They are a perfect combination of all the things I like to photograph. Beauty, action and drama rolled into one.
Ballerinas make it look so easy, they are natural posers and very confident in their own skin.
The idea is that I find a nice looking setting and then I position the ballerina into the scene and ask her to "show me something" or something along those lines. The idea is for the ballerina to creatively use the setting or "Freestyle". I am often surprised with their creativity. Sometimes the smallest moves are the most effective.
Sometimes they need a little nudge...so I demonstrate a pose...they laugh really hard and then they come up with something better.
I plan to continue this project for some time and to incorporate the most skilled ballerinas who are willing to participate. As of today almost all the photos in the gallery are professional or apprentice level ballerinas working with local professional companies. Boise has a large number of very good dancers and I am finding they are willing to participate.
We do have an national ballet company here in Boise and hope someday to have their ballerinas participate...not yet....that remains a work in progress. Hopefully as the work grows they will want to be included.
So almost all of this work will be with the Nikon D3 and the 70-200 2.8 lens. I find this to be the perfect combination for natural light work. The long focal length and thin depth of field are great allies in creating separation between the dancer and the environment.
Some of you may notice a few flash and even a couple studio shots in the gallery at present. My guess is that most of the shots in the gallery today, March 2013, will not still be there in another 6 months. I plan to cull the gallery as I work with more dancers.
So anyway as of this week I have officially named this project "Freestyle Ballerina".
On the surface it may remind you of the Ballerina Project work being done in New York. Really this is not a copy of that project. Just 6 months ago I became aware of that work. The Ballerina Project is almost wholly photographed on black and white film. I love the look of it but plan in this work in take advantage of the processing options made available with digital.
So without further ado I introduce "Freestyle Ballerina" to the world.
I hope the work is well recieved and enjoyed by many. Please keep checking back as this is a work in progress and many additions are planned. I am including a small sample of the gallery.
Here is the work in process gallery, please have a look: http://alloutdoor.smugmug.com/UrbanBallerinaProject/Freestyle-urban-ballarinas/28490996_L3k6vF#!i=1868944867&k=njbSRSq
...and here is my new Freestyle Ballerina blog page:
http://freestyleballerina.blogspot.com/
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