Hello my friend—
I reconnected with my wonderful poi teacher and friend, Isa, and her recent series of mind-bending dance videos got me thinking about how I might combine dance and photography together.
This portrait series really started several years ago, when I spontaneously decided to pop into a free poi class after work. I didn't know anything about poi, but I enjoyed the class so much that I stayed two hours afterward just to keep talking with Isa. We became instant friends, and I have taken classes with her ever since!
In a recent class I asked Isa to share her copious knowledge about performing in front of the camera, and she gave me a treasure trove of guidance. This is what happened when I mixed dancing with light with photographing light:
(By the way, what are poi? In these photos, they are a pair of LED-illuminated balls suspended on tethers and I am spinning them in geometric patterns around my body.)
At dusk, I went to the river and set up my camera to take 2-second exposures—the longer exposure time is why you see the glowy colors blend into shapes as I spin them.
You can try this for yourself with a smart phone. Experiment with taking photos when it is dark, but there is still some ambient light from the setting sun or electric lights. Amplify the light by incorporating reflections from water, windows, and mirrors.
Capture light trails with a long exposure. Below is a quick tip on how to do it on an iPhone. If you have a different camera, I encourage you to look up "long exposure for (your phone model or camera)" to learn more about how to do it with your device.
Experiment photographing anything that lights up! Move the light through space and draw things. Just play and make believe and dance and see what happens. ✨ And please do share what you make.
Sending you beautiful light - Lauren
Dancing with Light