(Copious Dance Theater)

Yes and no. Creativity is about discovering patterns that previously haven’t been noticed. It means breaking the rule. So it is about creating freedom. And yet this freedom can not exist if it is too free. Complexity theory tells us that a system that is totally random is as complex as a rigid system. For example, imaging you have a bunch of sands in a box in a 0 gravity space. The free flowing sands represents a total randomness. Naively, we will think this is the most complex condition. But because each sand has no relation with the other, the total complexity (entropy) is the same as fixing them on a regular grid pattern, which is them simplest configuration.

Now, imagining each sand particle starts to interact with it’s neighbor in certain way. Suddenly emergent pattern will occur, and the whole system will display high order behavior that is not possible if it is totally random. We see those effect in life all the time. Snow flake, flower, water wave, sound wave, or ultimately life and human being.

(Labayen Dance/SF)

Those interactions between sand particles is a limitation on how the sand can move. Without those limitations sand particle will just move on it’s own mind. Those limitations made higher order behaviors (wave, wind, life) possible. So that is a very good hint on our human creativity. Our creativity can not exist in total randomness, or total freedom, it’s own possible when there is some sort of limitation.

(Paco Gomes and Dancers)

When I shoot dance in a dark theatre, I found the own lens works well for me is 50mm 1.4. I have tried other lenses, like 24-70mm 2.8L. 35mm 2.0. 85mm 1.8. Somehow I always come back to 50mm 1.4 + EOS 5d. This has became a game for me. In how many different way can I use a 50mm standard lens? It turned out I benefit greatly from this process, a self imposed limitation.

(Paco Gomes and Dancers)

50mm gives the most normal perspective on a full-frame body. The image it produce is the most natural to eye and thus least dramatic. It forces you to find drama and story from composition, angle and light. This has been a great exercise for me every time I take it to a theatre. How can I find the essence of dance through a 50mm lens.

(Labayen Dance/SF)

There are some unexpected benefit of limiting myself to a single focal length. Since I don’t have to (can’t, really) zoom to change composition, I can easily pre-visualize the scene before picking up the camera. Which allows me to react to dance much faster. Dance usually happens very fast. 1/10th of second often determines a good photo from a useless one. Know when, where the action going to happen, and how the composition will be like before looking through the lens is a huge advantage in dance photography.

(Paco Gomes)

Of cause with the modern camera technology you can shoot 8 frame/sec with a good camera. Which means as long as you keep shutter pressed you won’t miss a shoot. Well, imagining the time spent going through all the photos. Also consider the fact that a good (and unique) moment in dance performance comes often as a surprise, unless you are very familiar with the dance, or, are satisfied with common dance leaps, arabesque, attitude, etc.

(Dance Wright Project)

So who is the father of creativity. I think it’s the desire to create. With out the drive to create, a limitation is just a limitation that frustrate you.

(Paco Gomes and Dancers)

On a side note, limitation is a important part of creative process, it also make a strong influence on the baby created. Imagine driving a race car on desert bed, or racing a hummer against race cars on race track. Or, just imagine having a ballerina doing a funky hip hop move, or asking a fantastic street hip hop dancer to do a triple pirouette.

(Paco Gomes and Dancers)

Give monkey a camera, it can produce some very interesting image, so give human being a iphone camera, he/she must be able to shoot some interesting dance photos.

Iphone 4 back camera has 5 meg pixels, selective focus, and a large display for you to preview. It even has a tiny flash. The best part is that it is always with you.

(Daiane and I ran into this huge ink painting outside of Shanghai modern art museum. Thanks to the constant availability of iphone, we were able to quickly snap these shots, the light is very harsh and strong, I don’t think a professional SLR will do much better in this situation. Unless you use flash fill. Daiane, the most beautiful Chinese girl dressed in traditional Qi Pao, was very inspired by this painting. An on-site improv was not unavoidable.)

With iphone camera you can’t adjust aperture, shutter speed, and you can’t prefocus. Also 5 meg pixels is obviously over kill for that tiny lens and sensor. And of cause, the low light performance is no where near adequate, unless the moody motion blur is what you are after. But after seeing every photo displays the same blur, you kind of want to have to an option of getting a clear shot.

When Paco Gomes & Dancers did a on-site performance in Jao Jou Saloon in Oakland, we need to take some photos, but I didn’t have a “real” camera with me. So again, iphone was there to save the night. With some experiment, I was able to get decent percentage of sharp shorts, at least look sharp at iphone screen resolution.

I actually appreciate the simplicity of iphone camera. By limiting your technical options, it forces you to compose and plan more creatively. It makes everything more spontaneous.

Iphone camera is unique because it is always available, produces decent image quality, encourages spontaneity,  and it has a lot of limitations. I think it deserve some serious exploration for using in dance photography.

Very often, a limitation is also an opportunity for something fresh and creative. You just need to approach it with an playful mind. Like a monkey.

(Dancer: Olivia Eng, from Paco Gomes & Dancers)

Although you can put a infrared filter in front of the lens, this usually results in super long exposure, which is a problem in dance photography. A modified digital SLR serves much better. By putting a infrared filter inside the camera, right before the sensor, you can see what you are shooting, adjust by taking a test shot, and shooting at fast shutter speed.

(Dancers: Nina Fischer, Olivia Eng, from Paco Gomes & Dancers)

For infrared photo, you pretty much want to shoot in RAW format only. Once you bring the image to Photoshop, you will want to do a channel swapping to get rid off the red cast, and make the color close to normal. There is something mysterious about making a photo almost real, but not quite real.

(Dancer: Mari Takahashi)

Infrared turns the sky into deep dark, water into black hole, grass into dreamy white. It creates a perfect stage with dramatic light for dancers.

(Dancer: Mari Takahashi)

Infrared and dance photography seems to work very well together. Both distort or exaggerate the reality. Together they really enhance the surreal feeling. It’s like inside a dream.