Scotland 2008 Part XXIII: R_ Poses by the Quiraing

Digital infrared original

I found the landscape of the isle of Skye totally captivating; it was only during the second week in Scotland when R_ was working with me that we made it up to the Quiraing, a beautifully tortured landscape which provided a fabulous background for R_ to work against. The first images we made were in an old sheep enclosure beside the road up to the hills themselves; I love the contrast between the sensual curves of R_'s back and hips, and the hard angular lines of the walls and hills that surround her.

Digital infrared original

Before visiting Scotland, I don’t think I had made any infrared images of animals (other than model’s pet cats) - but the creepy look of this skeep’s eyes really pleased me, as much as they made me want to get away from the crazy sheep!

Digital original, 3 frame stitch

It was surprisingly hard to make images that balanced R_ in the foreground against the ridge of the Quiraing behind; when I was close enough to make the body the focus of the image, the hills would diminish and become an afterthought; when I pulled back and tried to match the scale of the body and landscape, the drama of the hills would dominate. The above photograph is the closest I came to what I'd envisioned, but it is still frustrating to not have archived the mix of the two subjects that was so clear in my mind's eye.

Digital original, 6 frame stitch

I thought it would be hard to create an image that blended the majesty of the landscape with the beauty of R_'s figure, but it turned out to be quite easy - a long lens helped create a sense of balance between the Nude and the landscape around her, without dwarfing R_ in the middle of the drama around her. On the right of the image, beside the pale gray parking lot, you can jsut make out the lines of the rock sheep enclosure where we started this session.