A Nude & a Skull (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Digital original, 2 frame focus blend

The first time I worked with skulls and a model was with Victoria in 1999, during the making of the Alberta Portfolio. At the time, I wasn't sure about how the two somewhat unrelated subjects would work together, but in retrospect, both the similarities in shape and form between the body and bones, and the symbolic elements the skulls add work surprisingly well.

Digital infrared original

For this session with Stephanie, I had the loan of a ram's skull, which had the added bonus of hand-holds via the horns. We worked with the lovely natural light on the long wall in my living room, and used a free standing reflector to control the contrast, when needed.

Digital infrared original, 2 frame stitch

All in all, the session was great; Stephanie really enjoyed working with the skull, and the images we made were really pleasing. Though we started the session working in colour, I quickly shifted to working with the infrared camera, enjoying the more luminous, abstracted quality it gave the body.