A Session with Fern & L_ (Bridgewater, Nova Scotia)

Most of the time, photo sessions begin at my initiative, with me contacting models and arranging
for transportation etc, but for this session, it was a request from L_ that put things into motion. After
the session with R_ and Miranda, she'd asked me if I'd be interested in photographing her and her
sister together. I immediately said I'd love to and a week later a date was set.

6x7 cm film

I had never worked with sisters modeling together before, so I had no idea how the session would unfold. While most of my indoor images of multiple models have been of lovers, I have worked with pairs of models who are friends as well, which leads to a very different tone in the results (as shown in the Amicus folio), so I worked from the assumption this session would have a similar tone.

6x7 cm film

As with many of my indoor sessions, I began with both models lying down; this cast light across their bodies, and provided a beautiful rim light. Unfortunately, this approach didn't provide much in the way of lighting for portraits and, while this was a figure session, it was also focusing on the relationship between the sisters, so almost all the images were to be portraits. So, after making a few images of the models lying down, we shifted to working with sitting poses, and things just got better from there.

6x7 cm film

As I had hoped, what drove the session was the relationship between L_ and Fern; there was none of the hesitance or uncertainty that can mark the beginning of a session between friends, and yet a different tone to that of models who are also partners. A comfort and closeness between the sisters was evident, and easy to work off of. The similarity between their faces and bodies made it easy to work off one model to the other, and several times I made compositions that showed one sister in profile, and the other more directly, while other images used an overlapping or mirror effect to produce the final photograph.

8"x10" film

The session came to an end as the light dropped below usable levels. The last images of the
day were a series of 8"x10" portraits made right by the windows, and even these required a
two second exposure to get enough light onto the film. All in all, even with the low light, I
was very pleased with the session, and more importantly, after showing the work to Fern and
L_, know they are too!

Victoria by Natural Light (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

The more I work with Victoria, the more I appreciate all her support for my work. More then any other model, she has helped me push my work forward, and been patient enough to work with me through various experiments and tests.

6x7 cm film

In this case, it was less of an experiment then a continuation of an on-going test; working with the Mamiya RB camera indoors where I'd previously have worked with a 35mm camera. While much of my work from last fall and the early winter was made on 35mm film, I became more and more frustrated with the lower image quality the Nikon was giving me. While working indoors with the 8"x10" is possible, I didn't want to give up all the spontaneity that the smaller format presented me with; thus the experimentation with Mamiya RB's.

6x7 cm film

For this session, all I wanted to do was work as I usually do without worrying about camera format. Usually I use two cameras, one for colour and one for black and white, but with the RB, I could change the film-backs when I wished to chance film types. This made the flow of the session smoother then usual, with less changing of lenses and cameras, and more focus upon the image-making. More then anything else, this simplification of the image making process lead to less distraction on my part; when I saw a composition I wanted to capture, all I needed to do was ensure the correct lens and film were in use, and the image was made.

6x7 cm film

Where I've grown very used to an 85mm lens on my Nikon, the lens I was using on the RB was a 127mm, equal to about a 70mm lens on a 35mm camera. This concerned me a little, as I have become so comfortable with the longer portrait lens, but this session with Victoria proved that the lens was more then appropriate; for the most part, I composed tight images that took full advantage of the slightly long lens, and all of them were every bit as successful as I'd hoped.

While I actually prefer portrait sessions with Victoria, almost all the images I made were

Three Muses (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Back in the fall of 2001, a friend of mine (Jeff Amos) gifted me with a partial box of 4"x5" Kodak infrared film; this about three months after I sold my 4"x5" camera. Not wanting to pass up such an opportunity (as Kodak 4"x5" infrared film was discontinued recently), I decided to save the film for a special occasion - specifically a studio session, as I knew I could access a 4"x5" there, if the situation warranted.

6x7 cm film

The more I thought about what to do with the film, the more I decided it had to be something unusual. In the end, I don't remember what gave me the idea, but I settled on a "Three Graces" session, with three female models, and inspired by the ancient Greek sculpture of the same name. The idea sat in the back of my mind until R_ asked me if it'd be possible to do another studio session with a second model- a couple of quick phone calls, and some major good karma, and the session was arranged, with three models - R_ , L_ and Miranda all more then intrigued by the idea I described.

6x7 cm film

In the studio, we began in the most formal way, copying the ancient pose, and exposing both 4"x5" and medium format film in the process. Very quickly, I grew frustrated by this process, and we shifted to more spontaneous poses, with the models and I working together to create poses true to the idea, but diverging from the inspiration. A number of the standing poses worked well, but it wasn't until the models began working with horizontal poses that the images really began to come together.

35mm infrared film

When the models were standing, it was hard to create poses that had the mirroring and repetition I was seeking, but once the models were lying down, it all changed. I quickly set the lighting to above the models, and the compositions leapt out. The results of these explorations are very pleasing, ranging from bodyscapes to almost abstract compositions.

4"x5" infrared fukn

In the end, the infrared film what was the motivation for the session turned out to be a
technical frustration - all the 4"x5" images were all underexposed because of how out of date
the film is. This is something that I can compensate for next time, assuming there is one.

J_ & Miles by Natural Light (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

My last indoor available light session with Miles and J_ , in the fall of 2001, took place during the dying light of the day, and the entire session was a fight against the failing light. In January, we worked for the first time in the studio, but J_ didn't enjoy the strobe, finding its bright burst of light disconcerting. This session was the total contrast to those sessions, with a bright afternoon providing all the light we needed, and both Miles and J_ enjoying the session's relaxed tone and slow pace.

6x7 cm film

The best thing about working with available light in my house is that it is natural; where most of my studio work revolves around standing poses, almost all of my indoor work, either with solo or multiple models, is of relaxed poses, lying on a bed or pull-out couch. This gives a more natural flow to the images, which in turn builds on the comfort and delicacy contained in the image. All of this
lends itself to creating the feeling I am after with my images (while the standing images I have made in the studio in the past work well at times, there is no denying how natural two lovers lying beside each other feels and looks).

6x7 cm film

Because most of my indoor sessions take place with the models on the pull-out bed in my living room, the vast majority of the poses I work with tend to be horizontal, with the models lying down. This can make it difficult to dynamically compose within the camera, given that my preferred camera formats. 8"x10" and 6x7 cm, have a closer-to-square aspect ratio (as opposed to 35mm, which is narrower, and closer to a narrow rectangle then a square). With couples on the other hand, the format works well, as images of multiple models take up more space on the ground glass. Add to this my recent penchant for angular images (which emphasize the flow of an image) and it becomes much easier to compose to the shape of the formats I work with.

6x7 cm film

The pleasure of working for a full afternoon with a couple of models can't be understated; the freedom to take the time needed to perfect the poses I came across and make the exposures I was seeking was wonderful. The couples I have worked with in the past have all been more then comfortable with the process, but given that both Miles and J_ are good friends, this session was even more enjoyable, as the experience of making new images was combined with time spent with good friends.

The First Session with R_ in 2002 (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Because R_ began working with me last winter, the two of us have actually worked together indoors far more then we have outdoors. This is a small source of frustration for me, as she's such a good model and I by far prefer working outdoors, but as I'd rather photograph then not, I take whatever time R_ can provide me with. To date, this had turned out to me predominantly indoor sessions.

6x7 cm film

For this session, I decided to change my approach to the work I've been doing with the white sheets indoors; rather then suspend it over the window to diffuse the light, I opted to hang the sheet as a backdrop half-way into the room, and set R_ against it, as opposed to below it. This permitted me to photograph her with the window behind me.

6x7 cm film

The altered design of my make-shift studio created a setting where the lighting for the image came from directly behind me. Edward Weston, one of the world's greatest photographers, made a number of Nudes using a similar setting to this, and the results from this session are an homage of sorts. The new set-up worked well, being both a challenge for R_ in terms of posing, and myself in terms of composition. The room we worked in is not very large, and for a number of images, I had the camera right against the deck doors, in order to achieve the framing I was seeking.

6x7 cm film

Taking a risk during a session, such as working with a new studio set-up, or testing a new kind of film, is something that an extended relationship with a model such as R_ can provide. With first-time models, the emphasis of the session is on gaining their confidence, and producing images which will build on my work as a whole, as opposed to pushing the envelope. One of the luxuries of extended relationships is that they provide room for experimentation and the taking of risks.

6x7 cm film

After working with the white sheet as a backdrop for the better part of an hour, both R_ and I had exhausted our ideas for the set-up, and quickly shifted the room around to the old approach, with the sheet diffusing the window light. Because so many strong images had passed before my eyes with the last hour, I was feeling a little burned out, but between R_ and I, we still managed to produce a number of striking images, most of the revolving around sitting and kneeling poses, trying to break out of the prone, lying poses I usually work with on the bed.

J_ & Miranda Model Together (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

My work seems to come in waves, and where I might go months or even years between working on a particular style of imagery, I might then suddenly do nothing but that approach. My work with multiple models over the last six months has been a good case in point. While I always try to make images about relationships whenever the situation permits, there have been a great number of opportunities to make images of two models together, leading to a great blossoming of my work in this area

35mm negative

Both Miranda and J_ had worked with R_ last fall, and out of that session, this one was born; both models didn't have a chance to work with me then, but were more then willing to facilitate a session....unfortunately, it was several months before our schedules worked out again!

35mm negative

Like the session above with Miranda on her own, the day for these photos was perfect; we had most of the afternoon to work, and the light coming through the sheets over the windows was bright and soft. Both models were totally comfortable working together, and this made the images all the more successful.

With models who share a relationship, much of the images that come from a couple session are drawn from their spontaneous interaction, but with models who are not partners, the images tend to come much more from suggestions and conscious poses then spontaneity. With Miranda and J_ however, it was a marriage of the two, as both women have a comfort with each other, and with modeling, that helped them to relax and just enjoy the session.

8"x10" film

The overall tone for the photographs we made was set very much by the warm, delicate tonality of the colour film. I find myself wondering if the session would have been anywhere as successful if I had chosen black and white film, as opposed to colour. The entire thalamus series has been recorded in colour, initially because it was what I had in hand, but eventually, it became the film of choice, because of the delicacy of the skin-tones, and because it separated the images from my other indoor work.

Miles and J_ in the Studio (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Though I've worked with Miles and J_ numerous times outdoors, and indoors a couple of times with natural light, I've never worked with them in the studio. This was less by design then by accident, so I was very much looking forward to what would result from taking two models who I work with so well into a new environment.

6x7 cm film

After making some stock images for a new digital composite image I was planning, we shifted into a less orchestrated approach, working off what the studio light brought before my eyes, and what the two models, alone, or together, created. After working to a script, just improvising the poses, and making the images the lighting suggested was very enjoyable. More then ever, I realized how much my work relies upon intuition and spontaneity.

6x7 cm film

The best work of the session came from the images of Miles and J_ together, though the successes were not limited to images that focused specifically on the interplay between two lovers. In the middle of the session, while both models were working upon sheets laid upon the floor, Miles arched his torso to the side, trying to work out a kink that had set in with the previous pose. The lines of light flowing down his side were beautiful, and I asked him to repeat the pose, this time with J_ lying across his legs. The resulting images were very strong, playing as much on light and  form as they do on the nudity and intimacy that gave birth to the photographs.

6x7 cm film

Probably the most interesting result of the studio session was how strongly J_ disliked posing in the studio setting (as opposed to modelling outdoors). The pace of the work was different from what she is used to, and the bright light of the flashes going off she found annoying. Usually, when I speak of my studio work, I discuss it from the perspective of the image maker, but hearing her discuss
it made me realize that it can present just as many challenges for the subject.

Miranda in a White Room (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

35mm negative

The series I call Thalamus began more then two years before this session, and yet I still find myself engaged by the beauty and simplicity that the Thalamus images contain. In some ways, these images are my most deliberate, premeditated images, yet they still keep the spontaneity element that I strive to generate. Working within a very basic set of parameters; a white sheet diffusing natural day light, a single model working on a bed or pull-out-couch, and images created with a narrow focus range, the results can vary widely, based as much upon the individual I am working with as the changing of the light, from one day to the next.

35mm negative

With Miranda, this session seemed almost an extension of our previous indoor session with her and Trav then an entirely new session. The light was wonderful, and Miranda as always was keen and enthusiastic, which is an interesting combination given that most of the session simply involved her lying around on the bed while I refined compositions and made exposures. The session was Miranda's first time modeling on her own indoors, and while I knew she would have no problem with the slightly different dynamic, it did serve to remind me of how much potential the human body on its own contains. I've been working so much with couples lately that I had forgotten the energy and brilliance of a well composed image of a single body can contain.

6x9 cm transparency film

This was one of my best indoor sessions of the year to date, not because of the results we generated, but simply because of the pace of the session. We worked over several hours in the afternoon, and came to and end before the light had faded altogether. The images came easily and seamlessly over the entire session, and nothing seemed hurried or rushed. While having restrictions on time is both a reality, and sometimes even a motivator, the luxury of having all the time you need to make the work before you is wonderful. The end of this session came when all the images had been made, and I was satisfied that nothing more could be gained by continuing.

Lymari Models Indoors (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

As with Bili and Joe, Lymari came up to Nova Scotia for a brief visit, but was more then happy to model before she returned to the sunny climes of Boston (she and two others had driven up through a snow-storm). When she had visited the previous summer it was more then warm enough for us to work outdoors, but with the temperatures outside below freezing, we opted for an indoor "white room" session.

35mm negative

Taking a cue from my successes with Trav and Miranda, I began the session working with a fast portrait lens, and narrow depth of field. The day wasn't as bright as it had been the previous day, which limited me to working exclusively on a tripod - a surprising limitation, given how much light the f/1.2 lens let in. This made the whole session a little less spontaneous, but tightened up some of the compositions, and permitted me a little more freedom to play with lines and form.

35mm negative

Where my other work this year has focused upon the bodies of lovers entwined, the session with Lymari became as much about her eyes as her body. While I did continuously return to making images that focused solely upon her body as form, it was the portraits which stayed in my mind's eye when the session was completed.

8"x10" film

I am somewhat tortured about portraiture; it has always been an area of imaging that has drawn me, and yet I am not sure what place it should hold, in the larger scale of my work. In a general sense, a portrait is most effective when the viewer knows the subject, but with many of the portraits I have produced (the nude portraits), they seem to be quite engaging even to total strangers. I suspect this lies in the complexity of a Nude Portrait, but I also wonder

Bili & Joe Indoors (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Bili and Joe came up to Halifax in the middle of the winter for a brief visit, but knowing they were coming, we'd planned to get in at least one session, to make the most of their presence.

35mm negative

My first images of Bili and Joe were also made indoors, in the winter of 1999, so the two models were more then familiar with my approach to indoor work. Over the intervening years, I've refined my approach and comfort with the style and changed from shooting transparencies to colour negative. This didn't really change the approach, but did affect the outcome, to some degree.

35mm negative

As with much of my indoor work, I set the models against a white sheet, lit from behind by a large window. This gave a beautiful luminous quality to the light, and provided beautiful description of the model's bodies.

35mm negative

Unlike the work we'd produced in 1999, these images are more based upon aesthetics then intimacy. Over and over, I built images that relied upon line and form, drawn to the wonderful juxtaposition of the two forms. I suspect this is rooted in the brevity of the Bili and Joe's visit; the session was short, and the only one we had time for. Generally I find it takes a session or two for models to get back into the flow of the process, even experienced ones. In the end, while it was more then easy to generate successful images with Bili and Joe, I suspect if we'd had time to work a second or third time, the work would have grown in
impact.