Digital original |
Though
Lavender and I haven't worked together since 2007, when I posted a
notice seeking models for the water pool sessions, she was one of the
first models to confirm a session time. She's worked in the pool before
with Steve Richard
(though with a very different style and approach) which gave her an
immediate comfort with the process, and within minutes to getting into
the pool, the first strong image (above) was made.
Digital original |
By
this session, I'd not only had 6 chances to work with pool, but enough
time to review the results, and evaluate how things could be improved.
The issue of water motion had been solved (simply waiting more time for
it to settle made all the difference), but I had also reviewed some of
the experiments with notion (models pushing their bodies quickly up
through the water surface) and decided that the results were worth
pushing further. In most cases, the early experiments were not perfect -
the Phase One medium format camera I was using for the session had a
somewhat random delay to the shutter, so half the time the image was
made just before or after the ideal moment. With this session (and later
ones) I persisted with the ideal, and made a dozen or more images of
each iteration, which ensured a number of really pleasing images
focused on the concept for each pose.
Digital original |
Having
access to the pool over two full days of photography really helped
build a coherent flow between the sessions with a wide variety of
models. Keeping the lighting and setting consistent helped tie the
session together, but more than anything, I was able to take successes
from one session and use them as a point of departure for the next
session; in this case, an earlier image of Ingrid was the direct
inspiration to this photograph of Lavender, made four hours later.
There's no way these images could have been made without the kindness, encouragement and support of Steve Richard and Shadowhouse Studios.
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