A Winter Trip to Shenstone

Digital original

After a good night's sleep, and a filling breakfast, Ingrid, Miranda and I headed out into the snowy morning - and the first thing that caught my eye was the bright winter light in Ingrid's eye.

Digital original

The hope for this trip was to make some winter Nudes in the outdoor bathtub (I made some images of Ingrid in the tub two years ago); as it turned out, the area didn't work at all (the snow was in all the wrong places) - but the door beside the tub was just lovely in the bright morning light, so I took some time to photograph that, before moving on.

Digital original, 9 image exposure blend, 4 frame stitch

This was probably the shortest photo session I have ever had - less than a minute at best. It was bitterly cold, but Miranda had her heart set on posing on the old cartwheel. We covered the wheel with duct tape, to stop it from freezing to her skin, and an assistant walked with Miranda (who was in snowshoes) to take her clothes. I preshot the entire composition (four frames wide) and when I was ready, she disrobed, and took the pose. The mistake she made was going barefoot - after two variations, she was done, chilled to the bone, and we packed up and headed inside to the wood-stove.

A Trip to Schubenacadie Wild Life Farm

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If there is one area of photography I have no real interest in, it is wildlife photography...but when a friend suggested I join her on a trip to the local wildlife park, who was I to say no.

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The best part of the visit was that we were permitted inside many of the cages - including with the eagles...which look much more like scrawny chickens than I realized before.

Digital original

By far the best critter of the day was the swift fox, who let me get within a couple of meters (within the cage) by totally ignoring me!

Frozen Yellow Light

Digital original, 22 image focus blend, 4 frame stitch

Digital original, 6 image focus blend

Elissa's First Session

Digital infrared original, 2 frame stitch

When a new model is comfortable being identified in my images, I always start a first session with portraits, and in the case of an indoor session, the portrait typically remains the primary focus for the entire session. In this case, Elissa learned of my work through a mutual friend, and was more than comfortable being recognizable, so the above image was one of the first photographs we made together.

Digital infrared original, 2 frame stitch

This entire image revolves around the beautiful curve of Elissa’s hair, which frames her face perfectly. For an image from a model’s first session, it has a very strong sense of comfort and poise, which bodes well for future images, yet to be made!

Digital infrared original

The entire session was spent working with natural light, flooding into my apartment through a pair of large windows; white sheers diffused the light and provided a large, even light-source. The last images of the session were of Elissa lying upon the futon below the large windows.

Jessica and Ryan

Digital infrared original

I say it so much it must sound tired, but it is such a privilege to work with a couple like Jessica and Ryan; their comfort with being photographed is second only to their comfort with each other. And they are patient too!

I have fallen in love with high key Nudes in colour; the luminescence it gives to skin is just beautiful, and when mixed with the intimate confidence of Jessica and Ryan, it makes for a strikingly personal image. 

Digital original

As with a previous session, this evening of photographing Jessica and Ryan ended in the shower; there is nothing quite like wet hair and droplets of water on skin.

Digital infrared original

Ingrid, Miles and Sagira by Flash

Digital original

As a three-model session (Ingrid, Miles and Sagira), it had to begin somewhere, so never one to hesitate, Miles immediately volunteered to work with Sagira, and for half an hour or so, I worked with the two friends, though the images at times had more implication of lovers than friends.

Digital original

During a pause in more directed photography, Sagira looked up at me - and I immediately knew I wanted a portrait, so I did my famous "don't move an inch" line, and moments later had the above portrait made.

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The second half of the evening was spent working with Ingrid and Sagira; initially the two modeled on the futon, with many of the images focused on "compare & contrast", with the two models mirroring each other's poses, and myself find the images that worked from those poses.

Digital infrared original, 2 frame stitch

The last images of the session were of Ingrid and Sagira against the long wall in my main room. I shifted the light (a single flash with a soft-box) to light them from the side, and started to photograph. The cascade of hair over Ingrid‘s torso, combined with Sagira’s hands almost looking like they could be Ingrid’s are what makes this image work for me.

A First Session with Stephanie

Digital infrared original

Though Stephanie and I have been e-mailing back and forth for over a year, and first met at the Memory of Water opening last April, this was our first chance to work together.  Made in the first minutes of the session, and of Stephanie's first experience modeling nude, there is a simple beauty to this portrait which is everything l seek when I made such an image - the direct gaze, the beautiful light, and the obvious comfort, on the part of the model, all come together to make a wonderful portrait.

Digital original

Stephanie brought several props to the session, including a peacock feather; usually I don't work with props, but I also am not one to say no to an idea I haven't tried before, so we explored the potential; the most interesting image was the above, with the brilliant colour of the feather contrasting the delicate colour of Stephanie's lips.

Digital original

At the end of the session, Stephanie wrapped her head in a scarf, and we made some photographs with a strong mid-eastern feel, expect of course of the blend of the head-scarf with the nudity. While I really enjoy those images, and think they certainly have a point to make, the above photograph is much more engaging on a different level - only Stephanie's hands are sharp, which is really pleasing in the image as a print...it is a little lost on the internet.

Miles & Miranda Model Together

Digital infrared original

Miles and Miranda have known each other for seven years, and have modeled together numerous times before, but this was the first indoor session we've ever done together, and the years of friendship between the two paid off in spades when it came to images this intimate.

Digital original

When working with friends, there is no argument the energy in a session is different to that of couples in a more intimate relationship, but there was real tenderness flowing through the image sin this session, born of the sincere trust and affection both models have for each other, rooted in friendship.

Digital infrared original

Infrared photograph is an interesting, often uncontrollable medium; I never seem to be able to predict when "veining" will appear - in this case, it turned Miranda's figure into an alabaster-like sculpture on which Miles laid his hands. In colour, without the fine veining provided by the infrared sensitive camera, the image would have been much weaker.

A Further Refinement of Focus Staking

Digital original, 7 frame focus blend

The greatest surprise of this session was how the colour actually bled our of a flower; I'd seen hints of this before, but never with such a strong pigmentation and tone. The 7 frame focus blend was crucial for seeing so much of the colour so vividly.

Digital original, 26 frame focus blend, 6 frame stitch

As the frozen flower project evolves, I have more and more successes, as my concept of what works and doesn't clarifies. In this case, the whole orchid centered in a sea of ice back-lit by a flash was just perfect. How this differs from where I started months ago is the image quality and resolution - the focus blend and stitching both have really improved the strength of these photos.

A Winter Night's Walk in Ottawa

Digital original

While my deepest architectural love is European Gothic, I set out this evening to make some architectural images of Ottawa, specifically hoping to get to the National Gallery at sunset, to work with the twilight. My planning paid off, and I spent a good 20 minutes working with the building in the fading evening light,  enjoying the mix of natural and man-made light.

Digital original

The second set of images I made were of one of the bridges between Ottawa and Hull; it was only when I was back in Halifax that I realized this image was of a rare Canadian flamingo-camel sneaking across the river under the bridge.