Page 56 - NyghtVision Magazine Volume 3 #3

husband and drove to the cemetery up in the didn't exist at the time this series was creat-
Bronx. ed, what we now call the NyghtVision Meth-
I had no idea as to what we would find. So, odology emphasizes openness, honesty and
while Rayn did their makeup, JD and I walked vulnerability as keys to the creative process
around looking for places to work. In the end, whether I am working alone with an inani-
we stayed close to where we had parked the mate object or with a model. In this series, we
car we rented. The vintage dresses that Am- were all open, honest and vulnerable.
ber and Katherine are wearing were part of Francois: As we have noted before 2005 was
a collection we had at the time. We hadn't an incredibly important year for the develop-
specifically brought them with us from North ment of that methodology.
Carolina for this shoot. We brought them be- Falcon: Very true. By the way, these were
cause we thought they would be interesting, some of the last images I created shooting
In fact, perhaps ironically, the dress Amber is only automatic. We - or I more specifically -
wearing here was worn by Katherine the first had just mastered changing ISO. It was my
time she worked with us. last ditch effort to avoid working in manual.
Francois: What was it about this location Unfortunately, sometimes we are our own
that captured your attention? worst critics. When I look at these images
Falcon: The mausoleum was round - that was now, I am distracted by the problems I see
rare - and the doors were incredible. Never that were created because I didn't work in
had I seen anything quite like them. I remem- manual.
ber that as I walked towards the mausoleum Francois: Oh? For example?
from the car, I could visualize Katherine and Falcon: What they are doesn't matter. Not
Amber standing there. really. The emotional impact of these images
Francois: So, the location emotionally is still very strong.
reached out to you. The dresses fit into the Recently, we went to an exhibit of the work
theme that the architecture of the mausoleum of Edward Steichen. It was quite moving. I
suggested. How did you engage the models? was caught by a realization I had never had
Falcon: I try to avoid using specific instruc- before. The technology that we use now is so
tions like, "Be sad," or "Be really happy.' I vastly superior to that which was used even
prefer to create a scenario and that is what I 20 years ago. Much of the work Steichen did
did here. in the 1920s and 1930s today would not be
Francois: How do you do that? received well. While the images are emotion-
Falcon: In this case, I just said, "Suppose the ally powerful, they are lacking in the kind of
only person you ever loved was in that mau- technical "accuracy" for lack of a better word
soleum. How would you feel?" That was all it that we now both expect and take for grant-
took. ed.
Francois: The synergy between the models I feel the same way when I look at these im-
did the rest. ages. While I have been able to improve how
Falcon: Without a doubt. They were two of they look thanks to the incredible improve-
the best I have ever worked with. I see my ments DxO Labs has made to Optics Pro over
primary task to be the creation of a space in the last five years, I am still well aware that
which the model feels safe enough to show they could have been much stronger.
me what she is feeling. Really feeling. Francois: Interesting. I thought emotion
For a model to feel safe, I have to open my- trumps logic - isn't that what you say?
self to what I am feeling as well. Though it Falcon: Very much so. But emotional power

56 | Behind the Scenes: An Interview