June 30, 2004

A Candle Light Session

I have only worked with multiple models and candles a couple of times, and with mixed success - the small circle of illumination is difficult to work with when two models have to be lit, and while the intimacy it implies is welcome, if the subjects of the photographs are hidden in shadow, they have a much reduced impact.
Digital original
For this session, I was very directly building on the successes I'd had working previously with Miranda and Monique in April. That session had yielded a number of very strong images (in spite of losing more then half of the images to a tragic mistake), and made me rethink the difficulties I had had previously with two models and the candle. I think the root of the problem I had had was I was approaching it like a standard couple session, trying to light the scene with the candle, as opposed to building the image from the candle out. With the first approach, I would have the models find a comfortable pose, and then place the candle within it. The tactic I used for this session was the reverse - I placed the candle on the backdrop, and then had the models carefully move into the composition, adjusting their pose and position as dictated by the light.
Digital original
The impact this change in approach made on the resulting images was surprising. For over an hour the two model and I worked with the single candle, and successful image after successful image emerged. I started working with both models back-on to the candle, and making images of their buttocks lit by the light, but swiftly shifted to other less structured images. By placing one model in the foreground, in front of the candle, and the other model behind the candle, I had a base of the image (the first model) and a focus to the composition (the second model). I think the fundamental error I made in the past was I saw the candle as just the light course, and not the primary focus of the image.
Digital original
As the last session in a busy day, the candle-light photos were a great success. The primary advantage of the session was that both models could relax and be relatively comfortable during the session (though the question was posed as to why it couldn't take place on the far more comfortable futon), and the results were very pleasing. Bobbi has specifically asked about working with the candle, so after I'd exhausted the possibilities of both models together with the candle, Miranda moved to the comfy futon, and Bobbi and I made a small series of images of her with the candle alone.

Two Models at Cape Enrage

Shortly after moving to New Brunswick, I began searching for space in which I could work with the Nude; one of the most frequently suggested by locals was Cape Enrage, less than an hour south of Moncton. A quick reconnaissance trip confirmed the space was one idea for my approach, and I began to look for the right day to begin working with the space.

The greatest problem with any space on the Bay of Fundy is the tides; with a 9 metre tidal range, even if the weather and models are cooperative, if the tide is high, or close to high, then there is no space to photograph on. Fortunately, both the weather, and the tide was perfect for the space and we had a full afternoon available to work along the shore.As we arrived, the tide was falling. 
8"x10" film

My first images of the session were of the shoreline in its entirety; with the towering cliffs overshadowing the small nude in the foreground. These images relied upon the flexibility of the view camera, which permitted me to capture the 20m high cliffs without pointing the camera upwards and distorting the lines of the cliff (with a smaller format camera, the only way to have captured the cliffs would have been the point the camera up, which instantly would make the cliff lean back and recede). It is a hard thing to show the sheer massiveness of the cliff, but combined with the delicate nude in the foreground, and grand sweeping sky above the beach, the image gives exactly the feeling I was seeking to convey.
Digital original, 6 frame stitch
From the first images onward, the entire session was focused with working with the models in the rocks, either on the shore line itself, or on the cliff-face itself, where the rock was more fractured and broken then the water smoothed stones on the beach. The joy of working with rocks was in that they provided such a rich spawning ground for images - the lines and fissures in the stone were easy to work with and both Miranda and Bobbi found plenty of spaces to pose in.
Digital original, 8 frame stitch

As the session moved along, the light, which had started out diffused by high clouds, got even better as first high, then low fog moved in, softening the light even more. The only side effect of this was that the temperature began to drop. As a result, I began to more consciously switch off between the two models, giving each a chance to warm up between the poses. As the afternoon began to wind down and grow darker, I exposed my last sheet of 8"x10" film (I am limited to 20 sheets of film per session unless I spend the time to reload in the field), and shifted to working exclusively with the digital camera. By this point, the air had turned chilly with the fog and there was little energy left for the remaining images. Bobbi toughed out a couple of dozen exposures with the digital camera but was quite pleased to agree the session had come to a close.

Bobbi & Miranda at Hillsborough

Bobbi and Miranda's visit to Moncton presented me with the opportunity to really focus on working in my new surroundings. Because of my comfort and familiarity with Nova Scotia, my tendency to fill all my possible time in that province with photography has been effective, leading to some very strong new images but it is New Brunswick where most of my time is being spent, so it only makes sense that, over time, most of my images will be made here.
8"x10" film
All that being said, my list of spaces I know of in New Brunswick in which I can work with models is quite limited; I'd already worked at the Gypsum towers in Hillsborough with Ingrid, but thought the space had untapped potentials. Rather than revisit the interior, however, I opted to work with the outside of the towers, concentrating on the lines and form of the silos, and placing the models against them.
Digital original
It is often interesting, once a model has some experience behind them, to see what they come up with as poses if left to their own devices. With the silo, there were a couple of obvious spaces that the models gravitated towards and, with a little tweaking from behind the camera, each one yielded a number of good compositions. Working with models is certainly a collaboration but the more experienced the model, the stronger the collaborative element. This session really was a dance between the models' suggestions, my refining of the poses,my suggestions and the models' explorations of the possibilities.
Digital original

I'd intended the silo session to be short, more of a pit-stop on our way to the Fundy Coast than a full day session, but it ended even before I'd run out of ideas - the weather shifted and a light rain began to fall, forcing us to run for the car. Once we got the large format equipment into the car, however, the rain abated. As we paused, the wind came up and whipped through Miranda's hair. I asked if, before we headed off for the next space, we could do some portraits with the wind moving the hair. So we paused long enough for a few quick portraits to be made before the real rain began to fall.

June 29, 2004

Three Models on the Seafloor

Without a doubt, Burntcoat Head is one of the best spaces to photograph in that I have ever found in the Maritimes. Every since my first session working there in 2003, it has been in the back of my mind but the chance to return to it has been somewhat limited, both by the schedule of the tide and its distance from Halifax (90+ minutes) and Moncton (almost three hours).
Digital original
That being said, when plans were being made for Miranda and Bobbi to come up to Moncton to model for a few days, the suggestion was made to meet with them and Ingrid, as well as photographer/occasional model Miles, at Burntcoat Head to get in a day of photography in before we headed back to New Brunswick. I agreed to the plan, and early in the afternoon, a small army descended upon Burntcoat Head (seven people in total!).

Having already worked at both Burntcoat Head and Hopewell Cape in New Brunswick, I was better prepared than every before for the particular exposure issues presented by these spectacular spaces. In colour, the rocks present little problem, as their deep red shows up well but with black and white film, getting the correct exposure for both the model's skin and the dark rocks around them has previously been difficult. Black and white film is naturally insensitive to red; with the rocks being so red, they have a tendency to record about four times darker then they seemed to the eye. The simple solution to this is to provide more exposure for the rocks, while reducing the development of the film to combat the increase in exposure. I tried this approach with Ingrid at Hopewell Cape in the spring, and it was better than any of my previous attempts but with this session, I finally hit upon the correct combination of exposure and development.
8"x10" film
Because there were three models and two photographers present (kind of an embarrassment of riches), the session took on a slightly more structured feel than most. I began by working with Ingrid and then switched to photographing Bobbi and finally working with Miranda. There was a slightly artificial feel to this approach, and I couldn't help feeling that while I was working with one model, I was ignoring the others. From time to time, an image would present itself that called for a second or third model, and I could take advantage of the extra talent present, but on the whole, I felt that I was constantly missing possibilities because I couldn't be in two places at once.
Digital original, 2 frame stitch
This was by far the best timed session at Burntcoat Head, with us arriving as the tide was falling, and working until we had to leave, as opposed to when the rising tide forced us off the beach. Even after four hours of working on the shoreline, there were so many images that went unmade that I long to return to the space to continue exploring its possibilities.

June 07, 2004

Two Models Pose Together

The final session of my Halifax visit was indoors; when I'd worked with Bobbi on Friday, she'd asked if I'd be interested in working in an apartment she knew of - she'd heard me bemoaning my lack of indoor spaces to shoot in and thought this might be an option. I replied that any space was good to know about and that I'd certainly be interested in the space if the weather turned uncooperative or wet during the weekend.
Digital original
As it turned out, Monday was threatening rain, so rather then cancelling the session with Bobbi and Kylie, I opted to take Bobbi up on her offer of a workspace. Thanks to her thoughtfulness, we began the last session before driving back to Moncton. Though it was threatening to rain, the light wasn't too bad: with patience and good tripods, there was never an image I wanted to make that had to be abandoned for lack of light. We began with a series of image on a chair, and then a couch; these worked but, in some ways, seemed to similar to the images I'd made with Kylie and Miranda in March so I quickly changed things around and moved to other spaces.

On the back side of the house were double-deck doors, letting in some beautiful soft light. With the models standing beside the doors, but far enough from them to prevent the frame from being in the image, some incredible side-lighting presented itself. I had initially thought of this space for standing portraits but after I finished those, I asked both of the models to work the space - the results were very striking - similar to the best two-model images I have made in the studio.
Digital original
After working by the deck-doors, I shifted my attention to the most unique feature of the apartment - the white fireplace lintel. It took some work and some careful balancing but eventually both models worked on the narrow shelf, with the final image of Kylie being the strongest in composition and the use of the space.

As the session began to draw to a close (one difference between working close to home and far away is that now sessions often come to a close because of my schedule, as opposed to the models), we shifted rooms totally, and moved onto the bed in a smaller side room. Here the light was even lower than in the main apartment but the more comfortable, intimate setting was a refreshing change after lengthy standing poses and the hard wood of the lintel.
Digital original
Overall the session was quite successful - it it hadn't been for Bobbi's offer of a space to work, it would have been hit and miss with the weather. We made a wide variety of images, working with a number of very different settings in a quite small space.

June 06, 2004

Elisabeth at Sunset

Digital original
After the sunset session the night before with Bobbi, I was eager to continue pushing the possibilities offered by this magical time of day. Elisabeth and I had initially planned for an afternoon session but, with Lynn-Marie being unable to model past 5pm, I rescheduled with Elisabeth. As the sun headed for the horizon, we met up and drove out to Prospect, hoping for a repeat of the previous day's beautiful sunset.
8"x10" film
With the wind coming off the ocean, it was often a challenge just to find a spot lit by the setting sun that was also sheltered. In the end, we worked on a series of rock outcrops and small pockets of stone that dipped below the general line of the glacial barrens. Because it was so cool, and I knew the session would be short, I worked as swiftly as I could, sketching with the digital camera, and making any images that seemed particularly strong as a more refined image with the 8"x10" camera.
Digital original
As the sun moved lower in the sky, the temperature also dropped and very quickly it was decided that once the sun has set, the session would come to an end. With this in mind, Elisabeth and I began to search out a space that would work for the last image of the day; I wanted something that could show a broad vista of the sky, and obviously, Elisabeth wanted a space that was at least somewhat sheltered by the wind. We settled on a large glacial erratic, perched onto the glacial shield; the side facing the sunset was in the lee of the wind, and also had a nice line to it that could be mirrored in Elisabeth's pose.

The Pregnancy Continues

Digital original
As the progress of the pregnancy documentary moves along, some of the rewards of our hard work to date are beginning to show.
Digital original
A good number of the images from these sessions are simply "belly photos"; the focus of the session is less the body, and more what it contains within.
Digital original
The initial concept of following a number of poses through the entire pregnancy, from the 12th week until full term, is now in its fourth month and, rather then showing the most recent images in the series, I am now beginning to work with the photos as part of a series, assembling the images together in a single frame and providing a visual flow of evolution from the first image to the most recent. As the pregnancy continues, I will add to these images, until, after the birth, I will have a finished series.

A Session about Expectations

Digital original
I find it a little ironic that, after a handful of months working on one pregnancy series, I received an e-mail from Lynn-Marie letting me know she was expecting and asking if I'd be interested in working with her on a series of pregnancy nudes.
Digital original
Probably the hardest thing about the session was the light; with very few clouds in the sky, every image was a struggle to compose without the harsh shadows breaking down the composition or creating inky black shadows. All in all, I was actually impressed with the ability of the digital camera to record the broad contrast of the setting (the light sand was acting as a reflector for many of the images but the contrast was still pretty extreme).
Digital original
Because of the smaller camera, I could work more spontaneously than I tend to when I have both cameras with me. This, combined with a Sigma 12-24mm zoom lens I was testing for the weekend, led to some very dramatic images working with both the lines of the model and the clouds in the sky.

Pregnancy upon the Dunes

It is a little ironic that, after a handful of months working on one pregnancy series, I received an e-mail from Lynn-Marie letting me know she was expecting and asking if I'd be interested in working with her on a series of pregnancy nudes. We batted around some ideas by e-mail and set a date to get together and talk. Out of that came our first session of the pregnancy. As she wasn't showing yet, it was more like a traditional photo session than one focusing on the pregnancy but, like my other pregnancy series, many of the images were created with an eye to how Lynn-Marie's body would look in several months, as opposed to just focusing on the moment visible through the camera's lens.
Digital original
I had worked with my 8"x10" camera on Martinique Beach in May, and it had taken almost a month before all the sand was out of my film holders and camera so, for this session, I just took the digital SLR. In some ways, the Canon 10D is more susceptible to dust and sand but, as a smaller camera, it was definitely easier to keep protected from the sand when not in use.
Digital original
Because of the smaller camera, I could work more spontaneously than I tend to when I have both cameras with me. This, combined with a Sigma 12-24mm zoom lens I was testing for the weekend, led to some very dramatic images working with both the lines of the model and the clouds in the sky.
Digital original
Probably the hardest thing about the session was the light; with very few clouds in the sky, every image was a struggle to compose without the harsh shadows breaking down the composition or creating inky black shadows. All in all, I was actually impressed with the ability of the digital camera to record the broad contrast of the setting (the light sand was acting as a reflector for many of the images but the contrast was still pretty extreme). More than anything though, I am pleased with the work as a first step towards an evolving documentary series focusing on a pregnancy.

Elisabeth at Sunset

After the sunset session the night before with Bobbi, I was eager to continue pushing the possibilities offered by this magical time of day. Elisabeth and I had initially planned for an afternoon session but, with Lynn-Marie being unable to model past 5pm, I rescheduled with Elisabeth. As the sun headed for the horizon, we met up and drove out to Prospect, hoping for a repeat of the previous day's beautiful sunset.
8"x10" film
 While the sky was as clear as the previous night, the evening was cooler as well, which made the session quite short (much has been said about global climate change in the media, but it is empirical experience which often convinces; this spring has been one of the coolest and most erratic, weather wise, of any I can remember).
8"x10" film
 Because of the cool temperatures, we were quite limited to where we could work. Elisabeth had to be sheltered from the wind to be comfortable at all. With the wind coming off the ocean, it was often a challenge just to find a spot lit by the setting sun that was also sheltered. In the end, we worked on a series of rock outcrops and small pockets of stone that dipped below the general line of the glacial barrens. Because it was so cool, and I knew the session would be short, I worked as swiftly as I could, sketching with the digital camera, and making any images that seemed particularly strong as a more refined image with the 8"x10" camera. Unlike the session with Bobbi, most of the images we made were tight compositions working more with the angle of the light, then the colour of it.
Digital original
As the sun moved lower in the sky, the temperature also dropped and very quickly it was decided that once the sun has set, the session would come to an end. With this in mind, Elisabeth and I began to search out a space that would work for the last image of the day; I wanted something that could show a broad vista of the sky, and obviously, Elisabeth wanted a space that was at least somewhat sheltered by the wind. We settled on a large glacial erratic, perched onto the glacial shield; the side facing the sunset was in the lee of the wind, and also had a nice line to it that could be mirrored in Elisabeth's pose. We quickly worked out the image, and I began to record it; because I was both stitching and blending the digital frames that would make up the final photograph, once the portion with Elisabeth in it was exposed, she quickly moved out of the composition and dressed, needing to warm up as quickly as possible. It took me less then a minute to finish up the images needed for the final photograph and then we packed up, turned our back to the sun, and headed for the car.

Carol's Pregnancy Continues

As the progress of the pregnancy documentary with Carol moves forward, some of the rewards of our hard work to date are beginning to show. Our initial concept of following a number of poses through the entire pregnancy, from the 12th week until full term is now in its fourth month and already showing the potential that will be revealed in the final form.
Digital original
Rather than showing the most recent images from the series we are creating, I am presenting some images from other parts of the project, when Carol and I are simply making images together. Now that our routine for the serial images is established, we are more than happy to photograph more spontaneously if we have the time.
Digital original
Part of the wonder of a pregnancy, visually speaking, is how it changes the body and creates a naturally evolving subject to work with. This makes an indoor setting the ideal location, as it focuses attention of the subject as opposed to the surroundings and helps keep the distractions in the image to a minimum. For our series-based images, Carol and I worked with natural light; between making those images, we simply kicked back and relaxed, exploring the other possibilities as they presented themselves. I took cues from the lighting, and Carol’s natural movements to create a variety of images, ranging from full body nudes to details of her breasts, belly and even her back.

Though the expressed focus for the hour or so in which we worked together was Carol’s pregnancy, that didn’t change the reality that, for me, it was also a session with an experienced, relaxed model who was happy to indulge of my love for photography. The ever changing lines of Carol’s body were fascinating to focus on and with the directional window light providing a rich modelling light; the possibilities well outstripped the time we had to work together.
Digital original
As with the previous session, I worked exclusively with the DSLR, taking advantage of the camera’s fluid response to change and its delicate tonality in the soft, diffused light that flowed across Carol.

June 05, 2004

Bobbi Models at Prospect

Digital original

It has become a standard modis operandi during my trips to Halifax to fill every moment possible with photographic sessions. Even after a full day of teaching, if the weather is cooperative and a model available, I'm keen to set out to utilize the last light of the day. Sunset sessions are more time sensitive than most, as each moment that passes leads to a change of the light, but this particular evening was a little cool, so the pressure to work swiftly because of the fading light was compounded by the need to keep Bobbi warm enough to last through the session.
Digital, 4 frame exposure blend
As the sunset crept forward, Bobbi and I gradually worked our way along the beach, towards a point where there was water between the rocks and the sun; this was where I wanted to be for the last minutes of the sun being above the horizon so I could capture its reflection on the water and the light it cast upon Bobbi on the rocks before me. Because I was using a digital camera, I could take advantage of several aspects: first, I could correctly judge the exposures in the field, something that is impossible to do with film cameras and second, I was able to take multiple images, with different exposures to blend later in the computer. By blending two exposures, one for the foreground and another for the background, I was able to keep the richness in the sky, while still having full detail in the foreground.
Digital, 2 frame exposure blend, 2 frame resolution blend
The final images of the evening were by far the most engaging; on our walk up, both Bobbi and I had contemplated working with the water pool I have dubbed "The Eye of the World", but decided it would be better to leave the space until after the sun had set. So, on our way back we stopped and, after a moments hesitation, Bobbi proceeded to slip into the water and explore the possibilities of the space. This was a space that called for blended exposures; the foreground required more then a second-long exposure, while the sky took less then 1/30th of a second to record. In the end, the blended image was by far my favorite of the day, with a beautifully muted sky above and the unmoving mirror of the pool surrounding Bobbi's figure.

June 04, 2004

Bobbi Along a Rocky Shore

In the late morning Miranda had to head back to Halifax for an appointment but Bobbi and I still had a couple of hours available to work so we stayed behind at York Redoubt and kept photographing. We decided to move outside of the old searchlight emplacement and work on the ironstone rocks along the shoreline, varying the surroundings as much as possible over the session.
Digital original
Because we only had a couple of hours, I decided to leave the view camera behind in the searchlight emplacement and headed out with only the digital camera. By this time, the sun had moved enough that a significant part of the shoreline was in shade; all the same, at Bobbi’s request, we began working with her lying on rocks in direct sunlight - more out of her interest in warming up than any overwhelming desire to work with the contrasty light. All that being said, through carefully working around her, I was able to find several angles from which the harsh light worked (usually with the sun behind me, minimizing the shadows).
Digital original
Once Bobbi had warmed up and I had exhausted the possibilities offered by the angle of the sun, we moved further along the shoreline to a space where the ocean had eroded the coast down to the bedrock, which had a countless series of steps in it, broken off by years of winter storms and ice. These spaces were perfect for Bobbi to work with and quite quickly we found a couple of ledges for posing. For just a moment, I considered walking back and getting the view camera for the strongest of these images but part of the reason to take only the digital camera was to try to work more fluidly and intuitively than I can with the larger 8”x10” camera, so I decided to stick to the original plan.

A Pair of Models in a Ruin

8"x10" film
We started working with the most obvious element, the curve of the front wall of the emplacement; this was where the doors shielding the searchlight originally were mounted. Most of these are now either missing or rusted into place, but the beautiful curve in the concrete, and the metal tracks still remain. It took a couple of minutes for Bobbi and Miranda to find a pose that worked with the space but, once they were in position, the entire image came together and was made quite quickly.
8"x10" film
With the image of the two models together, we had to carefully wait until the sun moved enough to be out of the composition; Bobbi had already made several very successful images balanced on the top of the ladder; the addition of Miranda's form to the lower left of the image balanced out the composition beautifully.
8"x10" film
The final image of the session, made in front of the building, was actually rather hard to make, given the loose rocks and dirt that Bobbi had to crouch on to hold the pose.

Miranda and Bobbi at York Shore Battery

My regular visits back to Nova Scotia to teach photography workshops have become something of a focus of my figure work this year; most of the models I am currently working with reside in Nova Scotia, so it only makes sense to spend the days on either side of the workshops photographing. Since most of my models are also friends, there is an undeniably social element to working this way but I do try to get in as much figure work as I can.
8"x10" film
Both Bobbi and Miranda were available on the day of my arrival in Halifax, so we arranged to meet up. I had hoped for an overcast day, but with no clouds in the sky, I decided to work at York Redoubt, making use of one of the searchlight emplacements. These small buildings have a number of very engaging architectural elements and have proven to be good locations in the past, but I was a little unsure how the location would work with the two models.
Digital original
The space was perfect to work in; the bright sunlight outside provided more then enough illumination to work by but the inside light was beautifully soft and provided rich description of the space and models without any jarring contrast. While most of the session was spent working inside, several striking images were made in the outer portions; one with two models in the back of the building and a second of Bobbi on the concrete front of the emplacement.
Digital original
With the image of the two models, we had to wait until the sun moved out of the composition; Bobbi was already perched atop of the ladder; the addition of Miranda’s form to the lower left of the image gave it balance. The final image of the session was actually difficult to make, given the loose rocks and dirt that Bobbi had to pose on. Both time and film had run out, so the session came to a natural close.
8"x10" film