Snap into it! An Interview with Worldwide Dancer Project Photographer Lee Wai Leung
An Interview with Worldwide Dancer Project Photographer Lee Wai Leung Worldwide Dancer Project
Dance photographer by day, and editor by night, Lee Wai Leung puts his heart and soul into every image he captures. With the spirited city of Hong Kong as his backdrop and professional dancers as his muse, he creates one-of-a-kind dance photos. Seeing as he is the photographer of Hong Kong Dance Magazine’s first cover photoshoot, Lee Wai Leung is pulling out all the stops to teach us more about the wonders of dance photography. Let’s snap into it!
His affinity for photography began ten years ago as a pastime, and eventually Leung went into event photography, and was later captivated by the world of dance. Expanding his portfolio, he began the Worldwide Dancer Project.
What was the initiating moment that drew you towards dance, and how did it develop?
I came across the NYC Dance Project created by photographers Ken Browar and Deborah Ory on YouTube about 3 years ago. I got into dance photography because of the book written by them. It was the NYC Dance Project that inspired me and led me towards dance photography. It made me discover the beauty of dance photography.
Then one day, I was browsing through the Discover Hong Kong website from the Hong Kong Tourism Board, when I found that they had invited an overseas photographer to take photos of Hong Kong Ballet. I searched the internet and found that there were only a handful of local dance photographers in Hong Kong. Through more research, I learned that there were dance photographers in Singapore, but in mainland China and Taiwan, there weren’t so many. That's when I first had the idea to try out dance photography in Hong Kong. There were quite a lot of local dancers here, but it seemed that their photos weren’t reaching other countries. And I wanted to promote dance through dance photography.
It was a tough start. Without any connections, there was no way I could approach dancers. Then a friend of mine introduced me to a dancer from Hong Kong who was overseas at the time. After they returned to Hong Kong, I worked up the courage to ask the dancer if they were interested in a dance photoshoot. That's how it all started.
What was your most inspiring dance photography project?
I love each and every photography project, because they’re all special in their own way. Now, I suddenly recall that I once invited the former Principal Dancer at Hong Kong Ballet, Liu Yuyao to be the model for a dance photoshoot. I suggested some possible locations and she chose Shing Mun Reservoir. On that day, we walked for a full hour. In fact, 15 minutes after we began our walk, I asked her if she had regretted her choice (because we carried a lot of things with us on that day). She responded by taking a deep breath. After the photoshoot, we were exhausted yet very happy. It’s an unforgettable experience because it took us one-hour to walk to the location just to take those dance photos.
Where do you draw your inspiration from for your photography?
It's usually rather random, for example, I may have an idea today, find a dancer tonight and take the photos tomorrow. I'll consider where the dancer lives and choose a convenient location. I’ll also try and avoid using my previous photoshoot locations, so I’ll find unique spots using Google Maps instead. However, Hong Kong is too small, which can be a problem. Here, photos are often taken in urban areas rather than naturesque sites, which means that many others have already taken their photos at the same iconic spots in the city. How you make your photos at those same spots different from others’ depends very much on
your photography skills and communication with the dancers. It is very important that the dancer's poses match the place itself. The dancer and the background should relate to one another, otherwise you might as well use Photoshop!
What is your photography process?
The first thing is to find a dancer. Then I'll think about the costumes and the location. What equipment I’ll take depends on the location. At the bare minimum, I'll bring a camera, a lens and a tripod, and of course if there’s room I’ll bring more things such as different lenses, or lighting equipment! My most recent large scale project was with the Hong Kong Ballet, in which I took photos of the company dancers for their performance house programme. More than 50 dancers had to be photographed in 2 days, so we needed to set the schedule accordingly. With so many dancers involved, challenges were expected, for example, some costumes weren’t ready, some of the dancers were late or were busy with other engagements, etc. Another issue was that an average sized studio in Hong Kong would not be able to accommodate so many dancers. And so I had to bring all the necessary equipment with me to set up a makeshift photography studio at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
How did the Worldwide Dancer Project come about?
As I mentioned, there are very few local dance photographers in Hong Kong. It is also difficult for local dancers to get opportunities to dance with companies overseas, though there are some who have succeeded in doing so. Dance graduates from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts don’t really have many portfolio photos and getting hold of their
school performance photos might not be so easy. When you attend an audition with a dance company, you need to have headshots in your portfolio. The initial aim of the Worldwide Dancer Project is to “push” Hong Kong dancers outside, and also “pull” some great foreign dancers into Hong Kong through the use of photography. These photos act as the middleman, by connecting different dancers with dance companies.
What would you like to do next with your photography projects?
In the first one or two years, I emphasized the use of equipment, flash photography, as well as the visual appeal and artistic quality of the photos. The number of social media “likes” also mattered to me. But overtime, I realized that those “likes” meant nothing and I started to think, “What is the purpose of a beautiful photo?” It seems to me that not many people in Hong Kong document the moments that happen behind the scenes. I would like to use my camera to record moments from my own perspective for the Hong Kong dance sector. In the future, the Worldwide Dancer Project will go beyond taking beautiful photos and focus more on doing these kinds of things.
What advice do you have for our aspiring dancers and photographers?
Expect it to be a tough start. If you want to pursue a career in dance photography in Hong Kong, the first thing you need to do is to find dancers. However, Hong Kong does not have a large number of dancers. When you take photos, you should aim to create a mesmerising effect. The dancer and the background should not be dissonant with one another. You have to think about what feelings emerge when you see the dancer situated in that specific environment.
Once you have an aesthetic you would like to create with your photography, you should brainstorm some ideas and communicate with the dancer in advance. Communication is really important. Asking the dancer to pose however they like may result in visually appealing photos, but may also result in having an image without a message to convey. Storytelling is crucial.
With eyes wide open, dance photographers see movement in a whole other light. They capture the body and depth of dance in ways that are just purely magical. The dance photography industry is just as competitive as dance performance, if not more. Requiring a signature style, with the ability to constantly morph and adapt to the clients needs, dance photography is driven by passion, determination, artistry and desire. The desire to capture movement in its best light, and Lee Wai Leung does just that!