Archive for August, 2011

collapsible Bubi water bottles, see it here first

August 18, 2011

yesterday i had a pleasant distraction as a friend Craig Madaus came over asking me a favor to take some pictures of his new venture Bubi Bottles which doesn’t have a web site yet but will be up next week at http://www.bubibottles.com.

these are pretty neat, soft collapsible bottles that you can roll for storage. more on that when the web site is up and running giving a link to buy them.

this came at a time i am getting ready for our extended car trip across America so i was a bit rushed. the studio wasn’t set up to shoot anything but we moved a table under a strobe lighting position but i felt better shooting this with tungsten lighting so i pulled out some ‘C’ stands to hold the roll of white paper, another to hold bounce card add a couple of Lowel KSA stands and DP lights and we were set to go.

lighting setup

Table top setup

simple right?

Bubi Bottles

single bottle

Bubi bottles collapsed

Bubi bottle rolled up

lonely bottle waiting to be filled

three different colors

as i said this was a down and dirty shoot. not too worried about the double shadows but on some shots i had Craig float in a black flag to try and eliminate the second shadow but we were both in a hurry and that’s not something he’s use to.

i did learn something from this shoot, when ever possible shot tethered to the computer as it makes focusing on the subject much more accurate. it’s not something one should leave to a small low res preview on the camera. on most of these images i stopped down somewhere around F 11  to get the depth of field allowing for everything to be in focus.

what i wound up doing was setting auto focus on then turning it off to fine focus the image. even that wasn’t fool proof so that’s why i said to shoot tethered  and on a tripod of course. but i don’t always think of these things as a spur of the moment things. it’s like lunch another thing i forget to do before my body grabs me saying ‘it’s lunch time’

today as i write this it’s 6pm and i am eating some raw carrots to stave off hunger pains. at least it’s healthy. so i’ll post this and get back to packing for the trip. i am a bit behind but have another day to get everything put together.

jene

Posted in artistic collaboration, Photography, table top photography, tungsten lighting, Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

Laura Ward/Octavia cup at fringe nyc 2011

August 3, 2011

last week i met a dancer/choreographer Laura Ward/Octavia Cup Dance Theatre

through Linked-in about taking some pictures of her company. she replied that she was in rehearsals with a new piece ‘The Dreaming’ for The 15th Annual Fringenyc  so we agreed to meet downtown at the rehearsal studio. it’s always interested to meet new people and begin working with them especially if none of us have expectations. this suits me fine as i never know what i’d be interested in either.

laura ward, octavia cup

as you can see i start off pretty normal just trying to get a feel of what laura’s work is all about. well today it’s not going to happen because only a few of the dancers are there and they are rehearsing only parts of. why not?

laura ward, octavia cup

as you can see this is a large space with mixed lighting sources which of me is always interesting. hey what are those funny shoes? ballet dancers………….. holy smokes i don’t usually run into these types of dancers.

laura ward, octavia cup

 but i always like to see what would happen if i try this, so i turn towards the mirrors

laura ward & dancers

 then back towards the window

dancer

lets try something different as the dance pieces are all different

laura ward

so i attached my 580 flash with a grid attached for a couple of shots, sometimes the magic works sometimes it doesn’t.

laura and dancers

i am not sure i like this effect either or maybe i am just sick of using it. it really depends on the composition i guess.

another abstract experiment

laura ward

of all the images i took that day this is one of my favs and looking at the order i took them in it was one of the first so maybe i just need to take a fewer images in the beginning then go home.

most of the dancers i’ve worked with like my abstracts best yet i continue my people pleasing ways in trying to get good representational dance pictures. duh it’s not like i am being paid for this work, i do it because i love the art of dance and the ability of creating my own work.

laura’s octavia cup performances of  ‘The Dreaming’are at the 4th Street Theater, 83 East 4th street on 8/13 again on 8/18-8/19, 8/21-8/22 and last performance 8/24. do check the fringe web site  for specific time and place.

jene

www.jeneyoutt.com

Posted in abstract dance images, ballet dancers, concert dance, dance, Dance performances, dance photography, jene youtt, modern dance, octavia cup, Photography, professional dance artists, public art, theater productions, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

BalaSole dance company, creativity talent and humor

August 2, 2011

this past saturday we were invited down to Dance Theater Workshop space to see this company by an old friend  and collaborator who was performing as part of the company. it’s also nice to keep in touch with special people, to know they think of you and want to share their life/work.

Juan Michael Porter II 'BLUE' © jene youtt

what we found is a dance company who’s vision statement says

The vision of BalaSole Dance Company is to promote a balance in the field of concert dance where the general public can experience a dance concert filled with diversity and where artists are able to fully demonstrate their individual artistry.

balasole-dance-company

By building the general public’s sensitivity to the imbalances that exist in the field of concert dance, BalaSole Dance Company hopes to:

–  Expand dance artists’ creative freedom and growth
–  Improve multiethnic representation in dance companies
–  Foster artistic and career mentorship of dance artists
–  Engender artistic collaboration in dance companies
–  Increase visibility for dance artists of all ages, shapes, and sizes
–  Promote versatility of dance artists in varied dance styles
–  Elevate compensation of many dance artists to an appropriate level
–  Increase outlets for emerging dance artists to learn from
professional dance artists
–  Provide dance artists a vehicle by which to showcase their full
artistic talents and identity to other companies for potential
employment
–  Make the art of dance accessible to everyone
–  Broaden opportunities for male and female dance artists to become
soloists
–  Encourage greater male viewership, interest, and participation in
concert dance
http://www.balasoledance.org/

if you’re a modern dancer who is looking for a company to join i would suggest this one. they come in all sizes, shapes, colors and sexes. go to their web site and click on auditions for the next opportunity to join.

the program we saw was a series of short solo pieces very well done with technical virtuosity, creativity and humor. here is a link to one reviewers blog highlighting each dancer http://oberon481.typepad.com/oberons_grove/2011/07/balasole-dance-company-dtw.html and an additional page at http://oberon481.typepad.com/oberons_grove/2011/07/balasole-gallery.html

so i’d suggest keeping an eye out for this highly creative dance company. living here in this city it’s so hard keeping on top of interesting things to do as we are almost overloaded. i know i am. but we are a social group of living organisms so what better place to socialize than in a cool theater watching young talent grow.

can life be better than that?

jene

www.jeneyoutt.com

Posted in artistic collaboration, career mentorship, concert dance, dance, Dance performances, dance photography, jene youtt, modern dance, professional dance artists, public art, theater productions, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »