SWAN LAKE On SALT LAKE
Hey everyone,
Last week I released my series ‘Swan Lake on Salt Lake’ lake shot with the talented ‘Sasonah Huttenbach’ of the New York City Ballet out on the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah in September 2022.
I was totally hooked on the story of Swan Lake, and I really wanted to dive into the whole light and dark side of being human through my art, but with a twist. So, I thought, why not try something different? I picked out this huge empty salt lake as my photoshoot location. I played around with shadows to show all kinds of feelings, like how your shadow can either be a buddy when you're feeling good or kind of mirror your gloomier vibes.
I figured it'd be pretty cool to have Swan Lake vibes on an actual salt lake! It's like a sneaky little nod to the whole concept.
I had a solid goal in mind for this project too – I wanted to shake up the usual Ballet photography scene and shift the focus from just the theater scene to the real world outside. I put it out there like, "Sure, those stage ballet shows are seriously amazing, no doubt. But you can't ignore the crazy cool connection between Mother Nature's wonders and the magic of Ballet – it's like they blend together perfectly."
Sasonah grew up bouncing between Tokyo and NYC, and still remembers that day when Brad threw out the idea for the photoshoot.
“It hit me, those white and black swans mirrored in the salt – it was like seeing my own inner struggles right there. I’ve been wrestling with all sorts of stuff as a Ballet dancer living this dual life in Japan and the US”
“And let me break it down a bit more: Ballet's been like this rock-solid framework for me, a way to pour out my feelings, which I absolutely love. But then, on the flip side, there's this itch to explore the world and let my curiosity run wild. It's like a battle between structure and wanderlust, and it's real”.
Sasonah Huttenbach
I wanted one dancer to play both the Black and White swan - using different dancers would've watered down that powerful symmetrical battle I wanted to capture in my pictures.
Next year, in 2024, I'm planning to drop this series in a coffee table book. It's going to combine have shots from all over the place, like the New York City Ballet, Australian Ballet, and English National Ballet. It's gonna be a real visual feast, no doubt.
You can find all 16 images as fine art prints on my store
