Drexel Dance Ensemble Up Close
Feb 5th, 2012 | By BillHebert | Category: Bill Hebert's Behind The Lens
Drexel Dance Ensemble
Back with another Photo Column AND with a feature image premiering and currently showing only here on the Dance Journal from the recent Drexel Dance Ensemble Winter Concert Performance “Snapshots”. The feature image is from a piece titled “Sea of Glass” which premiered at the Singapore Youth Festival International Night and was choreographed by Olive Prince.
I’ve shot at the Mandell Theater before and even had the pleasure of appearing on it’s stage. No it wasn’t performing but to participate on a panel discussion about two of my passions Dance and Photography. This was the first time though shooting for the Drexel Dance Dept so I wanted to bring my style to capturing this performance but also step outside the box a bit which for me means getting up close and personal with the action and the stage.
Where I position myself or where any photographer sets up determines a lot about the types of images they capture. Be up close and you give a more intimate feel to the performance but risk being able to see quick action that happens in the periphery of the stage. Be further back and you’re able to see all the action of the stage regardless of the pace of the movement but may risk losing that intimate connection that the performers have with the audience that you are trying to capture.
Sometimes your equipment plays as big or even bigger part in this decision of where to shoot than the venue layout itself. I’m lucky that I have a lens that allows be the best of both worlds to be fairly close and still get some intimate moments. For this though since the Mandell allows you to be in an orchestra pit area in front of the stage that is at the very least eye level (some orchestra seating has you looking up at the stage), I chose to be up front and for the ability to shift my positioning since it was a dress rehearsal.
Did this decision pay off? Well you be the judge. I’ve posted a the feature image and a couple other additional moments.
As always please enjoy the images, share your comments (but not the images without permission) about the image or the performance, ask me questions about why I chose these images or how I captured them. For this column to REALLY have the effect I envision discussion is the key. I capture the moments that I do so I can share them with all of you and not just the individual moment itself but the experience.
Any feedback is much appreciated but before I go here are a couple more images from the Drexel Dance Ensemble piece “Sea of Glass”. =)
