Sarah Silver: Capturing The Art Of Motion
Lynne Eodice, May, 2005
All photos © Sarah Silver
With a client list that includes Abercrombie & Fitch Quarterly, Hasselblad, L’oreal, Marshall Fields & Co., Nokia, and Beauty.com, Sarah Silver has achieved great success for a young photographer. Her images have appeared in Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, New York Times, InStyle, Elle, Surface and the Italian and French versions of Vogue. In 2003, Silver was chosen to join 12 noted photographers as a Hasselblad Master. A sought-after lecturer and speaker, Silver travels internationally to teach digital imaging. “I’m shooting a lot of beauty and fashion,” she explains, “and dance is where I’m coming from.”
Rebecca Krohn and Adam Hendrickson from New York City Ballet, 2003.
Her Story
Silver was introduced to photography as a child who posed for her grandfather’s camera. “We sometimes did portrait sessions at midnight,” she says. Her grandfather also taught her darkroom and touchup work early on—“A great initial education.” She adds, “My first studio camera was his Mamiya RZ67,” and she did her first major fashion shoot in 2000 with it.
When she entered Vassar College, she was disappointed to discover that they didn’t have a photo department, so she took the bull by the horns and began offering photo classes to people herself. “My mother was a French teacher and my father was an engineering professor, so teaching is kind of a rite of passage in my family.” She also studied classical and modern dance, which gave her a great appreciation of movement. However, her dancing was not as good as her photography, she admits. “My teacher noticed that I was really struggling.” When the dance instructor heard that she did photography, she asked Silver to photograph the dancers instead.
Todd Williams of WilliamsWorks, 2003.
In 1996–97, she did an internship in Israel, which gave her a great opportunity to take pictures. “I was with AP and Reuters photographers,” she remembers. “I had access that most people don’t get.” She also traveled to the Ukraine, South Africa and Egypt. When she returned, Silver graduated with a degree in Middle East studies, and attended the School of Visual Arts in New York to get her Masters Degree in photography. During this time, Surface gave her an assignment to shoot fashion for the magazine’s Avant Guardian issue. She used dancers as models, which helped set the tone for her style of shooting “movement fashion.” Silver also shot two fashion projects for her graduate thesis, using the Stephen Petronio Dance group in clothing by Prada and Imitation of Christ.
Around 2001, she adapted a totally digital workflow. She’s taught workshops at her alma mater, the School of Visual Arts, and travels to countries like China, South Korea, Australia, and Indonesia to do seminars for Sinar. “I’ve really enjoyed talking to people on a technical basis,” she says. She loves lecturing, meeting people and teaching them how to take better pictures. “Photography is really a community,” she points out.
Model Lisa Pomares at ID, 2004.
Framing Motion Images
“I find that with so many variables in movement photography it really helps to narrow down the margin of error. I usually start by finding the movement I want. Then I set the camera up on a tripod in a place that will capture that motion best (the right camera angle, the right distance from the subject and the correct height to compensate for the movement if it’s jumping, etc.). The next critical step is focus. You must focus after each shot, and make sure that you’re focusing for where they’re going, not where they’re starting from.”
Rebecca Krohn from New York City Ballet, 2003.
After that, she says, she uses her infrared remote release with her Hasselblad and shoots without looking through the viewfinder. “I might be right next to the set—or somewhere else entirely. After each shot, however, we reframe again and refocus.”
The Right Moment To Shoot
Silver points out that the famous Henri Cartier-Bresson talked about the “decisive moment,” and says that the same holds true with dance. “My years of dance training taught me something about timing—and there is definitely a right and wrong time to take that picture. In fact, I always know when I’m ‘early’ or ‘late.’”
When she shoots movement fashion, the “rules” are a little different. She thinks that it’s “part intuition/gut/instinct” that drives the process, although she doesn’t forget that it’s the fashion that drives the shoot. “If the clothing sings, 9 times out of 10, your timing is on, as well.”
Stephen Petronio Dance Company, 2001.
Gauging what the clothing can do is something she tests with each model on a shoot. “I always ask the model off-set, ‘what does this outfit say to you?’ This is my way of asking the model to literally think of the clothing as a living object, something to manipulate and understand in terms of its fabric, form, and movement.”
Lighting To Freeze Action
Silver strives to get sharpness in focus, texture, and “the freezing of that special moment.” For this reason, she says, strobe lighting is the only option. A quick flash duration is imperative, “since it’s the flash burst that’s controlling the freezing aspect of the shots. The faster the flash duration, the sharper the movement.”
She advises using a limited f-stop, as a pack at full power has a very slow flash duration. “It’s a constant battle of limits—depth of field vs. the flash output. I use Broncolor Grafit A2 and A4 packs because they allow me to control the flash duration. And for the large group shots I really need a lot of juice. What this means is that for a lot of people jumping all at once, I use a lot of packs and heads to make sure everybody is illuminated properly.”
Lisa Pomares of ID, 2004.
How Many Takes To Get The Shot?
She says that you never know if you’ll get your shot on the first take or “the 101st.” Silver says that the secret is to always be ready, because you’ll never get the same result twice. “Sometimes if you aren’t completely lit for a shot, but the movement is perfect, you could try for the next hour to get it back again. The result is a tired and angry model and a lot of disappointment. You don’t want to exhaust yourself and your subject because the images will reflect the truth.”
Model Nadya of ID, 2004.
Silver’s Toolbox
• Hasselblad 503 CW
• Sinar 54M Digital back
• Broncolor Grafit A2 lights
• Apple G5 Tower and G4 Titanium laptop
• Lacie Electron 22 Blue IV monitor
• ColorVision Spyder2Pro monitor calibration
• Epson Stylus Pro 1280 printer
• Moab Kokapelli Satin and Entrada Bright White 300 paper
• Wacom tablet (for retouching)
Backdrops
Silver says that her choice of backdrops depends on the concept of the assignment. “Flat color fields are very traditional in movement photography because they really help the subject to pop from the page. However, the really elaborate backdrops (painted color textures or pictorial scenes) from companies such as Broderson Backdrops make for a great motif that can also stylistically drive the shoot.”
Choreographers
“I have been fortunate to work with some of the most brilliant choreographers,” remarks Silver. “The experience for me is really exhilarating because we work together to create the movement/composition/form. I always stop and have a reality check and think, ‘am I really choreographing side by side with this person?’”
On other shoots, she acts as the choreographer, but says that this process still involves group input with the model and the team.
“I thrive in a collaborative atmosphere. I find that when you get everybody involved on set (and it’s digital so we see the results immediately on-screen), we all have a dynamic and exciting shooting experience. You can feel the raw energy in the room when the right moment appears on the monitor and everybody starts jumping up and down and literally starts screaming—lots of high-fives all around.”
Models Or Dancers?
Silver chooses models or dancers for a shoot depending on the client. “Fashion magazines have a readership base that’s used to seeing a certain type of model. When you use dancers, they can’t relate as well. However, there are some magazines that urge me to use dancers because they know the results will be extra dynamic. And don’t forget that there are some professional models who are also dancers. That’s really the magic combination. All the agencies in New York City know that I’m always on the lookout for dancing models.”
For Dance:
Silver says she looks for models or dancers “who can really move.” They don’t need to have traditional dance backgrounds (although it helps). “However, if they can follow my directions well and add their own element of creativity, we can really have a great shoot. Also, a model with fantastic energy is a must.”
For Beauty:
She seeks models who are not classic beauties. “I prefer models with interesting and unique characteristics. I find that a pretty girl with makeup on is usually not nearly as captivating as a model with very interesting features who, when photographed, will be transformed into something really special.”
ISO & Shutter Speeds
“The shutter speed is always set to 1¼125 and the f-stop is usually somewhere between f/8 and f/11.5. Of course, it’s still that flash duration problem. So f/11.5 is a rare gift. The flash duration for movement has to be at least 1¼1000. However, more is always better.”
More Online
To see more of Sarah Silver’s work, please visit her website at: www.sarahsilver.com.
Sarah Silver of New York City moves gracefully around her subjects, freezing movement and motion in time. She is well known for her unique photographic approach and style. Combining fashion and movement, she creates timeless digital images for a long list of clients, including: Ralph Lauren, Radio City Music Hall, Abercrombie & Fitch Quarterly, Marshall Fields, Nesnadny & Schwartz, Proenza Schouler, Taschen Books, White & Warren, Ziccardi Partners and many others. Her work has also been published in many major magazines, including: New York Times, Elle, City Magazine, French Vogue, PDN, Harvey Nichols Magazine and V to name a few.
For as long as she can remember, Sarah Silver has been exposed to photography. Her grandfather was a baby photographer for 50 years and her aunt was a fine art photographer. Before she was old enough to operate cameras, she was posing in front of them. Her grandfather taught her custom black-and-white darkroom printing techniques, and gave her his Mamiya RZ-67 when she was 18, which was her first medium format camera.
Stephen Petronio Company
Sarah wanted to be a ballerina; however, her dance instructor at Vassar College recommended she photograph the class instead, which is how she found her passion for photographing movement. After graduating from Vassar, with a degree in Middle Eastern studies, Sarah then earned a master’s degree in photography and related media from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She knew the competition was fierce in The Big Apple, and to be truly successful, she had to be fully prepared. Sarah began taking photography assignments while still in graduate school. By the time her studies were complete in 2001, she had already built a client list and was ready to open her studio. At first, Sarah worked in her apartment, creating stunning images in spite of the small space. A little over year ago, Sarah moved her business into a 4000-square-foot studio in Manhattan, which she shares with four other photographers.
“ My Dad used to tell me, ‘It doesn’t matter where it was shot, if the idea is strong, the image will speak for itself’ And that’s true because some of my best images were created in that small apartment. Coming from so little space, there’s nothing I can’t do. Somehow, I’ll make it happen! Back when I was shooting in my apartment, I had to make things happen. I had real clients in my living room and changing in my bathroom. But they told me they enjoyed the homey, comfortable feeling there,” Sarah says.
Left: Model: Olivia Bowman. Middle: Shot was first published in Surface magazine No. 26; Model: Olivia Bowman. Right: Model: Olivia Bowman.
“ The moment I started photographing dance, something clicked. For me there was no better feeling than that split second perfect moment when the camera froze perfection in human form. My timing was completely intuitive; all I needed was someone to dance for me. True, I needed to perfect and modify my process. First, I wanted to shoot dance in the studio, where I was the choreographer. Next, I wanted to shoot dance with real fashion instead of costumes. Finally, I realized it was time to start using fashion models instead of dancers,” a Sarah Silver quote from the January, 2003, issue of the Hasselblad Forum magazine, describing her work.
Stephen Petronio Company
Using the proper tools, and being one with that equipment is necessary, according to Sarah. That’s why she uses a Hasselblad 503CW medium format body with a Sinarback 23, creating a powerful digital tool. A fiber-optic line connects the back directly to an Apple G4 laptop. As for lighting equipment, she uses Broncolor Grafit power packs, with Pulso and Primo flash heads, and a long list of accessories, including the new, large 220cm Broncolor Para 220 umbrella, which is specially designed for extreme flexibility in lighting characteristics and can be used for direct, hard or very soft light.
Proper lighting is critical when shooting motion, especially when using digital capture, according to Sarah. “When people are moving, the fastest moving part always gets the blur; for example, the foot,” Sarah explains. “If the flash duration is really long, then the whole picture is blurred. Because my style is sharp, when shooting movement with studio strobes, suddenly the flash duration, and not so much the shutter speed, is an important factor for me. I like working with umbrellas, a reflected light source. Sometimes, I want very contrasty light, and sometimes, I want hard light, but mostly I use one umbrella, or a softlight reflector, with lots of reflector cards and Fome-Cor for fill.”
Stephen Petronio Company
“ I don’t go for reality lighting. Instead, I prefer lighting that is thought provoking and dynamic. I’m lighting for the movement, so I see what the colors and textures are, and the movement the model is creating, and I light for that. Naturally, I’m going to light a very flowy material differently than a shiny, metallic fabric. My interest in photography is from a theatrical viewpoint. I use a lot of backdrops. I’m very interested in contrasting shapes and colors, and I’m constantly tweaking the lighting. Everything needs to be lit so things pop from the background.”
While still in grad school, Sarah decided to embrace digital imaging. She realized that if she was going to succeed in today’s world, she had to use the latest technology, so it was natural to go digital, instead of film. Many clients come to Sarah specifically because she shoots digitally—the results are instantaneous. There’s fewer mistakes and re-shoots, because clients view the final photograph on-site and approve it right then. They don’t have to wait around for film processing and proofs. At the end of the day, Sarah often uploads the final edit directly to the client’s FTP server online, and the job is done. “With digital, you can’t get away with missing anything because it’s all there before you.
Model: Olivia Bowman Stephen Petronio Company
There is no excuse for bad lighting, soft focusing or poor exposure. You have to do it right from the beginning,” Sarah says.
Sarah Silver’s future is as bright and colorful as her striking images. In time, she hopes to expand her market to include larger advertising clients and do more international assignments. Readers may contact Sarah Silver via e-mail at: sarah@sarahsilver.com; or view her website at: www.sarahsilver.com.
