The Palliser Motel

Isn’t that a great name for a motel? It instantly evokes vague memory, history, and maybe even regal things. Sounds like the setting for a movie made before I was born. The Palliser is in Truro, Nova Scotia, on the bank of Salmon River, which is one of the best places in the world to see a tidal bore. According to Wikipedia, a tidal bore is a “tidal phenomenon in which the leading edge of the incoming tide forms a wave (or waves) of water that travel up a river or narrow bay against the direction of the current.” In other words, you can watch the flow of a river reverse directions rather spontaneously.

In 2007, I came for the tidal bore.

In 2009, I came for Kristen.

The following photos were all shot in my motel room at the Palliser in a very limited time frame. Although I was expecting to spend a lot longer shooting Kristen, she had to attend to another matter that night… which meant I rushed to get in all the scenes and setups I had in mind. The purpose of my trip to Nova Scotia was solely shooting models, so I was pretty annoyed to travel all that way and then have it cut short.

But I digress. On to the photos!

First, the bed:

Then one against the fabulous wood paneling:

And finally, on to the bathroom:

The bathtub shot in particular was difficult to get. I had badly sprained my ankle five days earlier; it was swollen and weak and I had to balance myself on the edge of a chair to get high enough. I was shooting blind, holding the camera at arm’s length in front of me, hoping that it was fairly straight and the lines would be parallel. All this while shooting at fairly slow shutter speeds due to using the incandescent light in the bathroom. A light, it should be noted, that I had to make sure not to block with my head or body as I teetered on the chair. Luckily I sustained no further injuries and I think the results were totally worth it.

Aren’t those shoes fabulous?

To see more of Kristen, check out her profiles on ModelMayhem and deviantArt.