Brianda Models at Shenstone

The last day of Brianna's visit was spent dodging weather; the forecast called for showers all day, but a glance out the window showed only threatening clouds, so Brianna and I decided it would be worth the effort to try to find locations to work in that were either not wet, or sheltered enough to work in, regardless of the weather.

Digital infrared original

The first location we worked in was Shenstone, the summer home of two good friends of mine, and a piece of private land with several ponds and a couple of streams. I'd only seen Shenstone in the winter (when the steams were all covered with ice), but was assured it was a sight to behold in the summer, and given carte-blanche to work on the land whenever appropriate.

Although actually finding Shenstone turned out to be harder than I though (we ended up at a golf-course on our first try), Brianna and I had no problem finding the main stream at Shenstone. After setting up our equipment by the shallow swimming hole, and a quick test of the water (a little cooler than ideal, but good enough for a couple of poses, Brianna reported), we set about working. Brianna had previously modeled nude in a lake and the cooler water of the stream was a bit of a shock. But we managed to make several very striking images before she (quite wisely) declared the water too cool to continue modeling in.

Digital infrared original

Just after Brianna exited the water, for a few brief minutes, the sun broke through the clouds, and warmed the air quite suddenly. The increased contrast of the direct sunlight was a small price to pay for its luminous rays, and within fifteen minutes, Brianna was all warmed up, and happily modeling again. We first made a small set of images in the ferns along the riverbank, and them moved out into the open fields, to give Brianna a chance to warm up.

Digital infrared original

The last photos of the session were made beside one of the ponds; ringed in bullrushes (also called cattails) the pond was deep and black, and not at all enticing as a space to model, but as the sunshine came and went, Brianna soaked in what warmth there was, and I made a small number of portraits of her surrounded by the foliage. I used a much longer lens for these portraits (300mm, as opposed to my usual 50mm portrait lens), compressing the perspective, and reducing how much was in focus.