Friday, January 29, 2016

Two Ballerinas + Sea, Santa Maria del Mar, Cuba, 2014


Last year we presented Costumes for Ballerinas in Cuba and so many generous spirits responded, making this past summer a most successful campaign. Each dancer was able to receive at least four leotards, two skirts, slippers and a few accessories. The girls of course left the tags on all of the items, so proud of the effect their images had produced on the viewers.

Just as they had moved the viewers of the images, they inspired me to always do better for them. This included a new concept: following them into the water with the camera. Being that the Hasselblad does poorly near water, it seemed that we needed another solution, thus the purchase of a new camera system, the Fuji GA645 family of cameras.

This allowed me to enter the water with the girls, to enjoy the coolness of the sea and the warmth of the sun at the same time. The girls, while of course enjoying themselves, were truly veterans of this collaboration and allowed themselves to be photographed as well. They were the consummate professionals at barely into their teens and some just out of the single digits. They knew when they were being watched, and took their positions perfectly without direction from me.

This image is in honor of my two dear friends, Angelo and David. We had an incredible dinner this evening at Ayman's Algebra Teahouse, taking us back to the days we used to hang out and dream photographically a decade or so ago. We shared stories, exchanged photographs and made plans for next month to do more of the same. I greatly admire each of these good men, and share this image as gratitude for the chance to reconnect.


Note: This image was made with a Fuji GA645Wi onto Fuji Neopan Acros 100 ISO.

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