ssutherland's photostream  

From my first dance shoot of 2012, working with my friend Irene, who is not only a very talented dancer but also a great collaborator.

I'm experimenting a bit this week, with a slightly different look, and using a triptych to help convey the movement. Comments are welcome!

Strobist: Three lights. Two very large modifiers, and a hair light. Key light is a Paul Buff Einstein on the left in an 86" silver PLM (undiffused), and for fill, a Profoto D1 500 in an Elinchrom Octabank (diffused) on the right and slightly in front of the dancer. Hair light was a gridded D1 500. The D1s were fired by the PhaseOne grip, and the Einstein was triggered by a Cyber Commander in the hot shoe.

It's been too many years since I have regularly worked with dancers, but I started shooting dance again in October, and I'm ready to start sharing some of the images. It's a big adjustment to go from shooting on a stage to working in a modest studio, and my style is still very much a work in progress, but it feels like it's coming along nicely. I am tremendously grateful to my three collaborators, Robert, Irene, and Jamila, without whom I could not have returned to dance photography.

The farmers' markets have reopened, and our beautiful weekend weather made it feel like summer might be on it's way. The cold rain returned today, and I find myself wishing for summer. This is a farmers' market shot from last summer, and yes, the heirloom tomatoes were really that color.

Technical: Taken hand-held with an old-ish Canon FD macro lens on my Panasonic GF1. The lens is a touch bigger than I like on that camera, but it's hard to argue with the results.