Bobbi at the Coast

With a fellow photographer/friend visiting from the US, this week was planned as a photo extravaganza, with a particular emphasis placed on working with the Nude. Because of the few models I've met to date in that province, however, we ended up travelling to Nova Scotia for the last day of his visit, to insure there was at least one full day for us to work together with figure models. We were fortunate that Bobbi and Miranda had the day free, and were willing to work with two photographers, as opposed to just me.

Digital original, 4 frame stitch

After meeting up in mid-morning, the four of us drove out to Prospect to work along the Atlantic shore. The day was bright and sunny, perfect for a walk outdoors, but not the best for photography. Sunshine tends to bring dark shadows and high contrast to a scene, both of which are difficult to combat, particularly with digital cameras. Black and white film is actually quite easy to adapt to working in contrasty situations, but with a digital camera, there is only so much one can do to minimize the problems.

Bobbi and I worked along the shore for an hour or so, experimenting with her posing the foreground, and the waves breaking on the rocks behind her (we also remade an earlier image from 1997, working with a much higher vantage point, and a wider-angle of view). Much of this was produced on the digital camera, but occasionally, when a particularly strong composition was created, I set up the 8"x10" camera and made a second version of the image on the larger film.

Digital original, 2 frame stitch

By noon we had worked perhaps 200 metres along the shore, and were becoming more and more aware of the occasional dog walker or hiker. As a group, we all agreed the population increase was potentially problematic, so we packed up, and walked for half-an-hour or so, moving farther down the shore then I have ever walked before. Once we were pretty certain we'd moved beyond the other visitors, we took a break for lunch, and just sat and enjoyed the fresh air and stunning vistas.

I spent the rest of the afternoon was spent working with Bobbi on the rocks, and in the ocean itself. The focus of the images however, was less on the landscape, and more on the skies. Over the afternoon, light wispy clouds had moved in overhead, and drawing upon the cloud images I had been exploring in New Brunswick as inspiration, I proceeded to mix that drama with poses Bobbi and I generated.

Digital original, 2 frame stitch

On the whole, the time we spent at Prospect was very productive - I worked with spaces both familiar and new, and incorporated some new approaches to my work. The indulgence of Bobbi with my experiments (she had not seen the sky images I'd been working with the week before) was invaluable, as it permitted me the freedom to make mistakes (and successes) without worrying about the model considering the session a waste of time.