Hold it... hoooolllllldddd it....!

Timing is another thing that dancers and I share. I have to be tuned into my environment to recognize the right moment to take a photograph, and dancers have to time their movements to be in exactly the right position at exactly the right time, whether it be at the top of a jump or landing from a quadruple pirouette.

When photographing dancers, especially for my Dancers Among Us project, the dancer and I work to get our timing in sync so that we get great photographs. In my photo shoot with Jeffrey Smith of the Paul Taylor Dance Company, we had to coordinate the train, the crowd, his jump, my shot. Luckily, both Jeffrey and I are well-practiced.

First, we tried to eliminate one of the elements -- the moving train -- but the images just weren't as exciting.



See?

This one was interesting in that it looks like he's leaping into the train, but Jeffrey and I liked the sense of motion that comes from both his movement and the speeding train.

Luckily, trains are fairly predictable. Bystanders, on the other hand, are not.



Her head is cutting off his back leg.


Ditto. Here's the final one, though:


He's at the height of his leap and framed by the doors, and while the bystanders are present, they add to the image rather than interfere with it. The "Times Square" sign is clearly visible to boot. It was my job to recognize and capture this moment at nearly the same time, and I'm glad I nailed it.

Commitment in Dance and Photography

I have a lot in common with the dancers I work with in my Dancers Among Us project. Dancers rehearse and train for hours for brief moments on stage, and photographers take hundreds of pictures to get that one perfect shot. We're both committed to our art, and we are both willing to sacrifice time and energy for an elusive and fleeting reward.

My photo shoot with Annmaria Mazzini, a dancer with the Paul Taylor Dance Company, is a great example of this. Her physical stamina is amazing -- during the photo shoot, she jumped a total of ninety-two times (in the pouring rain!) before we got that one perfect image. Just as she is committed to achieving beautiful movement, I'm committed to getting the best shot, even if that means spending hours in the rain.

For this shoot, we started off with other poses. I wanted to avoid asking her to jump in a rainstorm, but nothing else looked good. For example:


Even once we started with the leaps, though, she had to leap over and over again until we got the right shot. Here's the first of ninety-two jumps....



And another....



This one has a very cool effect. Someone else took a photo of her at the same moment, and the flash on their camera illuminates her body and the rain. Love the shot, but her back leg is cut off.

On to the next....



This was my second choice. I love seeing the Macy's sign and all the people. I also love the woman checking her out. But she didn't stand out enough -- too much distraction behind her.

Finally, on her fiftieth leap, we got the shot.


Perfect position, great expression, good framing, and, most importantly, in focus! A little retouching from Joe Barna at Colorworks resulted in the final, flawless image.

A Different Kind of Headshot

I'm accustomed to shooting headshots and actor comp cards, and it was a treat to photograph Patti LaBelle, featured in the Broadway show FELA!, and Alan Cumming, Eli Gold on the CBS show The Good Wife, for the Gabrielle's Angel Foundation's PSA ads.

On the day of my shoot with Patti, my assistant, Hannah, had an audition later that evening and needed a soulful song to sing. Patti suggested "Let It Be" by the Beatles, and in the photo below, she's encouraging Hannah as she sings.

After Hannah sang a few bars, Patti interrupted her and finished the chorus. She said she was holding back to save her voice for FELA! that evening, but I couldn't tell. It was surreal.

Dance Photography on a Bathroom Floor!!

Imagine you're a waitress taking a quick pee break during a shift at your restaurant in the Time Warner Center. It's late at night. When you enter the bathroom, you see a man lying on the floor of the ladies room, photographing under the stalls. Creepy, right? That's what happened on Thursday night as I was taking this photos. She said, "Uhhhh...." and as I tried to explain myself out of an awkward situation, she said, "Wait a minute, are you Jordan Matter?" Surreal, right? Then she said, "Is this stall free?"

This was the last shot in a series of Dancers Among Us images I took that night. Te see the entire series of dance photographs, click here.

Shooting Bill Irwin in a mall

Most days I think my job is pretty cool, but yesterday took the cake. Bill Irwin, Tony winner, movie star and probably the most famous vaudeville clown in a generation, spent some time with me in a suburban mall. First we shot for my "Dancers Among Us" series, then he just played around in his clown suit. My favorite moment came when a woman recognized him while I was asker her directions to the food court. She looked right through me, walked over to him with her two young children in tow, and said, "Oh my God, it is so fucking awesome to meet you Mr. Noodle." (Mr. Noodle would be the character he plays on Sesame Street)

To see more images from our shoot, visit my Facebook fan page. If you become a fan, you'll get regular updates! I'm much better with Facebook than I am with this blog (notice the last post date). The link to Facebook is http://www.facebook.com/JordanMatterPhotography#!/JordanMatterPhotography

Comp Card for Dolce and Gabbana model

I just completed a model comp card photo shoot for Max Schneider, who will star with Madonna for the upcoming 2010 Dolce and Gabbana ad campaign. Since I photographed Max years ago as well, I take full credit for his success. Here are a few photos from this week's session. To see more of my model comp cards, click here to visit my website.

Behind the Scenes with "Dancers Among Us"

Here's a behind the scenes look at our last shoot for "Dancers Among Us". Watch us sneak around Grand Central Station and crash mass at Saint Patrick's Cathedral. Sure, we got in some trouble but we got some great shots!