Hannah & Krista at Bas-Cap-Pele

Hannah and Krista had both expressed an interest in modeling one more time before they left for central camera at the beginning of September. As I wasn't able to make it down to Halifax again before then, they offered to drive up to New Brunswick, and spend a day working me.

Digital infrared original, 44 frame stitch

In stark contrast to our previous session together, the weather was gray, overcast, and threatening rain. Ever optimistic, the five of us (Miles and Natasha were also along, planning to work together in the same spaces as Krista and Hannah and I were going to use), headed off for the coast, planning to work with the rock formations Miranda and I had used just over a month earlier.

The model's response to the space was much the same as Miranda's, and very quickly they were discussing the possibilities of actually climbing up on the hoodoo to pose. I told them it was too high, and not practical, but moments later, when I turned back from my camera gear, both models were perched on the rock, smiling and asking for pose suggestions. The first step I took to making the final image was actually not working on the pose, but the surrounding image. Knowing the setting was so dramatic, I decided to make the image as a multi-image stich, and with the models such a small portion of the final composition, I made the overall image stitch without the models in position - this permitted them the comfort of sitting, and reduced the time they'd actually be nude to the small time-frame in which they'd be the focus of the camera.

Digital infrared original

With the stitch complete, I then checked around for unexpected visitors, and then moved to working with the models on the pose. Very quickly they discovered that there were only a limited number of positions they could comfortably (and safely) hold on the top of the rock, and with some suggestions from the camera's position, I helped them refine these into a very striking pose, with their bodies flowing in both directions off the side of the rocks. In about five minutes, I was finished with the pose, having made the final images to add into the stitch. Just as I was helping the models down off the rock, the weather started to break, and a light drizzle began to fall. Rather than give up the rest of the afternoon, after a quick debate, Krista and Hannah agreed that we'd try to work for a while in the sea caves, which would both keep the session going, and permit me to build on the images I'd made in that location last month with Miranda.

Moving into the cover the rocks provided turned out to be a wise decision, as the light drizzle soon turned to genuine rain. The rock caves provided plenty of shelter for me and the camera gear, but relatively swiftly, both models were totally soaked, so we proceeded to make some images with them working in the ocean. The most successful of these images was a portrait of Hannah rearing out of the water. This was made by blending two images - one with a short exposure to ensure Hannah's face was sharp and detailed, and one with a much longer exposure, to catch the water flowing over her body as it flowed off of the rocks around her. In the past I have used blended exposures to control image contrast, but never to combined part of an image with movement, and another part as totally still. The final results were very pleasing, and open up another digital technique to use when working with water.

Digital infrared original, 43 frame stitch

The final image of the sessions was one on Krista emerging from one of the rock caves. Hannah, Krist aand I had just finished a series of images focusing on the two of the in the caves, when I asked Krista if she could fit inside one of the small holes, and lie back, as if she was emmerging from the opening. The results looked stunning, so I very quickly shifted to using a longer lens and stitching the image together, to increase the final print's resolution and quality.

The combination of two keen, enthusiastic models and such a stunning space lead to a wonderful final session for these two, before they departed for central Canada.