Behind the scenes feat. Miriam Kacerova
It was about time! Never thought I would wait so long before I would be able to share this new video. Last January, the opportunity to visit Stuttgart (Germany) was given to me. I always knew That they had fantastic dancers and performers but I never had the chance to meet them. Last year, I worked with Sandra Ehrensperger from the Ballet du Rhin and she advised me to meet a fellow dancer in Stuttgart named Miriam Kacerova. You know what? I'm glad she did! The first plan was to organize an outdoor photoshoot, but I realized quickly how bad that idea was. We're in January, and it's freezing cold out in Stuttgart at this time of the year. So I had to find quickly a backup plan. I had a few ideas of cool locations in mind but all of them were hard to get unless had time in front of me or were off-budget.
Everything was set except for the location, and I didn't want this detail to modify our plans. So, my partner and I in crime Marlène headed to Stuttgart in hopes of finding something on the spot. We had a few days before the shoot and we wanted to visit the city. There were so many places to see but one, in particular, got my attention: the Stadtbibliothek. A modern building conceived by the architect Eun Young Yi. Once there, I simply asked myself, what if we made our photoshoot there? Well, that's what we did.
We were allowed to shoot with the minimum gear for the first half of our session in the huge white hallway on the ground floor. The difficulty was to concentrate with the users in the library gathering around us, intrigued by what was going on. Unfortunately, we didn't have the library for us as for the Andre Malraux photoshoot but we couldn't complain, the place is beautiful and unique. So, we had a Broncolor move 1200L and my favorite light modifier the Para 88. With a few scenarios in mind, we were ready to make new pictures for the series “InMotion”. Like I already stated in a previous post, one light sometimes is just enough. You can have a multitude of looks with the minimum of gear by playing with the height and the placement. The focusing rod lets you have a harsh or soft look with deep shadows with contrast or not.
After that, we just couldn't leave without making a couple of shots on the other floors, so we headed inside the library. This time, no flash was allowed, I used the available artificial light and my 5D Mark III set in silent shoot mode. We could only whisper so communication wasn't simple. We still managed to capture quickly a few poses without disturbing anyone.
You guys may think I'm obsessed with libraries? This one wasn't really planned, unlike the Andre Malraux shoot. Next stop, Strasbourg my hometown with local artists. You guys will be surprised because the next one will not involve any dancers! Be notified when I drop my latest stories, behind-the-scenes videos, or tips by subscribing to my newsletter.
I would like to thank Miriam Kacerova and her boyfriend for sharing their craft with me, my partner Marlène who filmed this video. Thanks to Meike Jung and the entire staff of the Stadtbibliothek for welcoming us and giving us the opportunity to shoot in this amazing place. Thanks to Broncolor and SNAP for their help and for supporting this photoshoot.