Miles & Natasha at Lawrencetown

After a foggy and gray morning, the sun made an appearance in the midafternoon, warming the day up and giving some hope to the idea of an evening session; Miles and Natasha had met up with me for a brief dinner, and after some debate over plans, we decided to drive down to Martinique Beach to work with the sunset light. As we left Halifax, we drove into a solid wall of fog and very quickly revamped out plans; as opposed to driving forty minutes to a fog-shrouded beach, we decided to take a shorter twenty minute trip to a closer beach at Lawrencetown – different beach, same fog bank.

Digital infrared original

I spent the first half-hour or so simply walking along the beach and working with the infrared converted Nikon. There is a child-like wonder to making images and not quite knowing what to expect on the viewing screen; kelp especially fascinates me, as it is so dark and rich in tone to the eye, and in infrared, it is luminous and pale – it has the same surface sheen, but instead of a dark and brooding tone speaking of the depths of the sea, it is pale and delicate in tone, as if looking for a mermaid to adore.

Digital infrared original, 12 frame stitch

Though the light levels were dropping, and the exposures were getting longer (infrared light seems to be strongly reduced in fog), when I finally made it down to where Miles and Natasha had walked to, I was still eager to work with them, though it would by necessity be a short session. I selected a patch of sand surrounded by beach grass, and directed the two models to start working there.

Digital infrared original

The first poses were simple, working with two models entwined upon the beach (I couldn't help but think of it as a mermaid embracing her mortal lover), but with the light dropping as fast as it was (for the infrared camera at least) I thought it would be best to try a different approach for the last light of the evening. I asked the models to get up and work with simple embraces, first with both standing and then with Miles kneeling before Natasha. I have long determined that I have a strong preference for images of women being worshiped by their lovers, so the final pose of the day seemed totally appropriate.