Finis
Finis: My Project Idea
by Christopher Duggan
This summer will be Jacob’s Pillow’s 80th Season and my seventh as Festival Photographer. My responsibilities at the Pillow have shifted since my first season. In 2006, I was primarily hired to capture several of the events and make beauty shots of the grounds. I was welcome to shoot dress rehearsals for performances, but they didn’t really need those images.
Now I’m working there to photograph dance, the dress rehearsals for press, the school for documentation, etc. I love it, and I’m always looking to do more and find new ways to contribute.
It’s been a dream of mine to make portraits of the artists and dance portraits of the performers whenever possible, but I’ve been quite timid and shy about this endeavor. Last summer I finally got my foot in the door and asked a couple of the artists to work with me doing some creative portraiture. You can see examples of what we created on my blog:
Finis: What Is A Dance Portrait?
by Christopher Duggan
This November I moved into a new office space with a fully equipped photo studio, perfect for solo sessions with dancers looking for new portraits for their portfolios. I recently broke in my new space with Caleb Teicher, an 18-year-old dancer who just won a 2011 Bessie for his performance with Michelle Dorrance’s tap company, Dorrance Dance.
I knew Caleb wanted a new head shot along with some dance images, but I didn’t have any direction beyond that. He arrived at the studio completely open to the creative process, and we started the session with little else but trust in each other. Everything flowed wonderfully, resulting in a steady stream of charismatic images showcasing his signature style.
This isn’t always my approach to a studio session. Sometimes it’s best to come in with clearer goals for specific angles and stylistic ideas. (More on that in another column.)
As dancers, what approach have you taken in studio sessions? What direction (or how much direction) would you like to have from your photographer? And most importantly, what is the dance portrait? What makes the portrait useful to you and why?
Is a “dance portrait” one that features a dance move? Of these images I’m showing, which is the one that personifies “dance portrait” the most?
View more photos of Caleb’s shoot here.
Christopher Duggan
Contributor Christopher Duggan is the founder and principal photographer of Christopher Duggan Photography, a New York City-based wedding and dance photography studio. Duggan has been the Festival Photographer for Jacob’s Pillow Dance since 2006. In this capacity, and as a respected New York-based dance photographer, he has worked with renowned choreographers and performers of international acclaim as well as upstarts in the city’s diverse performance scene.
He has created studio shots of Gallim Dance, Skybetter + Associates and Zvidance, among others, and in 2011 alone, he has photographed WestFest at Cunningham Studios, Dance From the Heart for Dancers Responding to Aids, The Gotham Dance Festival at The Joyce Theater, and assisted Nel Shelby Productions in filming Vail International Dance Festival.
Duggan often teams up with his talented wife and Pillow videographer Nel Shelby (http://nelshelby.com). A New York City-based husband and wife dance documentation team, they are equipped to document performances, create and edit marketing videos and choreography reels, and much more.
Christopher Duggan Photography also covers Manhattan’s finest wedding venues, the Metropolitan and Tri-State areas, and frequently travels to destination weddings. The company’s mission is straightforward and heartfelt – create timeless, memorable images of brides, grooms, their families and friends, and capture special moments of shared love, laughter and joy.
His photographs appear in The New York Times, Destination I Do, Photo District News, Boston Globe, Financial Times, Dance Magazine, Munaluchi Bridal, and Bride & Bloom, among other esteemed publications and popular wedding blogs. One of his images of Bruce Springsteen was added to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s celebrated photography collection in 2010. His company has been selected for inclusion in “The Listings” in New York Weddings magazine.
Finis: The Quest For Value-Added Content
by Christopher Duggan
I’m a photographer who has his marketing hat on at all times. At every rehearsal and studio session I photograph for dancers, I’m always thinking about how we can attract more attention to their art – how can we gain new audience members or cultivate more financial support?
I was commissioned in October by Ella Rosewood to photograph the final dress rehearsal for her solo show, Second Skin. I was trying to think about what else I could create for her besides the normal performance images. She told me that she was having a full 15 minute intermission even though there was only 65 minutes worth of material. “Why?” I asked her. Because she needed a full 15 minutes for an intricate costume change. THAT sparked an idea.
4Finis: Rehearsal Lighting Vs. Performance Lighting
Today’s post by dance photographer Christopher Duggan explores the difference between rehearsal light and natural light when it comes to dance photography. We’d love to hear what you think about the following…
(Disclosure–photos contain some nudity)
0Finis: A Different Angle
by Christopher Duggan
My job at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival allows me to experiment with different angles and types of shots and practice how these different approaches to dance photography can aid the festival and the company in different ways. When Lar Lubovitch Dance Company performed at the Ted Shawn Theatre, I was able to photograph dress rehearsal from the front of the house as well as performances from backstage.
My front of house photo session was all about getting “the shot” for the press reviewing the dances. In order to get a great shot for press I have a few things on my mind: shoot horizontal, don’t cut off hands or feet or toes, show the choreography, find trios and small groups, look for “signature” moments that showcase the piece.
Backstage, without these constraints, I was able to capture the dances more playfully. I was only feet away from the dancers and so I paid closer attention to the dancers’ facial expressions, catching little momentary exchanges between them and moments of emotional connection with the choreography. The life in the backstage photos makes them a terrific fit for marketing materials. The images are much closer and more intimate, you can see the dancers’ personalities and the hard work that goes into their performance.
You can see more of my photos from front of house vs. backstage on my blog at: http://blog.christopherduggan.com/2011/09/jacob%E2%80%99s-pillow-dance-festival-lar-lubovitch-dance-company/
Christopher Duggan, Photo by Julia Newman
Contributor Christopher Duggan is the founder and principal photographer of Christopher Duggan Photography, a New York City-based wedding and dance photography studio. Duggan has been the Festival Photographer for Jacob’s Pillow Dance since 2006. In this capacity, and as a respected New York dance photographer, he has worked with renowned choreographers and performers of international acclaim as well as upstarts in the city’s diverse performance scene. Duggan often teams up with his talented wife and Pillow videographer Nel Shelby. A husband and wife dance documentation team, they are equipped to document performances, create and edit marketing videos and choreography reels, and much more. Visit Christopher online at www.christopherduggan.com.
3Finis: Triangles & Light
Photo by Christopher Duggan
by Christopher Duggan
This monthly contribution will highlight an image I’ve made or perhaps an image I love by another photographer. I’ll discuss how I made the image, what the purpose of it was, why I love it or maybe some mistakes I made trying to make it. I’m always open to questions, comments and ideas.
Let’s begin with an image I simply love. It’s Crystal Pite’s Kidd Pivot from the company’s performance of Dark Matters this summer at Jacob’s Pillow. I’m drawn to the dramatic light and the triangles. The shadow, the symmetry, the muscles in his legs. It’s a beautiful moment. He looks so still.
310 Questions With…Christopher Duggan
Christopher Duggan, Photo by Julia Newman
Today on 10 Questions With… I would like to welcome another new contributor to the blog–Christopher Duggan. Christopher is a dance photographer (and more, as you will see below) and he will be sharing some of his work with us the last day of every month here on 4dancers. The series will be titled simply, “Finis”. Join us this month on the 31st for the first installment, and in the meantime, get to know Christopher a little better…
1. Can you tell readers a bit about your background and how you got started in photography?
I got started in photography when I was 25 and working in a finance job. My friend from college was a photography enthusiast, took me to buy my very first camera and got me signed up for Intro to Photography at the School of Visual Arts in NYC. I loved it. I was learning the basics, developing film and making black and white prints. It was the first time I expressed myself as a visual artist.
2. How did you wind up doing dance photography?
I came into photographing dancers through my wife, Nel Shelby. She was a dancer, and since 2001, she’s been serving the dance community by way of creating dance film and documenting dance performance. I think it was in 2004 when I accompanied Nel on a performance shoot and asked if the choreographer would mind if I could sit on the side and shoot some pictures. Of course they said yes. I shot a whole bunch of images and caught one moment that I absolutely loved. Then I was hooked.
I graduated from SUNY Geneso with a BA in Theater, and because I loved being on stage and the adrenaline rush of putting up a show, it only seemed natural to do photography in that space. I really admire dancers. I love their bodies. The art they produce is unlike any other.
3. What are you currently doing in dance photography?
I am the Festival Photographer at Jacob’s Pillow and have been working in this capacity since 2006. My wife, Nel, is the Videographer there and she has a lot of dance clients in New York City, too. She and I work together often documenting performance, creating edited marketing videos, and working with choregraphers and dance companies to create what they need to market themselves with photography and films.
4. Do you have a “philosophy” regarding your dance photography that you can share?
0Coming Up On 4dancers…
From time to time I like to do a little preview of things that will be coming up on 4dancers, and this week I have a lot to share! In addition to the new column we have “The Business of Dance” by Lizzie Leopold, we are also adding two new features in the upcoming weeks….
Join us for “Finis” – a new monthly column that will feature a dance photo at the end of the month, and “Music & Dance” – a column that will highlight a composer/producer’s take on the relationship between sound and movement. You’ll be meeting both of the new contributors soon in our “10 Questions With…” series. And good news for those of you who have enjoyed our SYTYCD contributor, Kimberly Peterson’s writing…she’ll be staying on to write more for 4dancers on other topics…
Also–look for more interviews (on Mondays) and dance music reviews (on Wednesdays) as we finish up the summer and settle into fall. I am going to be taking more time to work on this blog, so expect to see more content overall as we take 4dancers to the next level.
Let us know if there is something you’d like to hear more about, and in the meantime, we’d just like to thank you for taking the time to visit. If you haven’t yet taken the time to link up with us on Facebook and Twitter why not join us now? There’s going to be a lot going on!
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