Hailey Models at the Coast (High Head, Nova Scotia)

As I mentioned in my first outdoor session of 2019, this spring has been wet and cold; as a result, I have done little outdoor work with models, so when Hailey was available, and the weather was promising, I enthusiastically headed to the coast for an evening of photography!

Digital infrared original

The rocky Atlantic shoreline of Nova Scotia is just a delight to work with, and shortly into the session, I came across a large rock pool perfect for working with - set high above the ocean, the pool was deep black in colour, and created a dramatic division of the rocks around it. Hailey and I worked in the space for almost 30 minutes, working with portraits, reflections, and reclining poses, but the above image, with a brilliant reflection of the sun balancing against the empty pool surrounding Hailey is definitely my favourite.

Digital infrared original

As the session progressed, the number of spaces in shade increased, and by 1/2 way through the session, we were able to start working with soft light, as well as evening sun. This composition was created looking straight down upon Hailey - as we refined the pose, I asked her to curl up as small as possible, placing her among the lines of the rock below, and the seaweed to the left.

Digital infrared original

The above photograph is easily the most sculptural image I made during the session - the delicate descriptions of Hailey's figure by the soft light was incredible, and the two tones of the rough granite she was posing upon creates the perfect setting to place her in.

Digital infrared original

The final images of the session were focused on worked with reflections of the evening sky in rock pools in from the coast; it took some time before we could actually make the images however, as several hikers were out enjoying the evening, and we had to wait for them to head back towards civilization before making the images. By that time, the sky had changed some, but fortunately for us, there were still enough high clouds catching the setting sun's light to create the magic we had seen before. It was a little challenging for Hailey to find spaces to pose within the dark water, but with some care and patience, she found spaces she could work with, and a beautiful set of photographs was born!