PATTERNS AND TONES

BACKDROPS Shooting the backdrops are the next exciting step to this paper project puzzle I've been working on this year. A lot of prep work but I know the results will be well worth the effort. In camera, on the spot results make working so much quicker than the way I used to shoot with Polaroids. Shooting my Nikon D800 in live mode gives me the opportunity view the set up and frame the shot, making set up time minimal. 8 set ups with 4 frontispieces and 4 backdrops. It would also be a good time to shoot the 8 shadows that I will eventually cast about the dancers but I haven't picked them out yet. I will decide on the objects at a later date, once I have placed the dancers into the backdrops. Shooting them on a plain white backdrop in the box, I surmise I will play around with the forms the shadows make in juxtaposition to the dancers in post production. But at hand is the process of photographing the backdrops and making a final selection. I start with the spi...

This week I set out to construct the sets for my Paper Ballet. I had sketched out ideas of what elements I wanted to incorporate and ended up with another balance of tension created between graphic designs and organic silhouettes. I had every intention of creating them in full scale, but as I began to construct the costumes, I realized that I was creating a huge hurdle for myself and promptly decided to bring them down to a manageable size.  I have seen artists create sets for the opera by constructing boxes that housed their vision before it was taken full scale. I applied the same idea here, albeit with flimsier materials, and began to cut and paste in a very short time frame.  I first started with a 10" x 10" cardboard box but soon  realized it was going to be just too small for me to  literally work inside of. The 16" x 16" box was just right.  I cut the top out to allow light to flood the set so I could light it when it came time...