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.