A few weeks back I shared a couple of pictures a little different from my usual work. 2017 was kind of a year of growth and change for me. In regards to my work, clients, and communication.
copyright Louise Bille
Recently, I decided to share more of my work outside dance photography. I even drastically slowed down my work with dancers and worked regularly with circus performers and athletes.
My goal is to specialize in action sports photography with a little room for more adventurous creative fantasy personal work (I actually don't know how to name my personal projects! ).
Dance photography has brought me so much throughout the years. I have learned everything I know today with the work I have developed with dancers. From mastering my tools to understanding light and composition, I would never thank enough all these amazing artists that inspired me and allowed me to learn my craft with them.
But diversification was inevitable and I soon learned that sometimes some projects would only be possible with a certain amount of compromises.
I wanted to work directly with ballet companies for a long time and still to this day never got to do it with full artistic freedom.
Is it possible? I hope so. But for now, I feel companies are afraid of taking risks with photographers like me. Scared to mislead their audience? Tarnish their image and reputation? I believe this is a mistake as audiences need to be surprised and challenged. Am I just a guy pressing a camera button? I hope not, and if we are still stuck on this old debate, this in 2017, needs to change.
I have been shooting rehearsals for dance companies, live events, and performances for years now. And although it used to feed me (literally) it is really boring to do in the long run creatively.
When I first contacted the Geneva ballet It was a year ago. The timing wasn't right back then so it took a full year to finally meet. Although we didn't get to do what I wanted I am happy to have met the company at last and I really hope it will be the start of a long-term relationship.
My partner and I, barely stayed 24h in Geneva, just enough time to meet the team, prepare, visit the location, discuss roughly the ideas, and actually shoot. We had less than 2h to make the shots but that's a common thing and although it bugs me every time I got used to it. Thanks to a wonderful staff and an experienced professional dance company, things went smoothly. Basically, if you know what you are doing, a lot of things can be done.
These images were actually used to announce the show Callas by Reinhild Hoffmann.
For all the images you see down below, I worked with a single 800ws Broncolor Siros L and the beauty box 65. My good old canon 5d mark iii did once again a fantastic job. Of course, I had my amazing partner Marlene to help me out!
I would like to thank Philippe Cohen for trusting me and for bringing me to Geneva to make these pictures. Of course huge thanks to the staff and the entire Geneva ballet company.
Can't wait to see what projects we will develop in the future together. Little BONUS, just before she left our shoot, I made this simple quick shot of the beautiful Ornella Capece:
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