Sometimes you find yourself in the right place and time that leads to something special. This past summer, while cleaning the costume room at BAA, I answered the phone. A gentleman explained that he would be traveling through Spokane for a short period of time and wanted to do a photo shoot with dancers. I asked him where he was from and he replied North Carolina. Hmmm…first red flag, as Washington state is a very long distance from North Carolina. Then I asked him why he was coming to Spokane. He told me that he would be teaching a cheer stunt camp in. Really? I am a very straight forward person and told him “this sounds creepy, convince me otherwise.” Haha. He handled me well and sent me to his instagram and web pages to confirm he was actually a photographer. I decided to take a chance and we set up a photo shoot in Riverfront Park.
On the day of the shoot Spokane had been hit heavily with our summer smoke but the sun was shining and it was a perfect late afternoon for pictures. One of the first things that happened was Robb set down his photography reflector and when we went back to look for it, it was gone. So now our photographer was missing a valuable tool. He was great and told us he had to work harder with the light and use all his photography skills. A true professional, pivoting in the moment.
We took photos near the iconic Red Wagon, Looff Carrousel, all the bridges and the fountain. These two dancers did such an amazing job showing their talent and really appearing relaxed and natural in front of the camera.
With Robb’s cheer background he wanted to have Molly, our dancer try a stunt in the air. This is when we learned she has a strong fear of heights. She was not about to let a stranger lift her over his head. At the end of the shoot Eli was willing to do the stunt with Robb and I shot the picture.
With new photographers you never know what kind of photos you will receive. And dance photography is especially difficult. The lighting, composition, correct ballet technique and dancers expression all need to be accounted for. You might have a beautiful picture but a foot that is not turned out or a strained smile can ruin the photo. Super challenging, trust me. I have shot many photos with my iPhone and I now know why photographers are worth their weight in gold.
A great big thank you to Robb Webb for taking these photos of our dancers. That answered phone call turned into something incredibly special. We hope you enjoy these images as much as we do. We look forward to more photo shoots with Robb when he returns to Spokane.
You may see more of Robb Webb’s work on his website www.webbstudioimages.com or his instagram account @webb_robb.