The Choreography of Photography
For my senior project at Middle Tennessee State University, I decided to research dance and photography. Photography captures movement in a way that the human eye can miss and often does not recognize as movement can happen very quickly. Dance photography in particular can be quite a bit more challenging than most forms of photography as the dancer is constantly in motion.
For a dancer, the only way for them to see their performance without a mirror in front of them is through film and photography. After showing each dancer a photo that I took, the confidence and excitement I witnessed was simply amazing to see. Dance photography not only captures a moment in time, it also allows dancers to see how beautiful their movement truly is.
Taking photos of dancers with a giant sheet of fabric proved to be a bit more of a challenge than I originally expected. Many times, the dancer would throw the sheet in the air and the wind would carry it all the way across the field we were shooting in. Other times it would get caught on the dancer and restrict movement. While it was a difficult task to shoot with fabric, I think the results were well worth all the effort and I was so happy with how the photos turned out.
Dancers will pour their heart and soul out when they are performing, and I believe it is very important to be able to capture the beautiful moments that happen when a dancer is moving. During my research, I had the opportunity to shoot with several different dancers with various dance backgrounds. Each dancer had their own way of expressing themselves and I was able to witness each dancer become more comfortable with fully embodying their emotions as the photoshoot progressed. I wanted to capture the essence of the dancer’s emotions and show the vulnerability that every dancer feels at some point in their dance journey.
My hope is that through my photography dancers will be given the ability to see the blessing of being able to move and express what they are feeling. Dance will always be a safe space for expression and the movement that comes from self-expression is something truly beautiful to see. I am fortunate enough to be able to call myself a dancer who has experienced the freedom of movement, as well as a photographer who is able to witness others experiencing their own freedom of expression.
Photographs are a way to see the world from another perspective as well as preserve moments to memory so that they are not lost to history. Dance will always be my passion and I am so happy to be able to photograph other dancers who share the same drive and determination that I do.
