Ingrid, Miles and Sagira by Flash

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As a three-model session (Ingrid, Miles and Sagira), it had to begin somewhere, so never one to hesitate, Miles immediately volunteered to work with Sagira, and for half an hour or so, I worked with the two friends, though the images at times had more implication of lovers than friends.

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During a pause in more directed photography, Sagira looked up at me - and I immediately knew I wanted a portrait, so I did my famous "don't move an inch" line, and moments later had the above portrait made.

Digital original

The second half of the evening was spent working with Ingrid and Sagira; initially the two modeled on the futon, with many of the images focused on "compare & contrast", with the two models mirroring each other's poses, and myself find the images that worked from those poses.

Digital infrared original, 2 frame stitch

The last images of the session were of Ingrid and Sagira against the long wall in my main room. I shifted the light (a single flash with a soft-box) to light them from the side, and started to photograph. The cascade of hair over Ingrid‘s torso, combined with Sagira’s hands almost looking like they could be Ingrid’s are what makes this image work for me.

A First Session with Stephanie

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Though Stephanie and I have been e-mailing back and forth for over a year, and first met at the Memory of Water opening last April, this was our first chance to work together.  Made in the first minutes of the session, and of Stephanie's first experience modeling nude, there is a simple beauty to this portrait which is everything l seek when I made such an image - the direct gaze, the beautiful light, and the obvious comfort, on the part of the model, all come together to make a wonderful portrait.

Digital original

Stephanie brought several props to the session, including a peacock feather; usually I don't work with props, but I also am not one to say no to an idea I haven't tried before, so we explored the potential; the most interesting image was the above, with the brilliant colour of the feather contrasting the delicate colour of Stephanie's lips.

Digital original

At the end of the session, Stephanie wrapped her head in a scarf, and we made some photographs with a strong mid-eastern feel, expect of course of the blend of the head-scarf with the nudity. While I really enjoy those images, and think they certainly have a point to make, the above photograph is much more engaging on a different level - only Stephanie's hands are sharp, which is really pleasing in the image as a print...it is a little lost on the internet.

Miles & Miranda Model Together

Digital infrared original

Miles and Miranda have known each other for seven years, and have modeled together numerous times before, but this was the first indoor session we've ever done together, and the years of friendship between the two paid off in spades when it came to images this intimate.

Digital original

When working with friends, there is no argument the energy in a session is different to that of couples in a more intimate relationship, but there was real tenderness flowing through the image sin this session, born of the sincere trust and affection both models have for each other, rooted in friendship.

Digital infrared original

Infrared photograph is an interesting, often uncontrollable medium; I never seem to be able to predict when "veining" will appear - in this case, it turned Miranda's figure into an alabaster-like sculpture on which Miles laid his hands. In colour, without the fine veining provided by the infrared sensitive camera, the image would have been much weaker.

A Further Refinement of Focus Staking

Digital original, 7 frame focus blend

The greatest surprise of this session was how the colour actually bled our of a flower; I'd seen hints of this before, but never with such a strong pigmentation and tone. The 7 frame focus blend was crucial for seeing so much of the colour so vividly.

Digital original, 26 frame focus blend, 6 frame stitch

As the frozen flower project evolves, I have more and more successes, as my concept of what works and doesn't clarifies. In this case, the whole orchid centered in a sea of ice back-lit by a flash was just perfect. How this differs from where I started months ago is the image quality and resolution - the focus blend and stitching both have really improved the strength of these photos.

A Winter Night's Walk in Ottawa

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While my deepest architectural love is European Gothic, I set out this evening to make some architectural images of Ottawa, specifically hoping to get to the National Gallery at sunset, to work with the twilight. My planning paid off, and I spent a good 20 minutes working with the building in the fading evening light,  enjoying the mix of natural and man-made light.

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The second set of images I made were of one of the bridges between Ottawa and Hull; it was only when I was back in Halifax that I realized this image was of a rare Canadian flamingo-camel sneaking across the river under the bridge.

Ottawa by Night & Day

Digital original, 2 frame focus blend

During my stay with Miles in Ottawa, I took some time to photograph his curios; the above image of a chalice and shells was particularly pleasing, especially when I accentuated the shallow focus with a (reverse) focus blend - using a large aperture for the overall image, and then making a second with a smaller aperture - used only on the chalice and edge of the box.

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The second curio to catch my eye was a partial shell, cut in half to expose the inner architecture. I spent a more than half-hour working through many visual combinations and permutations with the shell, though most of the successful images focused solidly on the shell's interior, reducing it to an abstract or sorts.

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At the end of the evening, I went out for a walk around Ottawa, with camera in hand. I have always enjoyed night photography, and found the exploration of a new city (to me) really enjoyable...even though it was well below freezing.

Quebec City

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The last time I was in Quebec City was in the summer of 2004, when I drove Bobbi and Miranda to Montreal; this visit was made on my way to Ottawa. I arrived late in the day, and after a lovely dinner with a friend, I spent an hour or so with her, walking around the old city and photographing.

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There is a real magic to snow-covered cities around the holidays - the colourful decorations mix with the snow white surroundings to make very different images for the more dramatic night images that are made during the warmer parts of the year.

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The three skaters that were enjoying themselves as I made this image were lost to the 30 second exposure it took to record the scene.

A Midnight Bathtub Session

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This one of the most impromptu photo sessions I’d ever had, originating in learning of a claw-footed bathtub, and ending in the frantic purchasing of candles before midnight, to start photographing at 12:30am…fortunately the effort was well worth it!

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The room the tub was in was not exactly idea; the barker board behind the tub worked well with the candles, but the bright green wall to one side was less than ideal...but it did play off against the warmth of Kayla's skin well, so I resisted the temptation of converting this into monochrome.

Digital original

The session wrapped up after a series of images of Kayla modeling with her friend M_; there isn't much a tub offers in the way of flexibility of poses, so the photographs were more about line and light than any real interpretation of the two women, or the space overall.

Evolving Beauty: New Brunswick Opens

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An Exhibition titled "Evolving Beauty:New Brunswick" is on display at Galerie Maurice Henri in Moncton until the end of the month, New Brunswick. Featuring work made between 2003 and 2007 in the Province of New Brunsick, the show features Nudes, landscapes, architectural images and abstract images.

A New Camera Arrives!

Digital original

When I received my first Canon EOS 5D MKII in December 2008, the night before I left for a trip to Ottawa, I immediate phoned Miranda, mentioned the new camera had finally arrived (I’d had the 85mm f/1.2 lens for almost a month already) and oh so innocently asked “Any chance you happen to be planning to take a shower anytime tonight?” Needless to say, less than 20 minutes later I was at her house, photographing her in the shower.

Digital original

This was a test of the new camera in many ways - but most importantly, it was made at 1600 ISO - a highly sensitive setting that permits photography in low light, but usually comes with the price of lower image quality (digital noise), but in the case of this camera, 1600 ISO proved to be more than practical!

Ryan & Jessica on A Sunny Afternoon

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The happenstance of seeing some flare in an image minutes earlier lead to this image - for much of the winter, the sun in the afternoon comes right into my apartment, and with the camera in just the right place, the flare was just perfect. I made perhaps two dozen images of this composition to ensure that at least one had the flare in the perfect place.

Digital original

An interesting challenge of having worked with Ryan and Jessica together so often is that many of their mannerisms and interactions present mirrors of earlier images. In the case of the above image, i suspect I have more than a handful of similar moments, but none with the particularly soft light that we were working with during this session.

Digital original, 9 image stitch

For almost all my work with Ryan and Jessica, I have placed them against light walls, or worked with them on white sheets, so towards the end of this session, we shifted to working on a black comforter. I am not certain the results add much to the series, but it does provide some visual relief to the continual luminous surroundings of the other work, so in that way at least, it has some potential.

The Black Couch

Digital infrared original

In 2001, with Cassandra and then Victoria, I made a series of images on a white leather couch; almost a decade later, for a model’s first (and only) session working with me, I had the chance to work with another leather couch. In this case however, the couch was black, which worked beautifully with the model’s pale skin.

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The entire focus of the session was on providing the model with images celebrating her body; with a whole life of experiences behind her, and a recent focus on reshaping her body later in life, she wished a classic image to have for ever to remember reaching a personal milestone.

Digital infrared original, 3 frame stitch

As the model desired anonymity, I couldn't make images that were parallels to the earlier ones on the white couch, but in many ways this session drew directly from the images made seven years earlier.

Two Models in an Unusual Session

This session was quite unusual for me (I can't actually recall the last time I worked this way); the two women I worked with both sought to create images for a holiday gift, but were uncertain if they would be comfortable posing completely Nude.

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When the three of us met before the session, there was a great deal of discussion about how I work, and what the women sought; in the end, we agreed to work together and see what happened. The models knew what I was aiming for, and would see where their comfort levels would take them.

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As it turned out, with both models, full frontal nudity was a level they weren't comfortable with; both women posed for a great number of portraits with discrete coverage, either using cloth of limbs to prevent any censurable nudity showing.

Digital oroginal

When we moved to working on an antique couch, some of the most pleasing images of the session were made, but overall, it was less a session for me than for the two models, who ultimately ended up with images that met their needs.

Three Models in the Afternoon light

After presenting a demo of working with the Nude at the local college, I still had a morning at Kayla's place to create some more focused images - when demonstrating I am often more focused on discussing the logic behind the process than the images I am creating. It was a pleasure to simply photograph for myself.

Digital original

I began this session working with M_, who'd been introduced to modeling nude two nights earlier. I was very surprised at how easy it was to make an image that worked with the thin, spindly plant and M_’s torso. Much of the success comes from the soft diffused light, but the colour, something that has only really been part of my work since I began working with digital in 2003, contributes a lot to the feeling of the image as well.

Digital original, 2 frame stitch

When working with two models, I usually take the tone of the session from the model’s relationships to each other; with couples, I tend to focus on images of intimacy and touching, with friends or siblings, I tend to make more stylized “body-as-landscape” compositions. With Kayla and M_ however, though they were friends, there was a significant comfort level which permitted a much more flexible range of images to be made over the session.

Digital original

The third model in this session was another friend of Kayla's; like M_, he had no prior experience modeling Nude, but was really happy to just jump in and give it a try. I really enjoy the way the window light wraps around the body in this image; the pose is modest and quite delicate, too, which seems to suit the quality of the light.

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The session ended with a series of photographs of Kayla and her friend; as the bond between the two was friendship as opposed to sexual, the images focused more on line and form, compare and contrast than any intimation of a relationship between the models.

Kyla Poses for a College Demo

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Since 2004, I have been visiting the New Brunswick Craft College photography department, to talk about my work with the Nude, and provide a demo of photographing the Nude. This year, Kayla was kind enough to work with me during the demo - which opened up with the lovely portrait above - made with Kayla facing away from the window, which is counter to my usual approach.

Digital infrared original

The room we were working in had wonderful deep window sills, which were the perfect size for Kayla to relax upon. I am always amazed at how rich and beautiful window light is, even when the model is right upon the window itself.

Digital infrared original, 2 frame exposure blend

The last photographs of the demo were the most adventurous; there was a grand piano on the stage in the room we were using, and Kayla agreed the rich glossy black piano would look lovely with a Nude upon it. Initially we had some challenges with the pose, but once I raised my camera well over my head, I was able to (standing on a step stool) make a composition that fit Kayla's figure to the piano perfectly.

2 Models by Candlelight

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I arrived in Fredericton, New Brunswick, late this afternoon, visiting to do a presentation and demonstration of Fine Art Nude photography to the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design. Kyla, who I was staying with while in town, had modeled previously, and had introduced my work to a friend, M_ who specifically asked about working with me. As a first session, we photographed by candle light, which often has a very comfortable, intimate feel, which is perfect for first sessions.

Digital original, 5 frame exposure blend, 2 frame stitch

After a couple of images of M_ on her own, Kayla joined in the session. This permitted some very interesting compositions to be made, playing one figure off against the other, and creating some very engaging images. Part of the pleasure of working with candles is being able to include the light-source in the image; in this case, the tea-light was balanced one model’s belly, lighting her and the model behind her in a most unusual way.

Pushing the Frozen Flowers Forward

Digital original, 5 frame stitch

As I continue to work with freezing flowers, I am discovering more issues to the process; I have been pouring warm water over the ice to clear the surface, and help create a sharper image...but I have come to realize that the warm water often causes the ice to fracture, as it did above.

Digital original, 16 frame focus blend, 7 frame stitch

The introduction of focus blending has made all the difference to this work, and when combined with stitching for higher resolution, the results are really pleasing...if only the freezing process could be more predictable.

Digital original

I experimented with a broad rang of flowers, but have decided that translucence is the most important factor overall - with the above flower, I had to focus on the petals, as opposed to light, which makes the result quite different from the other images I have made to date.

A First Session

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I was quite surprised by Lisa’s suggestion to work with a flower; I seldom work with props, but given my recent exploration of frozen flowers, I decided to give it a go. Not fifteen minutes later, I was totally engaged by the interplay between the two forms, each enhancing the other.

Digital original

The flower turned out to be really engaging to work with, and stayed the focus of almost 1/3 of the session. Towards the end, Lisa broke off the stem, and worked with the flower alone.

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The sub-theme of this session was the props that Lisa had brought - the end of the session was spent working with a huge leaf she'd thought might work...it provided a rich mirroring of the lines in the sheets behind her in this image.