Finis – Page 4

Photography For Joffrey’s Season Brochure

April 3, 2013 by 4dancers

Joffrey Ballet Season Brochure Photo Shoot with Christopher Duggan from Christopher Duggan on Vimeo.

(Footage by Nel Shelby & editing by Ashli Bickford of Nel Shelby Productions)

by Christopher Duggan

When The Joffrey Ballet asked if I was willing to go to Chicago for three days to photograph their dancers for their 2013-2014 season brochure, I was thrilled. Arranging the photo shoot to fit the dancers’ schedules was so tight, there was only one week to make it work for all of us. It just so happened that was the week Hurricane Sandy was rolling into New York City.

The night before my wife Nel, daughter Gracie and I were supposed to fly to Chicago, all the flights were cancelled. There wasn’t any chance of rescheduling the shoot. So we piled our cameras in the car, quickly prepped for the 13-hour drive and hit the road before the rain. I’m so glad we did.

I brought my assistant Whitney Browne with me from NYC, because working together as a team helps get things right so much faster. We discussed ahead of time the looks we were going for in terms of lighting and backdrop, and we were able to order the equipment to get the set ready. I brought my cameras and rented everything else locally. The rental company made things super easy for us as they delivered everything right to us. And they delivered for FREE which is unheard of in NYC. That was an added bonus!

Joffrey gave me two days to work five different setups with the dancers, which was great. We scheduled three-hour time slots for each of the five performance programs, starting with Romeo & Juliet. The dancers arrived early to have hair, make-up and costumes ready for shooting. Each three-hour shoot ends up resulting in 1-3 final photographs that get used in the brochure and other marketing materials.

Ashley C. Wheater, the Artistic Director, myself, the creative team, and sometimes, the dancers all bring ideas to the table. So it’s good to have a few hours to work out different kinds of scenarios. It’s always good to leave room to improve on different poses and movements and room for spontaneity, too.

Once the photo shoot is complete, I made selections and worked on the images in a post-production process that involved some “clean up,” making sure all the images were consistent in color, contrast, exposure, etc. I played with some creative cropping on a few of the final photographs, and then I delivered them to Joffrey.

From there, The Joffrey’s creative staff go through their selection process and turn the images over to their internal graphics department to create the brochure and overall graphic design concepts. I had no part in that process, but I was pleasantly surprised to see the gorgeous layouts that they made. I was proud of what we did together.

See the full finished season brochure on my blog.

Christopher Duggan bio — 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-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: Working Women at The Joyce Theater

February 28, 2013 by 4dancers

by Christopher Duggan

The Joyce Theater’s Working Women performances were so cool, because I know all the talented women involved. I’ve worked with them all before at The Joyce or Gotham Arts or at Jacob’s Pillow. I have histories with them, and working at this dance performance was just like photographing my friends. It was wonderful to see some new work by these inspiring artists and also fun to be around them. What can be better than that?

It was particularly interesting seeing such a variety of work all in one evening. And it was great to see an entire program dedicated to work by female choreographers, since they have historically gone under-represented in the dance world. These women are fierce and their is work cutting edge.

For more photos from the Working Women series, check out my Facebook album from the shows.

Finis: Artist Portraits in my Natural Light Studio at Jacob’s Pillow

January 31, 2013 by 4dancers

contemporary dance students — Kassandra Cruz and Alonso Guzman

by Christopher Duggan

I had been dreaming for a few seasons about making portraits of the incredible dancers, choreographers and artists that come to the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival each week. In 2012 I put it into action: the Natural Light Studio.

There is a deck right behind the Ted Shawn Theatre where dance photographer John Lindquist used to make images. I was lucky that the space was available for me to set up a simple but effective natural light soft box and backdrop.

skybetter and associates — Kile Hotchkiss

I made over 200 portraits that summer— between mainstage companies, School participants, faculty, Inside/Out artists, staff, interns, my daughter…

During the 2012 season, I was a faculty member for a dance photography workshop at the festival. The workshop was directed by dance photographer Rose Eichenbaum, and she asked all of us to describe our photography in one word. I thought a lot about it, and the word I chose was joyous. That’s my approach to all of my photography, both dance and weddings. I’m looking to have fun and see the joy inside of people. That doesn’t mean I want big cheesy smiles—I want to capture the joy created by being who you are.

joffrey ballet — Victoria Jaiani and Temur Suluashvili

I wanted every person I invited into the studio to have the space to emerge, to really be seen for who they are. In the spirit of the Pillow, in the spirit of creativity, in the spirit of collaboration, and in the spirit of making art together.

101_20120825_DougElkinsandFriends_Christopher.Duggan_054 — Doug Elkins & Friends

Other people have picked up on the fact that I always say let’s “make” pictures. I don’t “take” pictures. It’s semantics, but it’s true—when I work with dancers, choreographers, brides, friends…we “make” something together. And that’s what I felt like I achieved this summer in my Natural Light Studio. Whether dancing or more pedestrian, I was approaching the sessions in the same way, and different people brought different things to the table.

I’d say the summer was a success. And I can’t wait to expand on the project this season.

Finis: Falling In Love With Dance

December 31, 2012 by 4dancers

by Christopher Duggan

One of my very first jobs in New York City was working at the box office at The Joyce Theater. Ballet Hispanico performed that season. The company danced Good Night Paradise by Ramon Oller, and I was totally taken away. It swept me off my feet.

It brings tears to my eyes thinking about it now, because that’s when I really fell in love with dance. There was something so sexy and romantic and ordinary at the same time. The dance showed that human connection you make when you bump into each other in the kitchen—when you’re going for a napkin and the other person is throwing away the coffee grinds. There’s something that dance does that no other art can. I stood in the back of the audience every night to watch.

And now I have the privilege of capturing some of the magic in dance through photography. Here are some photos from Ballet Hispanico’s recent New York premiere of Danzón, choreographed by Artistic Director Eduardo Vilaro at The Apollo Theater, performed with live music by the Paquito D’Rivera Ensemble. (Danzón was originally created on Luna Negra, a company I photographed at the Pillow last summer.)

Finis: Photographing Alvin Ailey’s Gala

November 30, 2012 by 4dancers

by Christopher Duggan

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater hosts gorgeous and energetic galas at New York City Center every year. Photographing the Gala means capturing exciting moments on stage as well as the many smiling guests. Mo’Nique was the honorary chair this year, and I caught New York Times photographer (and my hero) Bill Cunningham talking with Ailey dancers.

Robert Battle and Mo'nique — Mo’Nique and Robert Battle

bill cunningham — NY Times Photographer Bill Cunningham With Dancers From Alvin Ailey

This season, the always-incredible dancers performed Ohad Naharin’s Minus 16, pulling audience members on stage — and the crowd went wild for the honorary dancers!

It was one of Renee Robinson’s last performances with the Alvin Ailey company. She carried her signature umbrella in the world-famous Revelations. The score for the work was sung live by Jessye Norman, Anika Noni Rose, and Brian Stokes Mitchell.

renee robinson dances revelations — Renee Robinson in Revelations

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