…….photography inspired by nature & the arts
So what are you searching for this year? Do tell, I’d love to hear.
I’m looking to expand my creative horizons this year – I do love creating fairytales and so much more! Plus, on a more pragmatic level increasing my ps and lighting knowledge should help too!
Dancer/model: @aleksandra.bgc
📸: @dancebyannalouise
#fairytale #fairytaleforest #forest #wicklow #ireland #reddress #searching #lost #newyear #creativephotography
Sharing some curtain call memories from a stunning performance of Raymonda in Bayerisches Staatsballet on 10 October 2018. There were so many curtain calls, I lost count! Always a good test of photography skills – so many unknowns (location/timing/lighting……) – good preparation for when I get to take some backstage photos during a performance!
Another simply wonderful evening at watching Raymonda with @sergeipolunin as Jean de Briene. An absolute joy to watch. What a stellar trio @sergeipolunin @osielgouneo @ryzhkovaksenia, a vision in white – bravo @jeanettekakareka and a wonderful corps du ballet.
I can’t wait for my next trip to the Bayerisches Staatsballet!
Check out this amazing video for the Dublin Bellydance Project.
I was lucky enough to shoot some stills from the dream sequence in the forest for dancer Aleksandra Bilgic. The video was shot by the super talented Fruit Frame Films – my first time shooting stills during a videoshoot and hopefully not my last!
Such a great afternoon (though I was wrapped up well – not like Aleksandra dancing in her bare feet in the forest). We even used (or rather tried to use) smoke grenades – I definitely need these for my next shoot!
Some behind the scenes shots of the fun here:
And here is a few storyboard shots involving the dream sequence:
Such a joy to be involved in the pre-planning of this shoot too, from sourcing smoke grenades to location scouting. However, the real star is the creative director and dancer Aleksandra, her enthusiasm for the project was infectious, her attention to detail from start to finish second to none and as she danced in the freezing cold forest in her bare feet, her dedication to her art and her vision shone true. Well done Aleks, you should be very proud.
Last month, I was absolutely thrilled to find out that I won the design category of the Volkswagen Ireland Snapshot Competition with one of my favorite dancer shots. I took the shot in August after I had seen this amazing street art. Once I had located the wings (with the help of some friends), I knew I had to get a shot with a ballerina and Aleksandra Bilgic (Dublin Bellydance Project) was the perfect dancer to collaborate with for this shoot. She came armed with a white tutu and loads of energy and we spent several hours on a bank holiday Sunday running (and jumping) around Smithfield much to the amusement of locals and passers-by.
So to win a prize for a shot I really love is just an absolute bonus. Plus, I can’t wait to get my hands on the graphics tablet prize!
Since I posted this photo on Instagram, I had lots of requests about where exactly the street art is located. However, it looks like the building is up for demolition now as it went on fire a week or two after I took the shot. Just shows you that you really have to seize every opportunity when it happens.
Dublin Culture Night (21 September 2018) is always a highlight in the events calendar – such a great friendly crowd and so many more places get involved each year. This year I was lucky to have the opportunity to take some shots of 3 varied studio performances in Dance Ireland, what a treat!
Juan Jesus Guiraldi – Dance Ireland International Associate Artist
A mesmerising and hypnotic contemporary dance performance with Juan Jesus Guiraldi. I look forward to see how this piece develops in the future.
Ballet Ireland with Marguerite Donlon/Donlon Dance Collective
The packed studio audience had a fascinating insight into the rehearsal process with Ballet Ireland and internationally recognized choreographer Marguerite Donlon and Francesco Vecchione (Donlon Dance Collective). An absolute pleasure to watch a performance of a newly created contemporary piece they had been working on for the last two weeks.
‘In Struggle We Hope’ with Tobi Omoteso & Leo Wolstenholme
The final performance ‘In Struggle We Hope’ was something entirely unexpected (to me anyway!) – a combination of abstract movements and B-Boy/Street Dance intertwined with improvisational and traditional violin music. So much energy – the audience gasped at one stage at a jump/somersault, it was hard for my camera to keep up!
A really unique evening and great to see such diverse audiences for all 3 performances. Well done Dance Ireland and all the performers – until next year!
A few ‘curtain call’ moments from a truly magical evening of classical and contemporary ballet with the Royal Ballet in Lagrasse on 28 July. With thanks to all the organizers at Muse à Muse for putting together this amazing show in one of the most picturesque villages in the South of France. Such a joy to watch these amazing dancers from the Royal Ballet in a wonderful diverse programme of classical and contemporary pieces. The last time this was held in Lagrasse was in 2010 and I am so happy that I got to be part of the event this year.
A big thanks to all the organisers and musicians too.
The awesome views from the #ericssonskyline tour of Croke Park (44 metres high – 17 storeys) in Dublin town- wonderful to see the sunset over Dublin and the moonrise (wrap up warm though – its a wee bit chilly!)
It’s been a very busy summer out and about with my camera. Floral photography dominated the early summer (big backlog to process during the winter months). However, recently I seem to have been out and about focusing on event and dance photography (which I also love!). I’ve also been posting on Instagram more regularly and love it (I’m not really using flickr or google+ anymore). I’m loving instagram and the interactions there – particularly this one from Canon UK. I got an invite to the recent #CanonDubinMeet which to my surprise involved photographing dancers outside (in the cold and wet!!!) – ideal! Canon UK even chose one of my photos as the overall winner from the evening. You gotta love instagram for all the new opportunities it brings – well I do anyway!!
……lots of love and laughter (and even a pitch invasion) with the Lords of Strut (yes, the Cork lads who made it to the semi-final of Britain’s Got Talent!) this afternoon at LAYA Healthcare’s City Spectacular in Merrion Square – we even had proper sunshine thrown in for good measure!
Mina Clown from Argentina kept us smiling and the USA Breakdancers brought their A-game with some spectacular street dancing. Always a great day out!
This week in Airfield Estate we learnt how to pot on plant cuttings, the difference between espalier and fan training, how to deal with spring bulbs and making suitable compost for container pots. I highly recommend this course with Airfield. Colm O’Driscoll, head gardener at Airfield, is a fountain of knowledge and we learnt so much over the past few weeks.
It has been great to see how the garden has changed so much from March to May and I look forward to visiting with my camera over the next few months. For me the walled garden at Airfield is my favourite space and I think Letitia and Naomi Overend (philanthropic owners of Airfield estate who set up their charitable trust in 1974) would be pleased to see how their garden has grown!
Spurred on by all things green, I am pleased to report my seedlings have germinated and are still growing – time will tell if they make it outside and surive!
