I’m exhibiting in New York next year at The Maidstone hotel in East Hampton. The owners Jenny & Jonathan Baker have invited me and we will together select a collection of art photographs.
I am photographing right now before the exhibition and last Sunday I got a young Ballerina in front of the camera at Häringe Castle.
As soon as the film is developed and scanned (I took some pictures with my analog leica) I will probably show one more photograph.
I let Kira´s mother Mariella tell me about the photography in her own words:
“When Kicki asked if she could photograph Kira, I was both proud and moved.
Dance and stage presence have been such a big part of my life after almost 30 years on stage. That the dance can now continue through Kira therefore feels extremely fun.
We played with the pictures. Kiki’s habit and professional hand together with all the knowledge I possess about ballet got Kira calm. She received instructions from Kicki and dance corrections from me.
Taking a picture of a dancer is not easy. First, of course, the image composition must be right and the right feeling appears. But then there are so many technical pieces that you may not think about. For example, it is difficult to stand in toe shoes in wet grass, the dancer must not get too cold if you take photos outdoors because then she can not perform the movements in the right way and there is also a risk of injury. And if you want the dancer dancing up on a grand piano, it can be both slippery and quite scary to get so high up.
Furthermore, the photographer must stand at exactly the right angle and the dancer perform the movement exactly as it is expected to look according to all the rules of the ballet. The knees should be stretched, the legs turned out, the feet pointed, the arms soft and every little finger pointing in exactly the right direction. At the same time, the neck and head should be placed correctly and the expression on the face reflects exactly the feeling that the photographer wants.
The pictures that were taken this slightly chilly and rainy autumn day at Häringe Castle will be a memory for life for me but above all for Kira who is just at the beginning of her journey into the world of ballet. ”
