Today we’d like to introduce you to Lance Long.
Lance, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up with film and still photography as just one aspect of a rich visual environment.
My memories are visual more than anything else. For years, I spent time photographing the details and beauty around the world, often with an absence of people in my photographs while exploring those environments. My wife danced for a number of years which involved me in a variety of tasks either props or backstage. As I became more comfortable, I’d spend more time photographing the performances and dancers.
Now, I’m inspired by photographing dance, technically and emotionally. Dance to me is an exploration of movement and expression over time, a fluidity of motion with moments of stillness. Photographing these moments is about creating a photograph that illustrates a single moment and yet encompasses the before and after of the expression.
My wife, having spent years dancing, now an instructor of dance, really allows us to explore the potential of a body’s movement within a space, pushing the dancer’s boundaries and architecting their sculptural physicality into a defining still photograph.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I photograph on the weekends primarily so balancing schedules and family is always difficult.
Creatively, I see ideas everywhere which are often quickly lost in the jumble of the day. Translating the ideas I remember into reality is always challenging, getting the light, space, color and movement all in the right place at the right time.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Lance’s Studio Photography – what should we know?
We specialize in a pure, bold style of portrait work for dancers, dance studios and recitals, providing a high level of detail and sharpness, with wide dynamic range and rich tonality. That is what we built the company on and continue to be passionate about.
Our other specialty is fine art inkjet printing providing detailed, crisp and natural image reproduction. Recently, I printed my largest dance collaboration piece at 6 feet by 5 feet and it was breathtaking.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Obviously, I couldn’t do this without my wife, Megan Long, who is always there with me posing and providing inspiration for the dancers.
Dance photography is a collaborative effort with the dancers; they make the photographs possible.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.lancesstudio.com/
- Email: schedule@lancesstudio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lance.studio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lancesstudiophotography/
Image Credit:
Emily Stewart, Emma Miquelon, Sophia Heinrich, Brooke Everson
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