My First 2010 Outdoor Session with Stephanie (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Digital infrared original

As soon as the spring weather begins to arrive in Nova Scotia, I am eager to be able to head out and work with models again, after months of waiting. For this session, Stephanie was available, so we headed to a burnt forest site near Halifax - though the first area we had any real successes with was an old oil tank, which was covered in rust and pock-marked with age. The tank provided the only shade from the harsh direct sun, and though the space was relatively limited, in regards to pose, the above image was the first strong photograph of the session.

Digital infrared original

After we ran out of ideas in the shade of the oil tank, we moved back onto the path through the forest, where we unexpectedly came across a pile of cut granite stone (likely left there in the 19th century, when a near by fortification was constructed). With the underbrush still bare from winter, and the burnt trees devoid of needles or leaves, the stone piles were one of the few areas in which provided an environment that would work with the body; with a little experimentation, the above pose, with Stephanie leaning forward, and extending her right leg along the line of the blacks, was discovered.

Digital infrared original

For the rest of the session, Stephanie and I worked on the rocks, constantly trying to work around the harsh sunlight through a combination of camera angle and pose. Overall, the session was a great beginning to the outdoor work for the year, but a little more time, and either a later session start, or softer light would have gone a long way to making Stephanie's job easier!

Stephanie and Skulls (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Digital original

This indoor session with Stephanie focused on working with a sheep skull; she'd seen the earlier work I did with Ingrid and skulls, and wished to explore the possibilities.

Digital infrared original

As with her first session, we worked with natural light in my apartment, taking advantage of the soft directional quality of the light, and the unbroken wall. During a break between making more directed images, Stephanie let the skull hang by her side, and I immediately thought of a warrior holding the head of a vanquished foe - and made the above image.

Digital infrared original

My favourite image of the session was one of the last we made - Stephanie held the skull with horns against her, and I used a large aperture to throw her body out of focus - I really like the sharp detail on the skull contrasted against the gently out-of-focus quality of Stephanie's figure behind.

A Morning Walk (Salt Marsh Trail, Nova Scotia)

Digital infrared original, 2 image stitch

The combination of the ultra-wide 17mm lens, stitching together two frames, and the infrared camera turned a relatively bland day into a beautifully dramatic panorama.

Frozen Light Exhibition (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Frozen Light, an exhibition of 25 of my images of flowers frozen in ice, will open on Thursday evening, April 1, between 6 and 9pm. The exhibition is at ViewPoint Gallery, 1272 Barrington Street, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and runs from March 30th to May 2, 2010. The exhibition is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from noon to 5pm, and by appointment.

A Dead Tulip (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Digital original, 5 frame focus blend

I didn't plan to make the above image - the tulips has been bought some days before, and just happened to get...dry. Walking past however, I saw how rich and detailed the dried petals were, and just had to photograph it. Initially, I thought deep depth of field would be preferable, then as I worked, I moved towards less and less in focus. In the end, I selected a bit of both, with the two front petals richly detailed, and the flower in the background soft and delicate.

A Nude & a Skull (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Digital original, 2 frame focus blend

The first time I worked with skulls and a model was with Victoria in 1999, during the making of the Alberta Portfolio. At the time, I wasn't sure about how the two somewhat unrelated subjects would work together, but in retrospect, both the similarities in shape and form between the body and bones, and the symbolic elements the skulls add work surprisingly well.

Digital infrared original

For this session with Stephanie, I had the loan of a ram's skull, which had the added bonus of hand-holds via the horns. We worked with the lovely natural light on the long wall in my living room, and used a free standing reflector to control the contrast, when needed.

Digital infrared original, 2 frame stitch

All in all, the session was great; Stephanie really enjoyed working with the skull, and the images we made were really pleasing. Though we started the session working in colour, I quickly shifted to working with the infrared camera, enjoying the more luminous, abstracted quality it gave the body.

A Drive down the South Shore (South Shore, Nova Scotia)

Digital original

I don't often just head out with a camera, but that was just the plan for this afternoon. A meandering drive down the South Shore of Nova Scotia saw me stopping at several rivers, and photographing the rushing spring water. In the above image, it is hard to sell, but almost the entire width of the river is in the image, as the water recedes across a man-made dam to the top left corner.

Digital original, 2 image exposure blend

The best images of the day were made at Sable River, on the way home. An old water mill is y the side of the road, and while the wheel is no-longer spilling, it sill made for a picturesque scene, especially when I took the time to clamber through the scrubby forest and find a low vantage point.

A Moment (Blue Rocks, Nova Scotia)

Digital original

On a drab March afternoon, driving through Blue Rocks, I saw this perfect moment of simple beauty.

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!

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.