Last October I began experimenting with wrapping dancers in LEDs and making long exposures in the dark. In essence this turned the black room into a blank canvas and the lights turned the dancers limbs into (light) paint brushes (check out the old post here). Since that point I had it in the back of my mind to use this technique when photographing a dance duo to see how their light trails interacted. That time has finally come.
Carly and Gabe not only dance in the same company but they’re also married to each other, and their intimacy and fluidity together clearly came through in their movements. Carly set her lights to red while Gabe was in blue. As you can see below, the light patterns changed based on whether they danced opposite each other or began circling and lifting one another.
After shooting a set with just the LEDs I added a green-gelled strobe overhead, which I manually triggered several times throughout the 10-second exposure. Every time I triggered the flash it captured a frozen moment in time, setting apart form from chaos. As I observed their movement a concept began to form in my mind. I had Gabe turn off his lights and kneel on the ground. Then I started a 10-second exposure and directed Carly to circle Gabe several times, and then finish with him lifting her over his head. Right as she reached the peak height and optimal pose I manually triggered the strobe. Since Gabe had no LEDs on and because Carly’s body blocked him from the strobe light, he is completely invisible in the final image. All you see is Carly’s trail of movement and final pose, which would’ve been nearly impossible to achieve on her own. I love the inherent metaphor of an unseen yet vital partner.
For the final set I took my newly acquired Optical Spot, designed by Lindsay Adler and Westcott. This light modifier is a game changer for the way I work. It allows me to focus light so sharply that in many scenarios it will replace my need for a projector, flag, or snoot. I use it on my Godox AD400 (Bowens mount), making it an affordable yet versatile and powerful rig.
I opted to use a window-shaped gobo, which came with the spot, and gelling the strobe gold. Then I added a second, cyan-gelled strobe in a softbox to fill in the shadows. The resulting images look like golden hour sunlight through a window. I look forward to really exploring the possibilities that this light tool offers.
