lit by daylight, and with multiple mirrors, as opposed to just one. In some ways, I think the addition of the mirror is as dynamic as the addition of a second model - all of a sudden, there is not just one pose to be considered, but two (or in this case, three). The richness of the visual plane increases with the reflections, and everything immediately becomes more complex.
Digital original
As enjoyable as the mirrors were to work with, I didn't want the session to be a totally experimental one, so after spending most of our time (and the afternoon's light) working with them, I shifted to a portrait approach, and moved with L_ into her bedroom, to make a series of images on her bed. The light had dropped quite a bit by this point, and while I did make some images with the 8"x10" camera, there just wasn't enough light to work effectively, so I very quickly just settled to working with the digital camera. Again, the loose, open composition approach that I have been experimenting with since January came into play, resulting in images about a body in a space, as opposed to my more traditional tightly-framed portraits.

Photographing Natasha in Natural Light

The second (and final) day of my short Halifax trip started with me working indoors at Natasha's apartment; I hadn't seen the space before, but given the small and dim rooms I'd worked in to date, I assured her that as long as there was a decent amount of space and some light, it would work out fine. As it turned out, the room she made available to work in had a large window facing a white sun-lit building, perfect for providing a soft directional light.
8"x10" film
On the surface, the session was quite similar to the previous day's session, with soft window light and a white couch but really situation was quite different. Where the exposures from the previous day was quite long, the bright light in Natasha's apartment made it quite easy to work with the 8"x10" camera, and the white futon turned out to be a wonderful setting for the images, with quite a different quality from the sheet covered couch from the previous afternoon.

We began with Natasha lying on the couch - the obvious thing to do I guess, but with the bare wall above the couch, I immediately wanted to work with a vertical image, with a Nude curled at the bottom of the frame (again, an image strongly influenced by a nude of Kylie against the wall made in January). The balance between such a simple wall, place din two third of the image, and the futon and Nude placed at the bottom seemed to call out to me directly. I had thought that the room size might be a problem, but as soon as I put the 150mm wide angle lens on the camera (equal to a 24mm lens on a 35mm camera) I actually had to move the camera closer to the futon to frame the image as tight as I wanted to be.
Digital original
 Because of the higher light levels, this session was a more natural mix of digital and film than many of the sessions to date have been. From the beginning of the year, most of the sessions have focused on digital images, with the view camera brought in when appropriate images presented themselves, but with Natasha, a number of images started at 8"x10" compositions, and the digital camera was only introduced after the main image was recorded.
Digital original
From the opening images to the end of the session, the good light persisted, and the minimalist setting helped keep the compositions and poses simple and classical. Natasha worked lying on the couch for about half the session, until we shifted to making some portraits, first sitting up, and then (as for the portrait to the left) standing on the couch (I had her stand on the couch so she could lean against the wall - that gave enough stability to the poses to permit working with the view camera). All in all, the images from the session have a quiet strength to them that I find quite appealing - as much a testimony to Natasha's poise and presence as to my ability to record what is present to work with.

March 21, 2004

Kylie & Miranda Model Together

Shortly after my last session with Kylie, I was thinking of asking her if she had any interest in working with another models (male or female) when she asked me if Miranda might be interested in modeling with her. I've always been surprised by the comfort of some models in working with others (it is never a surprise when models work with their partners, but it is different when they work with a model they are not intimately involved with); there is an obvious connection when the models are already acquainted (like the New Year's day session with L_, Elisabeth and Krista), but in a number of cases, models have asked about working with other models without having met them first. I think the main motivation for this is appreciating my work with multiple models, and being curious about what they could contribute to that collection of images; with Kylie, it was as simple as wishing to vary the breadth of the work we've produced to date.
Digital original
As I suspected, Miranda was more then comfortable with the proposal of working with Kylie, and during a short weekend visit to Halifax, we were able to work out a time that suited all three people involved. The space we had to work in was both small and a little dim, so even before we started the session, a lot of work was put into moving the furniture around to maximize the working space. Nothing much could be done to increase the light - in warmer weather I would have opened the deck door to let in more light, but there was freezing rain outside (part of the reason the light levels were so low), I thought it better to keep the door shut!
Digital original, 3 frame stitch
The session actually started out with some standing images, silhouetted against the central window of the door, but these didn't work as well as I have hoped, so we quickly shifted to working on the couch, making a series of images of the models intertwined and relaxing. It is this point that I am always the most anxious about; if the chemistry of the models doesn't mix, there is an obvious tension to the images that can be hard to work around. With Kylie and Miranda, however, there wasn't any problem with comfort, and the first image saw Kylie leaning back into the couch, and Miranda collapsing across her legs. Because of the small room size, I had to fight to keep the composition within the frame with the 8"x10" camera, but the composition was just possible, and very striking.
Digital original, 3 frame stitch
The rest of the session was spent working on variations of the same, either Miranda reclining and Kylie fitting into the pose, or the other way around. Because of the low light levels, I concentrated on working with the digital camera, but whenever an image look particularly strong, I would take the time to record it on the view camera. The only real exception was the final image of the session, with Miranda sitting up, and Kylie lying on her front, looking at the camera. As soon as I saw it (a non-pose of the models simply waiting for a decision to continue working or end the session), I knew it would make a great portrait image. To get the right perspective, I had to be right against the far wall - a position that was impossible with the larger camera. I made the image with the digital, breaking it into two stitched vertical frames to keep the image as high quality as possible.

March 12, 2004

A Couple in Montreal

The last figure session of the Montreal visit was also the one most short-changed by the hectic schedule. I had intended the session to run from 1pm until the light left (around 4:30), but due to a change of plan with the gallery I was presenting work to, I had to wrap the session up by 3pm. This gave only two hours for the session, and while this might have been more than enough for a short session with experienced models, this was my first session with Mary-Jane and Mattaeo, which by necessity meant much of the session was spent just getting the models comfortable with the process.
Digital original
For this session, the issue was even more emphasized by the fact that I hadn't had a chance to sit down with with the models before the session to discuss my work and their expectations. While this was a less than perfect situation, Mary Jane assured me that it wasn't an issue, as she'd been through my site, and was quite familiar with my work as a whole (though in hindsight, she did mention she likely would have responded much differently to the process if she'd had had the meeting with me before the session).

While the intent of the session was to work with Mary Jane, her partner Matteo accompanied her and, as we were setting up for the session, Joy asked if he was planning to model as well. After a short and somewhat scattered conversation/debate, he indicated he wasn't opposed to the possibility, if an image presented itself. I told Matteo that one of my favorite subjects to work with was couples and that if he was comfortable, I'd be sure to take advantage of his presence.
Digital original
I began the session with a series of portraits of Mary Jane, both to get a feel for how she responded to the camera and how she photographed. Once those were finished, I shifted to working with her sitting in front of a suspended white sheet - this space had been set up for Marie-Eve but to work with Mary-Jane, I shifted it to be perpendicular to the windows, creating a space that was side-lit, as opposed to front-lit.

After a couple of compositions on her own, I asked Matteo if he'd like to contribute his arms to the image (this both completed what I saw as a potential image through the viewfinder, and gave him a first step to working fully nude). After a whole series of images revolving around Matteo embracing Mary Jane from behind, I change the setting again to working standing by the windows, and asked if Matteo was ready to do some fullbody poses. He jumped right in, and for the remainder of the frustratingly brief session, I worked with the two models.
Digital original, 7 frame stitch
It is a wonderful gift, being permitted to photograph a couple together - there is a natural energy generated by two people so comfortable with each other and this, combined with the intimate quality generated by the nudity, leads to undeniably personal photos. Many of the couple I've worked with have been good friends, but even in a situation like this sesion, where the models have never met me before, because the session focuses on the chemistry between the models, the images are just as striking, giving voice to the tenderness and affection between the models. The only thing lacking from the session was the time to take full advantage of the potential unfolding before me, in the embrace of the two models.

March 09, 2004

A Session with a Local Model

Without a doubt, the biggest impact of the move to Moncton on my work is the fact that most of the models and locations I have worked are now a three-hour drive away. This is mitigated somewhat with the fact that over the spring and summer, I'll be in Halifax on a monthly basis, but it does mean that much of the coming year will be dedicated to discovering new models and locations.
8"x10" film
My first session with a local model was last fall, when I worked with Lindsay; (I hope to continue working with him outdoors, once the weather warms up), but it was only recently that a second local model, Genevieve, was able to come by to work. As the winter months drag on, the the days start to lengthen, I am starting to get itchy to work outdoors, and tied to that is the hope to find new models to work with.

Genevieve's interest in working with me is born in part in her own artwork, which work a lot with the female nude; also, in the past, she'd modeled for a local artist, so she already was quite comfortable with modeling nude. Though we started the session later in the morning, the light in the kitchen was till good enough to work by, so we set up the futon and started to work. Because of the time, the light was totally diffused by the time it hit the white sheets, so my usually strong back-lit images were more subdued than normal.
Digital original
On the whole, the session went well, but I was frustrated by the light and the large amount of work I have already produced indoors this winter; numerous times I would frame up and image, or suggest a pose only to find that it too closely mirrored earlier work with Kylie or Miranda. In the end, after making a couple of very strong horizontal images of Genevieve using the 8"x10" camera, I called the session to an end, content with the couple of images I felt were strong and frustrated by the limited space and diminished light.

March 08, 2004

Kylie on a Sunday Morning

Given how many sessions Kylie and I have done indoors, it would be fair to expect us to begin to run out of ideas and poses - and so I thought. As winter comes to a close and the days grow lighter and warmer, the itch to move outdoors and resume my work with the nude in landscape grows, but it will still be a month or two before that is possible, so I have to content myself with what can be done indoors. 
Digital original
For this session, rather than recreate the same space that Kylie had already worked in before (both the previous day, and in January), we decided to work with just the window, and a chair. Initially, I had reservation about this, as I shy away from using props in my images, preferring to just work with the figure alone, but short of returning to the sheet-covered futon, or working with standing poses (which we had worked with extensively the previous two sessions), it seemed the best option.
Digital original
As it turned out, the chair was a fabulous focal point for the session; Kylie responded well to it and, over the session the chair gradually spun in a full circle, with her working with every side of it and the two of us exploring the possibilities. My initial hesitation about using the chair proved groundless, as the session was firmly focused on Kylie's body and face as the subject; though present in almost every image, the chair simply becomes part of the background setting,a nd isn't distracting or jarring in any of the compositions.
Digital original
Probably the most pleasing element of the session was how spontaneously Kylie found poses - usually it can take a bit of experimentation before a session really takes off and hits its stride but this session, pretty much from the first image Kylie and I were making engaging images that took advantage of both the beautiful light and the strong poses. After the previous evening's session, where I was changing the lighting often, and focusing as much on that as the pose and composition, it seemed refreshingly simple to concentrate on the composition along - the lighting was as near to perfect as it can get, and the poses seemed to unfold in front of me, only occasionally requiring a suggestion to change them into striking photographs.

March 07, 2004

Kylie Returns to the Studio

Digital original

Because of how tight our schedules are, when Kylie did have time available to model, we made the most of it - three sessions in one day is not common; except when I was in Alberta with Victoria in 1999, I doubt I work three times in a day with a single model more then a couple of times a year. That being said, with access to three different settings/styles of work available, we took advantage of the possibilities.
Digital original
We started our studio session with an evolution of the semi-silhouette images I'd made with Miranda earlier; this time I was able to get closer to my intention. My first attempt with frustrated me because the background was too distinct because the flash was so bright and I needed to stop the lens down on the digital camera to a smaller aperture to compensate; this time I used a neutral density (ND) filter to reduce the depth of field. The final results were very pleasing, both from a technical perspective, with a better mix of shadows and light, and a more pleasing depth of field. I think I will continue to pursue this idea, as between the images of Miranda and this session with Kylie, I have made a number of images of this type that really jump out at me.
Digital original
Once we finished working with the painted backdrop and the strong side lighting, I changed the room around to a more traditional set-up (for me, at least), with the black backdrop and my single light to the front, providing a pleasing light for portraiture. Again, having only a single flash-head to work with was somewhat limiting but by the same token, my usual frustration with studio work was somewhat mitigated by the simplicity of the set-up - with a single light, there are only so many options.

Another Session with Kylie

After spending the morning working with white sheets and my kitchen light, we shifted our location to a friend's apartment and resumed working. This time, we were working with black cloth as the background. After several years of focusing my available light work on working with white sheets, I decided at the end of 2003 to purchase a large black sheet and see what would come from shifting the background from white to black.
8"x10" film
We started working with Kylie standing in front of the backdrop, with the large picture window and a reflector providing the light. The end result looked much like our earlier studio flash images but the process was very different; whereas in the studio I feel compelled to adjust the lighting for each and every image, with the natural light, I just worked with the pose and composition. This leads to the creation of images in a much more spontaneous manner than I would have done with the same pose in a studio; overall, while the look speaks of a lighting studio, the process of making the images was much closer to the way I prefer working.
Digital original
Once we exhausted the possibilities offered by standing poses in front of the backdrop, we shifted to working with Kylie on the floor, with the black sheet as the cover for the carpet. We began working with the digital camera, making a series of images based upon some rather extreme stretches. In a pause between these poses, Kylie relaxed, and, quite spontaneously, a striking portrait was born. I asked her if she could hold the pose and quickly (well, in 5 minutes or so which is rapid for large format) set up the 8"x10" view camera to make the image. The difference between working with the digital camera, where I could respond to a pose intuitively and swiftly, and using the view camera, where even a small composition change takes a fair amount of effort to make, was incredible. I enjoy working with the digital camera and have made many a successful image with it, but every time I pause the process, and switch to the view camera, I find myself reveling in the flexibility, clarity and control of the larger format film camera.
Digital original, 6 frame stitch
The session wrapped up with Kylie working against the same wall that yielded one of my favorite images of the year to date; this time, instead of having strong directional light, we were working with a softer light - the day was overcast, and direct sunlight was only fleeting, when it existed at all. As I'd learned with her the first time we'd worked in the apartment, Kylie has a particular skill for making the most minimal setting work for her - probably a side-effect of how strong a gaze she has. Very different from a model like Elisabeth, who has the classical "captivating gaze", but time and time again, it is Kylie's face which forms the centre of an image.

Kylie Returns to Moncton

Digital original
After my first sessions with Kylie in January were over, and all the images were processed and edited, I was very much looking forward to working with her again; her comfort with modeling clearly showed in the images and her enthusiasm for the entire process was a close mirror of my own - always a good thing! Time passed, and life got busy, but finally after eight weeks, it happened that our schedules coincided and she returned to continue working where we'd left off.
Digital original
We began with a session using the available light in the kitchen, the futon and sheets; as the year warms up, the light is slowly shifting back to shining directly through the deck doors, which is only going to increase the functionality of the space. This being said, by the time we actually got the room set up and ready to work, the last of the sun had moved to the side, and we were left with indirect light - bright enough to work with, but lacking the white brilliance of direct sunlight. This actually doesn't show up much in the images but it did have an influence in the kinds of images I could make - the lower light levels forced longer exposures, so while I continually returned to working with portraits, most of the images focused on reclining images, working with Kylie lying on her back or front, and using the back-lighting of the white sheets to light her figure.
Digital original
The entire tone of the session was different from those in January - then the main focus of the session were to introduce Kylie to working with me and create images that would gain her confidence. With this session, I was able to concentrate more on what I was seeking and made a number of images that pushed; one of the advantages of working with a model multiple times is that it is easier to make experiments and take risks without risking the relationship with a model - a couple of failed experiments here and there can often pale in the face of the successes (or so I hope).