Ingrid Poses by a River

I don't often work in new spaces around Halifax, but Ingrid was really interested in working along this river (it wasn't really warm enough to do full immersion images), so I headed into the unknown with her.

Digital infrared original, 8 frame stitch

Almost as soon as we found the river, we came across a larger pool, where the surface of the water was patterned with white foam highlights; I suggested that Ingrid work on the far side, where moss-covered rocks met the river. After some experimentation, she found a pose that worked well with the lines of the rocks around her. In the end, Ingrid and I made a whole set of images, each of a different pose, all revolving around the reflections of her body in the water.

Digital original, 2 frame stitch

As we worked with the river, some of the challenges of not know the space became apparent; we initially headed up river, only to find it narrowed and eventually became too small to work with. Admitting defeat, we retreated downriver, and ended up working in almost the same space, this time on the closer shore of the stream. Though the pattern on the surface was still the focus of the image, working with colour, and with Ingrid on the closer side of the river helped us make a significantly different set of images.

Digital original, 6 frame stitch

The session came to an abrupt ending just after we began to make a set of portraits of Ingrid perched on a moss-covered rock in the middle of the stream. I used a longer lens to provide a shallower depth of field, and then stitched the result together to provide a wide field of view. Unfortunately, while we were working, a passer-by came upon us (unbeknownst to me, there was a popular walking trail right by the stream) and got quite upset. After a quite vocal objection to Ingrid's undity, he stormed off with cell phone in hand, insisting the police were on their way. Needless to say, Ingrid and I packed up, and headed home, sadly leaving a great number of potential images behind.

In all honesty, this was perhaps the 3rd time, in almost 20 years of working with the Nude that we have been interrupted, and forced to end a session because of an unexpected interloper.