As I look hopefully towards spring, after my first winter in many, many years, I am so eager to share what I have been working on this past few months. One of the most challenging photo subjects that I continue to attempt to shoot are dancers. Movement can be thrilling, frustrating, rewarding, and addicting all at once. While shooting in a controlled studio setting, or even a bright outdoor shoot can yield incredible results, it isn't the way that dancers always want to be captured. So, you shoot in-performance, which can add a whole world of layers and challenges to the process. Dramatic lighting with stubborn focal points, the position and interaction of audience members, and the unpredictability that accompanies each are just a few of the many surprises that live performance can provide.
So when I was recently asked to come and document performances at the local dance studio and venue here in South Portland, Maine called Studio 408, I leaped at the opportunity. It was such an awesome showing of thoughtful performance by artists that are crafting not only performances in the traditional sense, but experiences for the audience to participate in as well. The evening left me feeling full in all the best ways. Here are a few of my favorite and most successful shots of the evening.
As I move further into spring and grow to know my dance community more and more here, I hope to continue shooting and featuring local performers in my photography. It is so rewarding, I just love it!
