Posts Tagged ‘dance photography’

Back to dancers with Shibari

January 21, 2016

thrown in. I shoot as they come to me. people contact me about shooting together and i answer asking them to call me most never do. is talking to people too personal or having their phone number. one can always hide your telephone number my boss has his number come up as ‘unidentified caller’

but this dancer/model after a few emails actually called, maybe being a male he felt safer. i’ve had some women show up who i hoped were friendly because they could have kicked my ass.  but this is the age of FEAR it’s all around us every where we listen os see we are assaulted with guns, shootings, beheadings why did that become popular again? WTF

i love working with dancers and dance it appears so free yet to make something look effortless that’s a lot of effort. when i was a kid and the grown ups were gone i would dance to the radio thinking i was Fred Astaire. i didn’t have any dance training who needs training to express joy of movement? i think this western society is the only society who thinks one needs to learn how to dance.

today working with two different opposite art forms, free dance and restricted Shibari can be fun. discovery is always fun except maybe sticking a screwdriver into an open electric socket.

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Upward

Masa being a young japanese dancer was fumular  with Shibari and wanted different types of pictures for his portfolio was a willing subject, very inhibited.

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reaching out

with grace. i love the shape of his hand. i am very lucky to work with such talented people.

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thinking

at my age i am not sure if my knees would be able to do this for long.

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adding lights

i started with two lights turned one off but basically kept to two lights, as i say i am trying to learn a craft here.

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i love shadows and sometimes things work out when working with sculptures.

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when i first looked through the files i was very disappointed because when we began i turned off the autofocus and all i saw were fuzzy out of focus images. ECK.

true this blog is called fuzzy pictures but there are acceptable limits. but after awhile i changed techniques and moved into rope work.

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here again i love his hands they are so expressive.

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his warrior pose looking forward naked and open to the world.

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so not to being one to leave things alone i added a prop, sparing no expense i moved a ladder on the set.

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i think this looks better in black & white using the ladder for support.

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but here are my favs from the shoot not that i don’t like these or i wouldn’t share them.

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this reminds me of the cross in the roman colosseum

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oh well that’s all i have for today.

waiting for people to return my requests to speak in person, so may people don’t like to call on their phones and talk,  i see so many people looking at their phones on the subway or walking on the street, models, hair people and makeup chairs just don’t make phone calls. people do or don’t.

i understand why television executives are afraid of a ringing phone because they usually mean trouble. one has to make a decision and that means being accountable. being semi retired i don’t have that problem but if i want to collaborate with people we need to talk, at least say hello.

jene

the problem is how to get out of New York……….alive

September 8, 2013

of course when one makes a decision to go one way another direction pulls in the another. so it is with this series i’ll call a somewhat learning experience. i was hired by this productions company to do lighting for a video of theirs in texas. they loved my lighting in my portfolio. all we needed to do was meet, agree to a price and shake hands.

but, yes here it comes, could you do an outdoor shoot of our dancers to show to our people. well most if not all of my portfolio is studio stuff. can i light outside, well sort of i’ve done enough movies but here i was alone. i packed up a couple of speed lights, a 580 ex & 580 exll plenty of batteries and off we went.  the crew consisted of me the tog, producer acting lighting assistant holding a speed light and another person who was always on the phone.

we shot in fort tryon park without a shot list or photo script. there is a story/script not in the conventional movie scene setting ‘they walked down the street’ that i knew, but i was briefly told the story, not in picture terms but the gist of the story.

we had a boy, we have a girl, they meet are attracted to each other, dance a bit then who knows?

the boy

the boy

the girl

the girl

the location

the location

and then we dance well sort of, my concern was to be able to tell a story with just pictures. but it’s hard without a story board.

the look from her

the look from her

from him

from him

the touch

the touch

the mount

the mount

talking to someone afterward about what a photographer does their reaction was ‘how cool’. hummmmm  oh you don’t mean when i knelt down on one knee and put a piece of glass in it? my language wasn’t too cool then. every one sees the glamor and not the work. i don’t get the chase jarvis shoots.

tables are turned

tables are turned

oh that candy wrapper over there is really a used pastel condom, how naive i am, this is a deserted part of the park.

the bend

the bend

so what i had with me were a cannon 580ex and a cannon 580exll. the ex being mine so i knew how to zoom it in but my lighting assistance weren’t really paying attention to,lighting. the 580exll changed how tos so i was a bit lost. sometimes there were recycle problems, my error. or batteries etc.  but i got what i got and here is most of it.

any way i left the park exhausted i always give my all no matter what. i headed home to do the edit because the producer was leaving the next day at noon. oh i don’t mind picking the images and burning a disk. oh it wasn’t what you wanted? no problem here, they loved the stuff.

my body still hurts two days later but at least i know i did the right thing and gave the production my all.

today i started packing for the russian trip. my think tank bag is giving me a big problem from their bad design, their  partitions being a 1/4″ too long causing the bag to buckle outwards putting a bad strain on the zipper.

think tank bag

think tank bag

side

side

close up of zipper

close up of zipper

vise grips to straighten zipper

vise grips to straighten zipper

as you can see i don’t have a lot in there 2 cannon mark ll and a spare camera without a lens.

loaded

loaded

and i needed to bend the partitions and change one to smaller one, not the idea and this doesn’t work completely.

you can see the problem on their web site. i’ve got to fix their design to. they will hear about this before i go, so will adoroma where i bought the bag.

hopefully the silicon spray on the zipper and changing one the the partitions helped but i know i won’t buy another think tank bag i can’t inspect before committing to buying it. pictures just don’t do it for me. maybe hot glue and gaffers tape can help, noting worst than having a secure camera bag fall apart.

but it’s late and i need sleep

good night

jene

why do dancers dance?

July 3, 2013

this is the question but on a more personal level why do i photograph them? i am at an age when most people begin to slow down yet i am still very much up for the chase. not to say other togs retire to a photographic rocking chair somewhere, i know photographer Jay Maisel is close to 82 and still wanders the streets of NY daily looking for images.

erick hawkins danced well into his 80’s and his wife martha graham who danced until she turned 76 who would still be dancing except for crippling pain of arthritis. as betty davis said ‘getting old isn’t for sissies.’ so why do we do what we do?

for love, is the best thing i can think of.

so i cruise craigslist looking for photography opportunities and came across Banana Peels adv. looking for dance photographers which i answered. my response rate isn’t that great but that’s ok the ones who do respond are cool. Banana peel is doing a residency in philadelphia at White Pines Productions at the  Mohican Outdoor Center.

so they are looking for someone to help them document a fund raising party. kim called me, gee i don’t do events, ‘but we like your out of focus images’ she said. i was in. it’s always good to help out other people especially a whole company of them. the venue university settlement house on the lower side is a lovely place. good performance space well equipped with lighting.

kim almquist

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aaron draper

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they met me describing what they were looking to accomplish that night saying, ‘sorry  we didn’t have enough money to hire a lighting tech so we are going to use the fluorescents lighting’ ugh. having worked the room before i knew it was pretty well equipped so i looked around finding an etc obsession light controller. no problem just turn the switch and boom lights. saved by my lighting designer training. they wanted a bright party light, no problem, bright party lighting.

we ran some rehearsals while i and another tog took some shots without an audience.  the company

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i really enjoyed myself, the people were friendly and pleasant very much like a party.this peel fund raiser is a mixed company of dancers young, older and somewhere in between, i was the oldest i am sure but it didn’t seen to matter we all had a good time. i was exhausted when i got home, oh well.

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it’s really hard even though i have a program knowing what the names of each dance is and who is performing it, my apology.  i’ve yet to sit down with kim and aaron to view what i shot. but this couple performed in rehearsal and it touched something in me. i had to do something special for this piece._MG_7593 copy

‘life and death and the space in between’

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so i lit the piece, actually just moved some dimmer handles around of what there was in the air hopefully adding to the mood of this dance. _MG_7828 copy

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but of course i don’t get hired to work for free because of my straight photography

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not everyone agrees with me but some do

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it was a thrill just seeing this performance and hopefully helping present it.

but there is more, it’s not called fuzzypictures for nothing.

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why do anything?  it’s just not easy to lay down and die.

the end

jene youtt

Painting or drawing on prints

October 8, 2009

this is a post i made on one of my user groups about one of my work process that goes into my dancer series.

i use pastel chalks in some of my pieces because i am not happy with the gamut that i get from my printers. i use to use a Epson 1280 with dye ink which i loved that gamut but with my Epson 7600 pigment inks the gamut is much smaller. some colors just don’t reproduce as vivid as i’d like so i’ve gone back to my roots which is drawing.

i’ve talked to the people at Eastman Kodak about any destructive reactions that might happen to mixing the two mediums but since the, the 7600 and pastels are both pigments there should be no adverse effects. i do spray prints with printshield between mediums. archival? live longer than me? that never bothers me nor do i loose sleep over it. i try and make the best product i can, but looking at some old art in paris it too has seemed to have faded somewhat. what can you do? all of this planet is impermanent.

i usually print on hahnemuhle papers my fav being william turner textured papers but have moved to german etching. i know some use arches uncoated watercolor paper which i might go back to. i am thinking of looking into cranson. i’ll look around at photo expo for papers. one year i found kodaks metallic paper, woohoo.

now it seems to me in my ignorance that one could mix charcoal with b&w printing without a negative effect. the same would apply to india inks and sumi carbon which would give more permanency to the product. but do be aware that some gallery owners won’t touch my stuff even though its original and one of a kind. ignorance abounds. but the buying public seems to like these works as they do sell, alas not as many as i’d like but i am no name and people do like name dropping. but sometimes i get lucky in that my color gamut fits in with their decor.

personally i am not a big fan of acrylic paints or washes because i started with oil paints but hey what ever floats your boat and makes you happy then go for it. i think it’s all about exploring learning how to then letting the process go where it wants to. personally i am not here to make the rest of the world happy. i do clean up after myself, help others in need and believe it helps to love one another. i know too many people who don’t know how to love. that’s why i create art because i love to, it’s an inside job that i hope spills out into the world.where would we be if we didn’t explore all of creation?

i have started using adorama lab for my kodak metallic c prints, love those blacks but there again some colors just don’t come out. but hey maybe i’ll see if i can add some colors on top. it’s not brain surgery and no children or animals will be harmed,why not? just my two cents.

jene

http://www.jene youtt .com

amazon jungle in B&H photo

August 28, 2009

well their at it again or should i say still.

Mary went down for a seminar yesterday and i asked her to pick up a firewire cable. same run around go to the back of the store wait in line, select the item, wait for the salesperson to print up an order form, then you take it across the store, wait in another line, see another clerk who then types the item into his computer, throws away the piece of paper you gave him, you and he wait, hopefully you have something to talk about while your item comes up from the basement, which he then scans into computer and prints out a payment statement.

now does this all seem like a waste of time and resources? it’s my personal opinion that B&H is trying to get rid of it’s ‘in person’ customers and just become the amazon of photography stores. it’s a jungle out there full of pitfalls and quicksand .

i for one have always opted for the personal touch, yes price is somewhat important but so is personal contact. i guess this comes from the artist in me, as i am not so much a photographer which captures something them moves on to the next. what is important to me is to be able to create in my images or have them express the feeling that others,my subjects create.

i work with dancers who’s art is so ethereal, gone in a puff of the moment, yet so beautiful in that moment. it’s hard to define as the perfect moment because so much work goes into it, all the class work, rehearsal, stretching and physical exertion, never mind the sweat and pain to achieve a nanosecond of form.

well i guess all this can be remembered as one stands in line after line waiting to spend your money and get on with your life. i could be reliving the ‘nutcracker’ before i get out of the store. well maybe only the first act.

hey made another store.

now if you’d like to express your opinion on this subject to B&H try here no purchase necessary.

Momentum Dance photography contest 2010

August 26, 2009

momentum

Welcome to Momentum: Images of Dance — the sixth annual Sanford L. Rosenberg Memorial Dance Photography Competition.

this is a dance photography contest i’ve happened to win one year against some very accomplished dance photographers, i know Howard Schatz won at least one year, so being in his league is always pretty impressive.

Do enter if this is your forte. it’s always more fun to have some great images to compete against. last year i was on some other planet so i didn’t send any prints off but this year i plan to.

join in the fun, hey you never know and they are such nice people.

B&H Photo new purchasing system

August 21, 2009

boy is this store loosing it. i know they do most of their business on the internet but because of their location i can walk down there in 15 minutes. on a busy day that means i can get away from the studio, computer, to do list for at least an hour. half hour of traveling not thinking about work just observing things on the street. a lovely walk.

yesterday i walked down to pick up some printing paper as we are printing stuff this weekend for another show out in williamsburg brooklyn. simple task i’ve done so many times before.

well now the new system they’ve instituted is, you go to the paper section and have the salesman print up an an 8.5×11 paper which you now have to walk across the store wait in another line to see a clerk who then enters the sku number into computer. this gives you time to chat with the clerk who throws the paper in a waste basket behind him while the item comes up from the basement.

after it arrives it gets scanned into computer then you get a payment slip printed and go down stairs to pay & pickup the item. well the terminal i was at didn’t work and i got tired of waiting and cancelled the order.

i sent them a query on their survey page telling them what i thought about this new system.
1. it wastes electricity
2. it wastes ink
3. it wastes paper (a limited commodity)
4. most importantly it wastes our time.

if you’ve ever had the misfortune to be there on sunday and participated in the B&H zoo dance you know how crazy the place can be. Talking to a salesman friend who says nobody seems to fill out the surveys. i am sure some people do because they have winners every month, no i’ve never won i am sure the numbers are against that. but companies do read these surveys and if enough people said something smart companies react and change their behavior.

i get tired of fighting windmills but hate to see the bad guys win so many matches. i even showed up at a health care ‘single payer option’ rally today. but back to work now.

so you want to make a difference today, write to B&H, using their survey page, asking to go back to the old simpler system.

jene

2009 International Photography Awards

August 19, 2009

well i got this notice a couple of weeks ago and was thrilled, who wouldn’t be. the other photographers i talked with said WOW. that’s pretty good company to keep.

Hello jene youtt,
Congratulations. Your entry ‘Ascending’ has advanced through the second round and is now in the third and final round of the jurying process. Your entry is now an official Honorable Mention of the 2009 International Photography Awards.
In addition, your entry is now competing for a 1st, 2nd or 3rd place title. All winners will be announced on Tuesday, August 18th.
Congratulations again. Stay Tuned and thank you for participating in the 2009 International Photography Awards.
Sincerely,
International Photography Awards

reach for the stars

reach for the stars

But the final  notification date has passed for the top prizes so it looks as if they aren’t going to send me & mary  around the world or where ever they are sending the winner. but life isn’t so bad. i am really looking forward to see the results because it’s quite an honor to be selected for anything. i am just a guy who shoots pictures, don’t consider myself special, and to be included with these photographers (see archive) it’s some honor, there are moments in life that make it very worthwhile just to wake up.

i look everyday for a link to all the winners and honorable mentions, hey that’s me!

now what do i do?

Canon 5D mll gripe

August 18, 2009

hi gals & guys

I just bought a Canon 5D M ll as I’ve wanted full frame for a long time. I am not a new Canon user having had to switch to Canon’s a while ago when my Exacta llB finally gave up. I own an F1, had A1 programmable, AE 1 which are gone to camera heaven , still have a 20D and now a 5D M ll. I keep my F 1 to shoot infrared since my Contax are auto loaders and not able to read infrared film.

Now to go along with the cameras I’ve had a number of FD lenses.Kept my 28mm lens for the F1 which i really love. All my older cameras had the same battery, woowhoo.

The problem now with my digital cameras is when I travel I can only carry 1 spare Lithium battery per camera? I usually carry at least two spare batteries, charger, HD and computer. Oh I could buy a grip and put two batteries in there almost doubling the size of the camera which is not good to have a large camera in some places in this world.

Another simple solution to the too big camera is to buy a G 10, oh another battery & charger? So that’s out.

So traveling around the world with two cameras, chargers, batteries, 3 lenses, thank goodness the lenses fit both cameras and my wife’s 50D, oh and her camera batteries. Some traveling show. We might need a porter just for the camera gear.

Why do all these companies need to make so much money selling me accessories for my camera when I want to buy a system, Have bought many systems of theirs , that will work for me with a limited number of parts.

How many times have I lost simple things, caps, filters, batteries and what not in the frenzy of life. I was shocked at the cost of a new lens cap, hey it’s advertising. I do get tied of paying through the nose for every little tool I use to create my work, heck it’s hard enough staying up todate with everything and be exploited by our creative partners. This may be the last time I buy another camera.

Maybe I should take up drawing again, how many no# 2 pencils can one carry on a plane?

jene

Prix de la Photographie, Paris (PX3)

August 18, 2009

gee i must be doing something right these days as i received this email the other week, see i am way behind my life. 

Congratulations for receiving an Honorable Mention in the 2009 Prix de la Photographie, Paris (PX3) competition. We received over 6,000 entries from 85 countries. PX3 strives to promote the appreciation of photography, to discover emerging talent, and introduce photographers from around the world to the artistic community of Paris. For your entry of BLUE.

African American Dancer

African American Dancer

i am aways amazed at what images people like in my work, happy for sure that they like what i do. but as i said on my facebook page wish they wanted a print as we love to go back to paris and maybe see a blue sky. last time we were there we rented an apartment a block from the Louve, how cool is that to walk a block down to the Seine and watch the boats pass by.

be still my heart before i spend more money, and then there is Venice, the active mind never sleeps