Thursday, June 28, 2012

Dance!

I used to dance and I love to watch dancers perform. So when the local dance association agreed for my friend Chrys (a photographer) and myself to shoot the dancers getting ready for their carnival show, we jumped at the opportunity. We did a little twirl and were happy for the challenge. And a challenge, it was! 

It was a sunny day in March. 10am in the morning and the carnival show started at 2pm. The room was filled with dancers (80, actually) and the mix of excitement and stress grew as time went. 

The rehearsal started and Chrys and I were zigzagging among the dancers to capture interesting movements or feelings. Not an easy task. We probably took around 200 shots and ended presenting about 15 photos each to the association, Image Contact. I have 2 to present to you so far... The rest will come at a later date. 

Our experience was positive. The mood was joyful, the colours were bright and the atmosphere was electric. The dance rehearsal for the carnival allowed Image Contact to promote itself as a local association and became unsuspectedly a recruitment spot, as one of the dancers showed an interest to model for the association workshops. A bonus. 




Green dancer



Pause


I would like to thank Chrys for sharing this moment with me. And also a big thank you to all the dancers, the teachers and the organisers for this experience. It was a challenge, a way to practice and develop my skills in photography. 

Chrys' carnival photos are available here




Friday, June 22, 2012

Copenhagen Heaven

My first encounter with Copenhagen was not long after my student times. I enjoyed the relaxing trip with our Uni friends. At the time, the Sweden to Denmark bridge was still in construction. 

Should I have known that 10 years later I would have lived close to it, I think I would have paid more attention to the city. I am happy I've had more opportunities to visit Copenhagen. It has always been enjoyable, relaxing, easy, practical (thanks to the new Sweden to Denmark train line and bridge) ........and at times cold. 

These 3 photos were taken during my last trip to Copenhagen in the 2010's.



New Graff Design in Town



Storming Danish pubs



Light snow layer on quiet capital



Wicked mode of transport - Swedish style

In the 3 years I spent living in Sweden, I came across quite a few different types of "vehicles" used in order to go from 1 place to another or to transport items. We say that the Swedes are very innovative. It's true. Their approach is also very practical and it seems they look for simplicity in their design. 

Unfortunately I failed to take a photo of the many examples I came across (including the postman special yellow large bike). But here are a few examples anyway.





Winter special








Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Studio shoot and the challenge of lighting

Lighting was the main challenge of that studio evening. Another enjoyable gathering: 8 photographers, 3 models, 3 studios, lots of cables and numerous photos taken. 3 remained. 

During that evening, I had the pleasure to work again with Clem Modèle and Clara who are both creative, versatile, flexible and patient. 

This workshop made me understand that I have 2 important challenges ahead of me if I take this passion seriously. 

First of all, with 2 spotlights, you are open to numerous lighting options (countless in my eyes, so far!). In my case, it means a lot of practice is required in order to understand how to position the spotlights for the required effect. I was very grateful for the brief tutorial and assistance offered by the Lyon photographer Damien Poudret at the beginning of the session. 

Secondly, when working with digital, the feeling of having a good photo during the shoot can quickly be destroyed once they appear on the computer screen...I had great difficulty developing these 3 photos. This is my best shot so far and when I think of that experience, my mind keeps telling me "plenty of room for improvement"...

Well, so long as you enjoy this journey so far...



Clara       



Clem Modèle 



Clem Modèle 


A big thank you to Image Contact, Clem Modèle, Clara, Damien Poudret and the other photographers who provided advice. 


Thursday, June 7, 2012

Urban style


Another outing was organised by the photo association, Image Contact. Another kind this time. It was in an urban area... on an evening. Challenging for me because I am not used to take photos of modern architecture. So I m trying hard to find something remotely interesting. At the beginning I was not inspired whatsoever. Then, I saw a tree in the reflection of a puddle. And then I looked closer at what was around me and decided to go for it... Urban style!




Orange cheese



Golden block



Des p'tits trous, des p'tits trous, toujours des p'tits trous



My urban tree



To see what the other members of Image Contact did, 


Thank you Image Contact for this new and interesting opportunity. Now that I have tried it, I want to explore further...the Urban style!