I can't get enough

Really, I can't. The beat, the dancing, the cinematography, his style, the chick at 2:00, the drums...

Peter Fox. What a cool guy.





Real Life

Check out my Facebook Page for CPRowe Photography! Becoming a real person is pretty cool.

Google Doodle

 The dorky modern dancer in me loves this: yesterday the Google Doodle was an animation of Martha Graham's Lamentation to celebrate the modern dance pioneer's 117th birthday.

Recognize the artist? Ryan Woodward - the same artist from my first post about the animated dance, "Thought of You". Yea bringing together creative spirits from all over time and space! Sometimes Google is awesome.

Emily, Shelby, & Chris

Look at these beautiful people. Chris let me borrow his equipment and have my own photoshoot. (yea, that's him in the photos - not only is he an incredible photographer, he can dance!) Setting up was an experiment in itself since I didn't really know what I was doing, but I'd say it turned out ok. I didn't break anything, so that's a plus. Emily and Shelby are both dancers in the Modern Dance dept at the University of Utah and I am so lucky to get to work with these peeps. They made the process so easy. Essentially, all ll I said was "move" and this is what happened. Here are some of my fav's from the sesh, although choosing just a few (x4) was nearly impossible. I can't wait to do more of this. I think I'm in love.

 Fabric makes things pretty

Boots = magic

This = magic

The movement in her hair and the torque in her legs makes this a favorite

 The lighting on her face makes me happy

 Juicy

 I love the negative space between her left foot and his right leg. See it?

This makes me want to shoot fashion stuff. Cause pretty shoes are in

the full gallery is {here}

Holi, Festival of Colors

Largest celebration in the Western Hemisphere? I did not realize the Indian Temple in Spanish Fork, Utah held such a title!

This is a beautifully edited video and captures the joy of this festival. I was there, we were smeared in rose-scented colors, and everyone was just so happy. Hari Krishna!

Here are some of my photos from the party.

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Dance Photography

This is what I'd like to do every day, please. Dance, photography, the creative process, etc etc. YUM.

My friend, Chris (check out his stuff - it will always be a source of inspiration for me), is an incredible photographer and dancer with Repertory Dance Theatre in SLC, and he's oh-so-graciously showin' me the ropes of his lighting technique. I've helped out at a few of his shoots and have gotten to take some photos of my own. Here are a few from this weekend. The first dancer is with Ballet West and the second is Seattle-based.

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I'm falling in love with this "Future Shorts" series. In this dance-for-camera, I find the mask unnecessary. I love, however, the simplicity of the large room, minimal clothing and movement, the four men, and her.

Thought of You

Alright, check this out.

It’s beautiful.

It’s not often I say that about dance. Anyone who has ever sat next to me at a dance concert, listening to my brutal critiques, knows I am not easily impressed.

So when I found this little gem that so intimately captures something raw, I had to know more. I tracked down the film’s website and making-of documentary (which I encourage you to explore).

“Thought of You” was a personal project dreamed up and fulfilled by the obviously talented Ryan Woodward, an animator, designer, and storyboard artist working for the big names in Hollywood – from Disney to Dreamworks – and teaching at his alma mater, BYU. He speaks of his reasons for the project – to “combine several art forms into one exhibition”.

And he clearly does so using music, dance, and animation to tell a story. Abandoning traditional narrative for individual interpretation, Woodward notes “a graceful moving human form can communicate more emotion that any length of dialogue.”  He plays between “academic” and “creative” drawing, letting the story and his aesthetics guide the imagery and style.

To the untrained eye, it’s sometimes hard to discern between quality and sh*t. But to a dancer, every detail matters – the placement of a hand, the sway of the back, the rotation in the hip. It is incredible that Woodward, having no dance training, was able to capture with such precision the subtleties in movement, body placement, and emotions of the dancers sans the use of facial expressions or words. This is dance.

It is a feat in itself to produce good choreography for the stage. When you translate dance for the camera, it’s as if a veil has been placed between the dancers and viewer. Something is lost – that real, raw quality. Thus it’s even harder to capture choreography on film, much less in animation. At 24 frames per second, I can only imagine the absurd attention to detail Woodward had to devote to create this three minute piece. Talk about late nights in the studio…

With nearly 500,000 views on Youtube alone and a busy Film Festival schedule ahead, it is clear that many people are inspired by this film. And needless to say, I am too.

Animation: Ryan Woodward       Music: “World Spins Madly On” by The Weepies