PS This negative was exposed in 2019 with a Hasselblad 501CM/100mm combination onto Ilford Delta 100 film. It was printed in the darkroom to Ilford MGIVWTFB 11x14, toned in selenium for permanence.
Here we are privileged to witness @cafemullerart on the rooftop of a university building, a spontaneous session with her and her friends!
We decided on this neighborhood a day in advance, but the specific locations depended on how the light was in the morning. This made her professionalism that much more valuable. We used this location once in 2018 and never again. These prints were made in the darkroom yesterday, and toned in selenium this morning.
It was so early that the grass was soaked with the morning dew. Nonetheless Tamy was kind enough to walk onto the baseball field without hesitation, even with the animals in the distance. While these images are normally made in the city, to bring her unparalleled talents into the countryside made me proud. Dance after all is for everyone, from city dwellers to farmers.
Soon I hope to repeat this session with Laura and make something better out of these difficult times.
This frame with Laura represents to me the very best of photography. The obstacles in the way of our collaboration could have prevented this image from being exposed, but Laura persevered and the resulting images are, to me, priceless.
This was the third print from today in the darkroom, a 16x20 enlarged proof of a young ballerina in Bauta, Cuba. During that summer we drove further away from Havana looking for opportunities, and found a great connection in this beautiful town.
We were driving through the town when I wondered out loud to Alejandro about the possibility of a dance school. He doubted if this town had such a school. As he was speaking, this young girl was dressed in her dance outfit with two adults on the sidewalk. We stopped immediately and were informed that there was a school, and that it offered private lessons to serious students.
They pointed out the school to us and we headed that way. The teacher was very nice and told us to come back later, after he had spoken with the parents. When we did return this young girl and another were waiting in the park along with their parents. This is what makes photography so incredible, meeting people one minute and then creating the next.
The spot in the images is the exit off of the highway for the town. It looked so beautiful and we offered it to the parents as our set. They accepted and we had a great afternoon with the two families. At first she had doubts about her abilities, but she was perfect once the photography started. It's great to see her movements on one print, makes me feel that the enlarged proofs for Cuba are perfect!
I do miss the days in the waters of Cuba, and with the talents of that island. Hopefully one day soon we will see the other side of this pandemic and get back to these waters.
Estábamos haciendo un video esa tarde, moviéndonos de una plaza a otra. Después de terminar esa parte del video, estábamos a punto de pasar a la siguiente plaza cuando le pregunté al equipo por unos minutos.
Cuatro de los bailarines se quedaron atrás e hicimos una docena de fotografías. Esta es una de las bailarinas y esta es solo una de las fotografías realizadas. Fue una tarde mágica y estoy agradecido a la compañía por esta imagen memorable.
¡Iberodance, hasta nuestra próxima vez juntos!
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Tonight in my apartment I am scanning the rolls from the past summer in Cuba. One image has been selected to share this evening, a reminder of a special afternoon with Iberodance.
We were making a video on that afternoon, moving from one plaza to another. After we finished that part of the video we were about to move to the next plaza when I asked the team for a few minutes.
Four of the dancers remained behind and we made a dozen photographs. This is one of the dancers and this is just one of the photographs made. It was a magical afternoon and I am thankful to the company for this memorable image.
Iberodance, until our next time together!
De vez en cuando, un fotógrafo se enfrenta a sus iguales creativos, una persona que les ayuda a elevar su arte. Esta ha sido mi experiencia con la magnífica Tamy. Ella me desafía en todos los niveles, y por eso estoy eternamente agradecida.
En seis meses espero estar en ese espacio familiar con los talentosos bailarines y modelos de Cuba. Hay una rara combinación de seriedad y comedia que hace que nuestras colaboraciones sea tan hermosa. Todo interesado en ésta colaboración envíame tus sueños y hagamos un gran verano!
Entramos en el auto de Idiovel, un magnífico Plymouth de los años cincuenta. Llegamos muy temprano, antes de la luz, y nos preparamos de inmediato mientras hablamos de nuestra visión.
Por supuesto, Jessica y Juan fueron profesionales, y no necesitaban nada. Solo hablamos de la dirección de la luz en relación con sus posiciones de baile.
Durante dos horas fui testigo de su arte e hice todo lo posible para documentarlo con fotografías en blanco y negro. Su rendimiento fue sin época, al igual que la forma de la fotografía utilizada.
¡Espero con ansias este verano con ellos, así como todos los bailarines de nuestro hermoso círculo en la isla!
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Before the summer in Cuba, I would like to show this image from last year. It was an honor to make art with these two dancers. Thanks to the magnificent Tamy, we connected and went to the racquetball courts for a morning of photography.
We went in Idiovel's car, a magnificent Plymouth of the 1950s. We arrived very early, before the light, and prepared immediately while talking about our vision.
Of course, Jessica and Juan were professionals, and they did not need anything. We only talked about the direction of light in relation to their dance positions.
For two hours I witnessed their art, and did my best to document it with black and white photography. Their performance was timeless, just like the form of the photography used.
I look forward to this summer with them, as well as all of the dancers from our beautiful circle on the island!
Note: This image was made with a Hasselblad 503 CW/180 mm combination.
El año pasado fue maravilloso por muchas razones, y especialmente porque me dieron el honor de fotografiar a tres hermosas compañías de danza. De una de esas compañías vienen estos dos bailarines increíblemente talentosos.
Después de ver su actuación una noche, me inspiré para fotografiarlos. Gracias a mi querida amiga Tamy, esta colaboración fue posible. Acordamos una mañana y fuimos a las canchas para nuestra sesión.
Su profesionalismo fue impresionante, ya que estaban listos casi de inmediato. Tenían una visión maravillosa, y fue un placer ver su colaboración detrás de la cámara.
¡Gracias a Tamy Glez, Jorge, Jessica Gómez y Juan Alberto Reyes Perez por permitirme el privilegio de colaborar con ellos... hasta este verano!
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This night in my apartment I am scanning the rolls from last summer in Cuba. An image has been selected to share tonight, a memory of a special morning.
Last year was marvelous for many reasons, and especially because I was given the honor of photographing three beautiful dance companies. From one such company come these two incredibly talented dancers.
After watching their performance one evening, I was inspired to photograph them. Thanks to my dear friend Tamy, this collaboration was made possible. We agreed on a morning and drove out to the racquetball courts for our session.
Their professionalism was impressive, as they were ready almost immediately. They had wonderful vision, and it was a pleasure to watch their collaboration from behind the camera.
Note: This image was made with a Hasselblad 503 CW/180 mm combination onto color positive film.
Hoy fue un día maravilloso en el cuarto oscuro, con los rollos cubanos del 2018. Hace dos años hicimos estas imágenes, pero siento que fuimos a Santa María del Mar apenas ayer. Gracias al Prof. Gysleda, conocí a esta magnífica bailarina. En menos de dos horas, Luis Miguel cambió muchas veces y me ayudó a crear algo especial. Los recuerdos de ese día siempre estarán conmigo, y ahora están en esta foto para que todos los vean también.
¡Gracias mi querido hermano Luis Miguel, y Idiovel por su apoyo!
Note: Proof enlarged from the 120 roll to 16x20 Ilford fiber paper, tones in selenium and washing for the next two hours.
