How our photographer created a reader-favourite Saltscapes cover
Sometimes a special style of photograph is required for Saltscapes, such as this cover image from November 2022, depicting “The Woman in White,” a ghostly figure haunting a shoreline.
Although we could have created this ghost digitally, we wanted our ghost to be photographed, created with practical rather than electronic effects.
A challenge: We very rarely work with models and I didn’t know any to call. I did, however, know a young woman named Corrine who wanted to be a model, so I hoped this experience would interest her. Corrine and her mom quickly accepted my request (even though we’d be shooting late on a school night) and we planned to meet at Nova Scotia’s Melmerby Beach around sunset.
The ideal light for this photo would come and go quickly, so the shoot required a plan. I had my model and location, and I knew I needed the fading light after sunset. Corrine had to appear to be a ghost, so being able to see through her like she’s an apparition was the key.
A steady, stable tripod was essential. If you’re interested in taking better photos or interested in trying some techniques that move you a little beyond snapshots, get a good tripod.
This cover photo started as two photos of the same scene shot one after the other with my camera mounted on a rock steady tripod. In the first I photographed the scene as an empty landscape, while the second featured Corrine posed in it. Cloud position changed very slightly in the second photo, but stationary items like the rocks along the shore and the horizon are identical in both photos. The light level was low, requiring longer exposure times to register detail in the sky and water.
The longer exposure also allowed my new assistant (Corrine’s mom Julie) to hold up the long flowing material from Corrine’s dress so she looks windswept. I popped a small flash by hand to introduce a little light onto her front. I made several exposures during the few minutes of fading twilight, never moving the camera from its tripod. Corrine was a star, striking expressive and moody poses.
Putting the image together in Photoshop was simple. I put the photo with Corrine in it atop the photo without her. Because the camera never moved, the key points in the photos perfectly aligned. Next, I started erasing Corrine from the top photo, allowing the scene in the bottom photo to start to show, literally through her. I erased lightly around her face preserving her features and dark eyes but erased heavier through her dress so the horizon and background clearly show through. Thus, the Woman in White ghost — and on a school night, too.
A final fun fact: In October 2025, Corrine walked the runway in France, modelling in Paris Fashion Week. Now I know a model!