A Fall Session with Lavender (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

After the successes of her first session, I was keen to continue working with Lavender, and as luck would have it a couple of weeks later, our schedules coincided with good weather again. One of the best aspects of working outdoors in October is now low in the sky the sun is; during the summer, it has to be quite late in the day before the sun is at such a low position in the sky, but by mid fall in Nova Scotia, the sun is low in the sky for much of the late afternoon, providing beautiful angular light to work with.

Digital infrared original

The session started in an open clearing surrounded by autumnal trees. There were a number of glacial erratics in the space which were perfect for Lavender to model upon The first, above, put her a little above my eye-line, which in turn helped me make a very unique (for me) composition, looking up across her knees to her torso, pushed back into the angular sunlight.

Digital infrared original, 2 frame stitch

The follow up to the first image was a similar approach, but this time on a much lower rock, so the surrounding scrub and trees played a more significant role in the final composition. I experimented with the placement of the sun, but I felt the flare, headed directly towards her body, was just too perfect to pass up.

The last images of the session were spent working with Lavender and trees; I avoid working in Nova Scotian forests until the fall due to the bugs which are a huge annoyance during the spring and summer. In October however, it's possible to work within the forest for hours without being bothered by a single mosquito. That could be one of the reasons I find trees so challenging to work with; I just have not put in the time necessary to really on own the setting, photographically speaking.

Digital infrared original, 15 frame stitch

This image, however came together really well/ Lavender's dance experience shone in the placement and position of her foot, and the interaction between her and the trio of trunks behind her helps pull the image together.