The photograph above was taken in the Spring of 2009. Featured is Jackie O'Toole.
My curiosity for photography began on a trip to Washington D.C. in high school. After noticing that a good majority of my photographs looked like post cards, I decided to put forth an effort into learning more about composition. I took private lessons from a friend's mother, who happened to be a photographer and teacher in the public school system, and discovered a hidden talent. When time permitted, I picked up my camera occasionally, but it wasn't until my last semester of college that my schedule was flexible enough to study the art again. I graduated college with my love of photography still lingering and entered my fist semester of graduate school in dance thinking that I would never find time to dabble in my other artistic outlet.
It almost happened by chance that an amazing opportunity came up. For my research assistantship, I was asked to fill out a questionnaire in order to match my interests with my work. I mentioned my interest for photography, and a week later, I photographed a major choreographer and her work with her company. Since then, I have photographed almost EVERY choreographer and one major company that have come through our doors (and there have been plenty). I took an independent study course with a professor my second semester in order to familiarize myself with the technology and methods of studio photography. Since then, I have organized seven photoshoots in two years (two of which were fundraisers for our department). I have also recently branched out by taking photographs for my high school alma mater, a local dance company, and a local theatre company.
Over the summer, I was able to photograph a great number of teachers, dancers, and performers at American Dance Festival in Durham, North Carolina.
