Lynn Marie Outdoors (Feltzen South, Nova Scotia)

After the morning session with the skull was complete, we took a break for lunch, hoping that by early afternoon, the fog would have burned off, and the day warmed up enough to facilitate an outdoor session. As luck had it, this was the case, with the fog retreated to the open ocean, and the late day sun shining down on the rocks. It wasn't hot by any means, but Lynn Marie assured me it was warm enough to model, so off we went.

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The Lunenburg Bay shore near Feltzen has become one of my favourite places to work since I discovered it during the Cassandra Portfolio. To date, each time I have worked there I have come away with striking images, and the more time I spend working with its rich rockscapes, the more I can see to work with. The debate of working with a space I know, and working with a new, unknown space is a hard one; with a known space, I am always, to a point, working against what I have already done, and have to struggle not to repeat myself. In seeking a new location to work, there is always the risk of having to settle for a less then ideal location, because something better came up. With a new model, I prefer to minimize the variables, and stick to know I know will work for the setting. This gives me the best chance of producing strong images, as I know the possibilities of the landscape ahead of time, and the only variables are what the models bring to the session.

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In contrast to the indoor work, where the poses were either drawn from Lynn Marie's own body movement, or from the juxtaposition of her body and the caribou skull, the outdoor session's poses all came from the lines of the land, and evolved from the communication between the model and myself. This process is hard to explain, and impossible to prepare a model for. The only way to learn how well a model will interact with the landscape is to set to work, and see what happens.

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In Lynn Marie's case, there was no problem in the translation from working indoors to outdoors; her main interest in my work came from the landscape Nudes, and very quickly into the session, she expressed how much she was enjoying the process. Both because of the limited time we had, and the fact it was Lynn Marie's first time modeling outdoors, I worked only with the smaller, faster roll film cameras, keeping the emphasis on the flow of the session, as opposed to the results. The outcome was more then pleasing, with several very successful images.

Lynn Marie Indoors (Feltzen South, Nova Scotia)

Lynn Marie came to me through her friendship with Carol; she'd viewed my work online, and approached me about wanting to model. The week passed, and one thing conflicted with another, but eventually the stars aligned, and we were able to set a date that worked for both of us.

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As with the previous day, I'd hoped this would be an outdoor session, but the morning was cool and foggy, so we followed in Carol's footsteps and started our session indoors. For the first images we worked in a small bedroom, with Lynn Marie curled up on a corner chair, and then lying on the bed.

The light was wonderfully soft, diffused through the light fog that was still pervasive outside. This proved a great place to start, as it gave Lynn Marie a chance to get accustomed to the process while at the same time, it provided me with a physical space that gave some variation to the positions and poses possible for the model.

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After a couple of rolls in the bedroom, we moved downstairs to the temporary studio I'd set up the previous day so we could continue the work I'd started with Carol and the skulls. This time, as opposed to a single caribou antler, I had a full skull and antler rack to work with. I'd known about the full rack the previous day, but had been reluctant to use it without the permission of the owner; for this session Joy headed over and asked, coming back shortly thereafter with the skull.

As with Carol, the introduction of the animal skull provided a catalyst for a whole series of images, each drawing directly from the interaction between the model and the lines and shape of the antlers and bone. Initially, I explored the skull in the most obvious ways, with the antlers curving up around Lynn Marie; this lead to some very striking compositions, the best of which were from a very low perspective, with the antlers sweeping up around the body. It was these images which I'd had in my mind's eye when I first saw the skull on the wall.

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Once the most evident images were recorded, we proceeded to experiment more with the combination of the skull and the body, working both in close and with distant views. At one point, Lynn Marie stretched out her leg, and I was instantly reminded of an earlier image of Megan; I
placed the skull on the back of her thigh, and switched to a wide angle lens; what I saw took my
breath away! I refined the pose some, did what I could to even out the lines of the backdrop, and made the first exposure.

Carol Indoors (Feltzen South, Nova Scotia)

I had hoped this would be my first outdoor session with a model for the year, but the weather didn't co-operate; this spring has been one of the coldest I can remember, and though the day was sunny, the air was too cool for outdoor nudes. Fortunately, we had a good indoor space to work in, and rather then let the day go, we decided to do what we could indoors. As it turned out, the furnace was broken in the house we were using, so we had to resort to a fire in the woodstove to heat the house up to a reasonable temperature for working.

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Though I had hoped to work on the Lunenburg Shoreline, I quickly reshaped my plans for the day to match the reality of the situation; I knew there was a wealth of possibilities to an indoor session, between straightforward Nudes to portraits, and more explorations with skulls and bone.

After a couple of rolls of portraits and bodyscapes that served as an icebreaker for Carol (it was her first session modeling nude), we began to work with a caribou antler, a beautiful white form which just called out to be mixed with the human body.

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My first images of a Nude with a skull were made in Alberta, with Victoria, in 1999. These were followed up two years later with images of Cassandra with a skull. The combinations of the Nude and these natural forms is so beautiful, I suspect I could dedicate a whole project to the idea (I am already working on trying to get a moose skull and antlers for a photo session). With Carol , it didn't take long before we began to find poses that took full advantage of the lines and flow of the antler.

We worked on the floor with the caribou antler for a full hour, making a whole series of images that
played off the interplay of line and form. With that complete, we changed the setting and the image content, with Carol working against a white wall with a ram's skull (the same skull that I photographed Cassandra with last year). The session closed on a striking image, of the stark white skull positioned over Carol's hips.

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For a session that I'd intended to have been outdoors, the available light work with Carol, and most specifically, the work of her and the skulls, was striking and inspiring. While I did use the 8"x10" camera during the session, it was dominated by the more fluid and speedy approach granted by the Mamiya RB, which produced images more then sharp enough for my critical eye. Had the house been warmer, or there been more time, I would have pulled the larger camera into service more, but as the session went, the Mamiya was the perfect tool to use.

A Morning of Photography (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Just as working with a model over a long period of time builds a sense of familiarity and comfort between the photographer and subject, working with the same location for years upon years builds an understanding for the character and light of a space.

8"x10" film

York Redoubt is one of the more isolated forts of the Halifax Defence Complex, and as such, lends itself to a considered approach to image making. In more popular spaces, spending ten minutes composing an image, and then another five making the exposure isn't recommended; most people are more then willing to accommodate an inconvenience, but tying up a space for a quarter of an hour isn't reasonable (plus, large cameras tend to attract attention and questions, and that, combined with the picture-making, can stretch into thirty minutes or more!).

On this session, I concentrated on the upper portion of the fort, in the south-western Caponier and the RML line. Every year, my early sessions seem to focus as much on experimenting with new equipment as they do on making new images, and this session was no exception.

8"x10" film

Both of these spaces called for a wide lens, so the opportunity was perfect for working with my Schneider 150mm XL lens, which I had yet to put through its paces. This lens is a vast improvement over my previous 150mm Nikkor lens; not only is it twice as bright, but it is lighter too.

All but two of the negatives I made used the 150mm lens; even in the dark indoor spaces, it proved easy to use, and the results were very pleasuring. Ironically, the best image of the day was a re-make of an earlier negative; a complete view of the end wall of the Caponier. Rather then replace this earlier image, I decided to post the above detail, which is more of an abstract study then a documentary image.

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The more I work with these forts, the more distinct my ways of seeing become; some images are strictly documentary, showing how things are; others are about the aesthetic lines of the architecture, and still others, like the two interiors above, are just about visual pleasure, plain and simple.

A First Session (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Prior to this winter, when I'd worked indoors with models, I'd hung white bed sheets over one wall to
diffuse the light; this worked well enough, but it wasn't until early in the new year that I finally
acquired some material specifically to create the white spaces I so enjoy working within; where before I had a single bed-sheet, I now have two large pieces of white cloth, giving me over ten meters of white to work with. This means that where before a single wall was covered in white, I can now drape an entire room.

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Sylvana had never modeled Nude before, though this was not for lack of interest but rather for lack of opportunity. Originally from the Mediterranean, her Sylvana has a very European attitude to the body (that is to say, positive), but apparently until coming across my work, she had never had the opportunity to model for artistic nudes. Fortunately, fate brought Sylvana to my work (through my partner Joy's poetry), and after meeting late in the afternoon on a Sunday, we arranged a time to start working together, and two days later, we began.

It can't be overstated how important the first session is with a new model - even beyond setting the stage for future work, the session will be the groundwork from which all other possibilities shall spring. In some ways, the first session with a model is my favourite; with people whom I've worked with before, I usually have general ideas in my mind about what the session will generate, but with a first-time model, there is no way to anticipate how things will turn out. 

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With Sylvana, I had expected her comfort with the process, because of how comfortable and confident she was when we'd met and talked, but what was unexpected was how animated she was during the session.

There most models are more then happy to relax upon the white cloth and have me make compositions based upon languid poses, Sylvana seldom worked on the bed for long, often popping up from poses as soon as I said I was done. This changed how I work; usually I make a first image, trusting to instinct and intuition, and then, once that is complete, I take some time to experiment
with framing, to see if a stronger image might be generated by some subtle change. Fortunately, I was working with the smaller Mamiya RB camera for most of the session; had I been using the 8"x10", I suspect several of the stronger photos would have passed by before I could have captured them.

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The session with Sylvana resulted in some very strong images; because of her captivating face, the majority of the images ended up being portraits. It also served as a strong reminder of how much a model can influence a sessions outcome; Sylvana's animated nature influenced the images greatly, leading to some unusual compositions, and a greater variety of poses then I usually have from an indoor session.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.