May 25, 2019

Lucie's First Outdoor Session (Atlantic Coast, Nova Scotia)

I can't recall a cooler, wetter spring; this session was literally the first day in Halifax in 2019 with a temperature above 20 degrees Celsius. In previous years, by this date, it has been hot enough to work with models in rivers, but to date, this year has just been too wet and cold to work outdoors (Miranda and I did make one image outdoors in March, but that was an exception, in several senses of the word).
Digital infrared original, 3 frame stitch
I first worked with Lucie in a candle-lit session in February, but her real interest as in working outdoors. Unfortunately, she is moving from Halifax at the end of May, so any outdoor session has to be before then. With that in mind, we've been watching the weather...and sighing - until the Saturday before her departure - the one day with a forecast temperature of 20 Celsius (and no rain). Fortunately it worked out that both Lucie and I were available that afternoon, so we headed to the coast, hoping for warm air and a light breeze.

As it turned out, the day could not have been better - the temperature, while by no means hot, was more than pleasant, and what little wind there was came off the land, carrying even more warmth. As Lucie and I had previously worked together, the session had none of the "getting started" jitters that can often be part of a first session, so within 10 minutes of reaching the coast, we had already made the first striking image, working with the angular sunlight and a small water pool.
Digital infrared original
While I had my colour camera with me, I didn't take it out for this entire session; the afternoon sunlight was pretty harsh, and the natural contrast would have been challenging to deal with. The infrared camera, however, was perfect for the day, and even the sky for the most part co-operated, providing me with some light cloud to put some drama in the wider-angle compositions.
Digital infrared original
As the session began to move towards its end, we made some more experimental images, drawn in by the massive boulders that are scattered on the glacial barrens. These in some ways relate to a series of Images I made in 2009 with Vanessa, where the figure is dwarfed by the granite rocks, but in this case, I encouraged Lucie to be experimental with her pose, which lead to a more dynamic result that the more posed look of the image with Vanessa.
Digital infrared original
The last image sets of the session were made on the line between the rocky shore and the scrub that covers much of the rest of the coastline. As we were walking out, I saw this wonderful dead tree, knocked to a sharp angle by a winter storm. With some effort, and even more care, Lucie was able to work her way into the sun-side of the tree, and arch into the evening light - providing a perfect finish for a great first (and sadly, perhaps final) session working with her.

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