CAVSOC

Dance dance dance

Photographers Joseph Madden and Patrick Larder have worked with Stella Mann College since 2015, producing the imagery for their prospectus, banner adverts, and website, as well as an extensive suite of ready-to-go images that can be used throughout the course of the year on social media.

Tools of the trade

Over one weekend each summer, we transform Stella Mann’s main rehearsal space into a fully kitted-out photography studio, with Bowens lights, an 8 foot octobox diffuser, bounce boards, and a huge white infinity curve, as well as a van-load of assorted cables, triggers, light meters and other knick knacks.

Pose perfect

The camera and lighting set-up is pretty technical stuff, but what’s just as technical - and even more important - are the poses of our dancers, with their posture, stance, and position in relation to each other all having to conform to the exacting standards of the dance world.

For this reason we operate a tethered-capture workflow, cabling the camera directly into our laptop so that the choreographer can review the photos in real time on a large screen. We can zoom in to check the poses are correct, make instant adjustments to light and colour, and show the photos to the dancers themselves.

Show time

Stella Mann were so pleased with the photography we created for their marketing materials that they asked us to produce their video content as well!

We currently film and edit their end of year show at the Alban Arena, their Christmas show at the college, and their showcase performances at Move It, the world’s biggest dance event at the Excel Centre.

Client: Stella Mann College

Photographers: Joseph Madden & Patrick Larder

Designer: Alysia Wildman

Videographer: Jack Ayers