Elisabeth at Sunset

Digital original

After the sunset session the night before with Bobbi, I was eager to continue pushing the possibilities offered by this magical time of day. Elisabeth and I had initially planned for an afternoon session but, with Lynn-Marie being unable to model past 5pm, I rescheduled with Elisabeth. As the sun headed for the horizon, we met up and drove out to Prospect, hoping for a repeat of the previous day's beautiful sunset.

8"x10" film

With the wind coming off the ocean, it was often a challenge just to find a spot lit by the setting sun that was also sheltered. In the end, we worked on a series of rock outcrops and small pockets of stone that dipped below the general line of the glacial barrens. Because it was so cool, and I knew the session would be short, I worked as swiftly as I could, sketching with the digital camera, and making any images that seemed particularly strong as a more refined image with the 8"x10" camera.

Digital original

As the sun moved lower in the sky, the temperature also dropped and very quickly it was decided that once the sun has set, the session would come to an end. With this in mind, Elisabeth and I began to search out a space that would work for the last image of the day; I wanted something that could show a broad vista of the sky, and obviously, Elisabeth wanted a space that was at least somewhat sheltered by the wind. We settled on a large glacial erratic, perched onto the glacial shield; the side facing the sunset was in the lee of the wind, and also had a nice line to it that could be mirrored in Elisabeth's pose.

The Pregnancy Continues

Digital original

As the progress of the pregnancy documentary moves along, some of the rewards of our hard work to date are beginning to show.

Digital original

A good number of the images from these sessions are simply "belly photos"; the focus of the session is less the body, and more what it contains within.

Digital original

The initial concept of following a number of poses through the entire pregnancy, from the 12th week until full term, is now in its fourth month and, rather then showing the most recent images in the series, I am now beginning to work with the photos as part of a series, assembling the images together in a single frame and providing a visual flow of evolution from the first image to the most recent. As the pregnancy continues, I will add to these images, until, after the birth, I will have a finished series.

A Session about Expectations

Digital original

I find it a little ironic that, after a handful of months working on one pregnancy series, I received an e-mail from Lynn-Marie letting me know she was expecting and asking if I'd be interested in working with her on a series of pregnancy nudes.

Digital original

Probably the hardest thing about the session was the light; with very few clouds in the sky, every image was a struggle to compose without the harsh shadows breaking down the composition or creating inky black shadows. All in all, I was actually impressed with the ability of the digital camera to record the broad contrast of the setting (the light sand was acting as a reflector for many of the images but the contrast was still pretty extreme).

Digital original

Because of the smaller camera, I could work more spontaneously than I tend to when I have both cameras with me. This, combined with a Sigma 12-24mm zoom lens I was testing for the weekend, led to some very dramatic images working with both the lines of the model and the clouds in the sky.

Pregnancy upon the Dunes

It is a little ironic that, after a handful of months working on one pregnancy series, I received an e-mail from Lynn-Marie letting me know she was expecting and asking if I'd be interested in working with her on a series of pregnancy nudes. We batted around some ideas by e-mail and set a date to get together and talk. Out of that came our first session of the pregnancy. As she wasn't showing yet, it was more like a traditional photo session than one focusing on the pregnancy but, like my other pregnancy series, many of the images were created with an eye to how Lynn-Marie's body would look in several months, as opposed to just focusing on the moment visible through the camera's lens.

Digital original

I had worked with my 8"x10" camera on Martinique Beach in May, and it had taken almost a month before all the sand was out of my film holders and camera so, for this session, I just took the digital SLR. In some ways, the Canon 10D is more susceptible to dust and sand but, as a smaller camera, it was definitely easier to keep protected from the sand when not in use.

Digital original

Because of the smaller camera, I could work more spontaneously than I tend to when I have both cameras with me. This, combined with a Sigma 12-24mm zoom lens I was testing for the weekend, led to some very dramatic images working with both the lines of the model and the clouds in the sky.

Digital original

Probably the hardest thing about the session was the light; with very few clouds in the sky, every image was a struggle to compose without the harsh shadows breaking down the composition or creating inky black shadows. All in all, I was actually impressed with the ability of the digital camera to record the broad contrast of the setting (the light sand was acting as a reflector for many of the images but the contrast was still pretty extreme). More than anything though, I am pleased with the work as a first step towards an evolving documentary series focusing on a pregnancy.

Elisabeth at Sunset

After the sunset session the night before with Bobbi, I was eager to continue pushing the possibilities offered by this magical time of day. Elisabeth and I had initially planned for an afternoon session but, with Lynn-Marie being unable to model past 5pm, I rescheduled with Elisabeth. As the sun headed for the horizon, we met up and drove out to Prospect, hoping for a repeat of the previous day's beautiful sunset.

8"x10" film

 While the sky was as clear as the previous night, the evening was cooler as well, which made the session quite short (much has been said about global climate change in the media, but it is empirical experience which often convinces; this spring has been one of the coolest and most erratic, weather wise, of any I can remember).

8"x10" film

 Because of the cool temperatures, we were quite limited to where we could work. Elisabeth had to be sheltered from the wind to be comfortable at all. With the wind coming off the ocean, it was often a challenge just to find a spot lit by the setting sun that was also sheltered. In the end, we worked on a series of rock outcrops and small pockets of stone that dipped below the general line of the glacial barrens. Because it was so cool, and I knew the session would be short, I worked as swiftly as I could, sketching with the digital camera, and making any images that seemed particularly strong as a more refined image with the 8"x10" camera. Unlike the session with Bobbi, most of the images we made were tight compositions working more with the angle of the light, then the colour of it.

Digital original

As the sun moved lower in the sky, the temperature also dropped and very quickly it was decided that once the sun has set, the session would come to an end. With this in mind, Elisabeth and I began to search out a space that would work for the last image of the day; I wanted something that could show a broad vista of the sky, and obviously, Elisabeth wanted a space that was at least somewhat sheltered by the wind. We settled on a large glacial erratic, perched onto the glacial shield; the side facing the sunset was in the lee of the wind, and also had a nice line to it that could be mirrored in Elisabeth's pose. We quickly worked out the image, and I began to record it; because I was both stitching and blending the digital frames that would make up the final photograph, once the portion with Elisabeth in it was exposed, she quickly moved out of the composition and dressed, needing to warm up as quickly as possible. It took me less then a minute to finish up the images needed for the final photograph and then we packed up, turned our back to the sun, and headed for the car.

Carol's Pregnancy Continues

As the progress of the pregnancy documentary with Carol moves forward, some of the rewards of our hard work to date are beginning to show. Our initial concept of following a number of poses through the entire pregnancy, from the 12th week until full term is now in its fourth month and already showing the potential that will be revealed in the final form.

Digital original

Rather than showing the most recent images from the series we are creating, I am presenting some images from other parts of the project, when Carol and I are simply making images together. Now that our routine for the serial images is established, we are more than happy to photograph more spontaneously if we have the time.

Digital original

Part of the wonder of a pregnancy, visually speaking, is how it changes the body and creates a naturally evolving subject to work with. This makes an indoor setting the ideal location, as it focuses attention of the subject as opposed to the surroundings and helps keep the distractions in the image to a minimum. For our series-based images, Carol and I worked with natural light; between making those images, we simply kicked back and relaxed, exploring the other possibilities as they presented themselves. I took cues from the lighting, and Carol’s natural movements to create a variety of images, ranging from full body nudes to details of her breasts, belly and even her back.

Though the expressed focus for the hour or so in which we worked together was Carol’s pregnancy, that didn’t change the reality that, for me, it was also a session with an experienced, relaxed model who was happy to indulge of my love for photography. The ever changing lines of Carol’s body were fascinating to focus on and with the directional window light providing a rich modelling light; the possibilities well outstripped the time we had to work together.

Digital original

As with the previous session, I worked exclusively with the DSLR, taking advantage of the camera’s fluid response to change and its delicate tonality in the soft, diffused light that flowed across Carol.

Bobbi Models at Prospect

Digital original

It has become a standard modis operandi during my trips to Halifax to fill every moment possible with photographic sessions. Even after a full day of teaching, if the weather is cooperative and a model available, I'm keen to set out to utilize the last light of the day. Sunset sessions are more time sensitive than most, as each moment that passes leads to a change of the light, but this particular evening was a little cool, so the pressure to work swiftly because of the fading light was compounded by the need to keep Bobbi warm enough to last through the session.

Digital, 4 frame exposure blend

As the sunset crept forward, Bobbi and I gradually worked our way along the beach, towards a point where there was water between the rocks and the sun; this was where I wanted to be for the last minutes of the sun being above the horizon so I could capture its reflection on the water and the light it cast upon Bobbi on the rocks before me. Because I was using a digital camera, I could take advantage of several aspects: first, I could correctly judge the exposures in the field, something that is impossible to do with film cameras and second, I was able to take multiple images, with different exposures to blend later in the computer. By blending two exposures, one for the foreground and another for the background, I was able to keep the richness in the sky, while still having full detail in the foreground.

Digital, 2 frame exposure blend, 2 frame resolution blend

The final images of the evening were by far the most engaging; on our walk up, both Bobbi and I had contemplated working with the water pool I have dubbed "The Eye of the World", but decided it would be better to leave the space until after the sun had set. So, on our way back we stopped and, after a moments hesitation, Bobbi proceeded to slip into the water and explore the possibilities of the space. This was a space that called for blended exposures; the foreground required more then a second-long exposure, while the sky took less then 1/30th of a second to record. In the end, the blended image was by far my favorite of the day, with a beautifully muted sky above and the unmoving mirror of the pool surrounding Bobbi's figure.

Bobbi Along a Rocky Shore

In the late morning Miranda had to head back to Halifax for an appointment but Bobbi and I still had a couple of hours available to work so we stayed behind at York Redoubt and kept photographing. We decided to move outside of the old searchlight emplacement and work on the ironstone rocks along the shoreline, varying the surroundings as much as possible over the session.

Digital original

Because we only had a couple of hours, I decided to leave the view camera behind in the searchlight emplacement and headed out with only the digital camera. By this time, the sun had moved enough that a significant part of the shoreline was in shade; all the same, at Bobbi’s request, we began working with her lying on rocks in direct sunlight - more out of her interest in warming up than any overwhelming desire to work with the contrasty light. All that being said, through carefully working around her, I was able to find several angles from which the harsh light worked (usually with the sun behind me, minimizing the shadows).

Digital original

Once Bobbi had warmed up and I had exhausted the possibilities offered by the angle of the sun, we moved further along the shoreline to a space where the ocean had eroded the coast down to the bedrock, which had a countless series of steps in it, broken off by years of winter storms and ice. These spaces were perfect for Bobbi to work with and quite quickly we found a couple of ledges for posing. For just a moment, I considered walking back and getting the view camera for the strongest of these images but part of the reason to take only the digital camera was to try to work more fluidly and intuitively than I can with the larger 8”x10” camera, so I decided to stick to the original plan.

A Pair of Models in a Ruin

8"x10" film

We started working with the most obvious element, the curve of the front wall of the emplacement; this was where the doors shielding the searchlight originally were mounted. Most of these are now either missing or rusted into place, but the beautiful curve in the concrete, and the metal tracks still remain. It took a couple of minutes for Bobbi and Miranda to find a pose that worked with the space but, once they were in position, the entire image came together and was made quite quickly.

8"x10" film

With the image of the two models together, we had to carefully wait until the sun moved enough to be out of the composition; Bobbi had already made several very successful images balanced on the top of the ladder; the addition of Miranda's form to the lower left of the image balanced out the composition beautifully.

8"x10" film

The final image of the session, made in front of the building, was actually rather hard to make, given the loose rocks and dirt that Bobbi had to crouch on to hold the pose.

Miranda and Bobbi at York Shore Battery

My regular visits back to Nova Scotia to teach photography workshops have become something of a focus of my figure work this year; most of the models I am currently working with reside in Nova Scotia, so it only makes sense to spend the days on either side of the workshops photographing. Since most of my models are also friends, there is an undeniably social element to working this way but I do try to get in as much figure work as I can.

8"x10" film

Both Bobbi and Miranda were available on the day of my arrival in Halifax, so we arranged to meet up. I had hoped for an overcast day, but with no clouds in the sky, I decided to work at York Redoubt, making use of one of the searchlight emplacements. These small buildings have a number of very engaging architectural elements and have proven to be good locations in the past, but I was a little unsure how the location would work with the two models.

Digital original

The space was perfect to work in; the bright sunlight outside provided more then enough illumination to work by but the inside light was beautifully soft and provided rich description of the space and models without any jarring contrast. While most of the session was spent working inside, several striking images were made in the outer portions; one with two models in the back of the building and a second of Bobbi on the concrete front of the emplacement.

Digital original

With the image of the two models, we had to wait until the sun moved out of the composition; Bobbi was already perched atop of the ladder; the addition of Miranda’s form to the lower left of the image gave it balance. The final image of the session was actually difficult to make, given the loose rocks and dirt that Bobbi had to pose on. Both time and film had run out, so the session came to a natural close.

8"x10" film