I t is all about the moment and the perfect capture. It is about portraying motion through stillness. A click is all one needs to make a photograph, a memory of a lifetime and give it its identity.
Supported flamboyantly by digital advancement and propelled by contemporary marketing trends, dance photography has become a growing career option with abundance in terms of both opportunity and money.
One of the pioneers of dance photography in India is the Delhi-based Avinash Pasricha . Watching his father, who owned a studio since 1938 on Janpath, Avinash took to photography naturally. He says, , “Dance is a comprehensive art form and capturing it is most exciting. There is so much motion, yet you need to grab just that perfect second and press the shutter button.”
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Is dance photography all about body and movement? “It is all about what the eyes say,” says Avinash and continues, “A perfect picture is one when the dancer’s mood is in sync with the music and the story and this gets reflected through the eyes.” Avinash has been shooting for both studio and stage but he finds the concert experience more thrilling because of the ambience. “However professional a dancer or a photographer is, the momentum that a stage with its light and sound can create cannot substitute a set up studio shoot.”
If it’s the eyes of the dancer that Avinash looks out for in his photograph, it is rhythm that guides Bengaluru-based Prithvi Krishna. Primarily, a mridangam artist, he took to photography about eight years ago, and hence, uses his musical skills to get his perfect shot. “I enjoy side angles and profiles; it enhances a dancer’s expression even in minimallights. And if there is thoughtful lighting, it is magic,” he explains.
It is not just for performances, dancers also hire photographers for pre-arangetram photo shoots, to create websites or for just their portfolios.
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Santosh Kumar Janardhan, a self-taught photographer, hails from a family of performing artists. His interest in dance inspired him to pick up the camerain 2013, so that he could train his lens on the art form. In two years, he covered over 400 performances.
Chennai-based Chella Vaidyanathan, who has been in the field for 36 years feels that like in any other art there are no short cuts here. Unless you have wasted a lot of film and material without feeling guilty, you cannot learn. “I function with a team of 17 full-time assistants. I started off with 120 format and then moved onto 35 mm,” he says. “It is a lucrative profession,” he adds. According to him, a single programme with three cameras, for still photography and video, can fetch up to a lakh of rupees based on the client. A beginner, who is freelancing, may start with Rs. 20,000, but once you prove your credentials, there is no limit.”
Talking about what sells in the market today, Santosh points out, “The most important element of a good photograph is its ability to tell a story through its composition, lighting and energy of the subject. Monochrome / black and white are an all-time favourite of dancers.” “Even a black and white picture can fail to create an impact if there is no emotion,” points out Avinash.
While every photographer has his own take on the art, they all agree that there needs to be a sense of understanding and synergy between the dancer and the photographer.
As eminent photographer Srivatsa, who specialises in multiple exposure, puts it, “Perfect timing and rapport are important in creating a piece of art.”