Entangled Echoes / Shadow's Tears

There is no better moment when a photo shoot finally happens.
Crazy schedules, international travels, commissioned works and weather conditions didn’t stop the collaborations of the year.
This time with my partner in crime friend photographer Juan Carlos Toledo we worked with the choreographers Iratxe Ansa and Igor Bacovich of Metamorphosis Dance bringing to life a series of photography artworks based on scenario I wrote.

THE PERFECT MATCH: ART PHOTOGRAPHY

I was lucky enough to get to know Iratxe and Igor work earlier last year. Together with Juan Carlos we photographed their company Metamorphosis Dance at Teatros del Canal (watch gallery here) and at Centro Coreografico Maria Pages in Madrid.
I had a photo story written, but I was waiting the right people and the right moment to bring it to life.

Every subject is unique and can interpret a story differently and that’s what fascinates me: the evolution, the little changes and the fine details that makes it unique. Iratxe and Igor were the perfect match: their incredible choreographic abilities and experience to work in mixed art projects brought the story I wrote to the next level.

At the end of the day I strongly believe in the persons and team that surrounds me, in their honesty and commitment to a common vision.
All the members of this team share a deep interest in dance, fashion and visual storytelling and the next step came very naturally: a collaboration that merges all of that into a new unique art photography project.

THE MOOD

I wanted the shoot to happen out of space and time. A place where the subjects were waiting, moving, facing their fears and emotions, as if they had been there for centuries, almost in a never ending loop. Together with Juan Carlos we designed a space full of cutting lights and shadows, and we decided that those lights would also have their own story to tell as two more character added to the narration.

THE MOOD: LIGHTING

We wanted the set to be real and get it right on camera. All the shadows and shapes were created in the photography studio. By constantly moving the lights we influenced the models to interact with the space and their multiple shadows, like in a surreal dimension. Tamara Alonso added her touch with the makeup connecting to the lines and shapes of the photography set.

DANCE & FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY

Black and white, moving lights, film grain and high contrast: we wanted the aesthetic to support the timeless artwork feeling. Fashion designer Ana Locking provided us with two beautiful black suits with a unique texture and full of personality (it reminds me of some sort of wood).

Like everything in this photo shoot the clothing became another character blending and inspiring movements and frames: a 360 degrees dance and fashion photo shoot with a fine-art photography look.

THE IDEA OF WAITING

As a dance photographer I’m used to photographing the dancers in motion and I always look to portray the movement.

In this dance and fashion photo shoot we explored the idea of waiting. We generated a lot of movement and chaos, and we waited the resonance of it. As if everything was delayed. As if in this story we felt the echoes of that quiet chaos.

THE PHOTO SHOOT

Iratxe and Igor fully embraced the idea of the photo shoot. They started morphing and creating as if they had been there forever waiting for us to capture those unique moments. Iratxe moving like fire and Igor like water. It was more than a photo shoot, it was a continuous dance.

Everything was moving the choreographers, the clothing of Ana Locking, Juan Carlos and I are constantly moving the camera and the lights. A continuous morphing. Then the silence, everything slowed down, no words were almost necessary on set. The time almost stopped and every image coming out from the camera was hypnotic.

MY PHOTOGRAPHY TOOLS

These images were shot in our professional photography studio in Madrid with a mix of constant and flash light. We used Dedo Light and Profoto system all equipped with barn doors. Lots of flags, gobos and gaffer tape. Last but not the least human hands and an amazing team on set to constantly move lights and morph the space as it was alive. We used a Sony a7rII, mostly with the 24-70mm 2.8 lens a 28mm f.2.0 Contax lens tethered with Tether Tools to Capture One.

THE TEAM

Photography, art direction & postproduction: Danilo Moroni
Photography: Juan Carlos Toledo
Choreographers and Models: Iratxe Ansa & Igor Bacovich (Metamorphosis Dance)
Fashion Designer: Ana Locking
M.U.A.H. : Tamara Alonso
Photography Studio: Daydream Studio
Production assistant: Alice B.