March 07, 2010

Infrared at the Coast (Polly's Cove, Nova Scotia)

Digital infrared original
This would have been a perfect day to work with a model, but as none was available, I headed to the coast all the same, to see what images could be made. I am not usually enraged by landscape, but given that the glacial barrens are my favorite place in Nova Scotia, it is easier to work with landscape here than anywhere else.
Digital original
The fact that the day turned out to be so lovely, with a bright blue sky and light, fast moving clouds made the afternoon perfect for working with infrared - the blue sky turned deep black, which in turn set off the wispy clouds (many of which are actually con-trails from planes heading to Europe). I would have preferred to be working with a model on such a day, but the above images make the most of the resources that were present at the time!

February 20, 2010

A Pregnancy Session with Mia (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Digital infrared original
The first quarter of 2010 has been one of the slowest in over twenty years of working with the Nude (2 sessions in three months!); a combination of my dislike of working indoors, few models, and preparing for an exhibition (Frozen Light) has kept me away from a camera for the most part, but when Mia got in touch about working together, I was more than keen - especially when she related she was seven months pregnant. Working with the lovely light in my living room provided us with a number of very pleasing photographs, all of which centered on the beauty of her pregnancy
Digital infrared original, 2 frame stitch
One of the final images of the session, the above composition is one of my few attempts at including the window in the frame - in this case, I think it works well, with the luminous shadow of the window-divider mirroring the verticality of Mia's pose, while providing a contrast to the swell of her pregnancy.

January 27, 2010

New Brunswick Talk (Moncton, New Brunswick)


On Thursday, January 7th, 2010,I will be presenting to the Moncton Focus Camera Club, talking about my work produced in Scotland in 2008. The meeting begins at 6:30 at the Université de Moncton Campus, Rémi-Rossignol Building - Rm. D102.

January 26, 2010

Three More Flowers in ice

Digital original, 40 image exposure blend, 4 frame stitch

Digital original, 16 image exposure blend, 3 frame stitch

Digital original, 19 image exposure blend, 2 frame stitch

January 11, 2010

A Tulip and a Rose

Digital original, 7 image focus blend

Digital original, 12 image focus blend

January 10, 2010

Purple, Yellow and Orange in Ice

Digital original, 18 frame focus blend, 3 frame stitch
This image was included in the 2010 exhibition `Frozen Light` which was displayed at ViewPoint Gallery, in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Digital original, 7 frame focus blend

January 07, 2010

Tanya by Natural Light (Moncton, New Brunswick)

Digital infrared original
One of the best things about visiting Moncton is the opportunity to work with Tanya. For this visit, early in the New Year, working outdoors wasn't an option, so I met with Tanya at her apartment, and we spent several hours working together with the afternoon light. The portrait above, created early in the session, was made by the window in Tanya's bedroom - lit as much by the light reflecting off the New Year's snow as the overcast sky above.
Digital infrared original, 2 frame stitch

Though we began working in the bedroom, the light wasn't great, so we quickly moved to the living room, which had a double deck doors - perfect for lighting the Nude, especially when covered with sheer curtains. The large glass doors provided the perfect diffused light, and was just fabulous to work with. The background proved to be a challenge, but working with large apertures, and keeping Tanya's pose against a distant corner without furniture minimized any distractions.
Digital original
The last set of images I made were a series of portraits, experimenting with a freestanding reflector; I normally don't use a lot of reflectors in my work, but I brought one along on this session, and decided it'd be worth trying, to see if it contributed anything. I have the above image with and without the reflector (the image above is with it), and normally I would have selected the first image, the one without the reflector. Ultimately, I prefer the stronger contrast of the single large light source, to the same image with a reflector. So why show the second image? Because while I don't like the lighting as much, Tanya's pose is SO much stronger than the first image...so the weaker light, and better pose wins the day.

January 01, 2010

New Year's Day (Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia)

Digital original, 2 frame stitch
This visit is my 4th annual pilgrimage to Peggy's Cove to photograph in the New Year. This is the most photographed lighthouse in the world…though it is usually photographed with a beautiful sunset behind it…but in the winter, sometimes you can’t even see the sky!
Digital original
The light dusting of snow (accumulating as I was photographing) made for some very subtle compositions, like this one of a sheer rock face...the shapes upon it are simply carved out by the wind shadow of snow.

December 14, 2009

More Frozen Flowers

Digital original, 23 image exposure blend, 5 frame stitch

Digital original, 9 image exposure blend

Digital original, 10 image exposure blend, 3 frame stitch
This image was a complete surprise - the calla lily was recycled from the previous day’s work - I’d never had a flower survive a freezing, but when the previous day’s flowers melted in the sink, this lily was unchanged, which permitted me to freeze it again - yielding a completely different result!
This image was included in the 2010 exhibition `Frozen Light` which was displayed at ViewPoint Gallery, in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

December 04, 2009

Ruth's First Session (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Digital original
Ruth came across my work online, and contacted me posing; she wished to mark a mile-stone in her life, and thought modeling would be the perfect way to celebrate. After meeting and going over my work, and her expectations, we scheduled a session!
Digital infrared original
Made at the very end of the session, this image was by far the strongest of the `body` images (as opposed to portraits). The soft afternoon light wrapped beautifully around her body, while the infrared camera elevated the skin tones just perfectly.