The Merchant House Museum is the preserved family house of the prosperous 19th century merchant family of Seabury Tredwell. In October of 2010 the museum reenacted the 1865 funeral of Seabury. Several actors played the roles of family members and the minister while the public was invited to dress the part as well. A wake was held at the house itself with a procession to the historic (and still in use) New York City Marble Cemetery for the interment.
The challenge of shooting historic costumes and events is largely about controlling the background. Either you use a very shallow depth of focus and work with your subjects to get a background clean of any modern elements or you end up with a photograph of someone carrying a glaive clad in chainmail standing in front of a Buick. Unless you’re actually shooting an album cover for a metal band that’s generally not the look most people are after. Reenactors range from gleeful hobbyists to serious historians with a rich and nuanced knowledge of the period they’re reenacting. Generally its the later who are more photogenic. When a subject has taken a great deal of pains to dress accurately for their period (which can be extremely expensive and time consuming even for a skilled seamstress) there’s a moral obligation on the part of the photographer to respect their pains and take care when composing an image.
The Jazz Age Lawn Party is an event held on New York City’s Governor’s Island two weekends over the summer. The event features a live orchestra and centers around a dance floor where dancers spin the afternoon away. Period dress is strongly encouraged and the event attracts a surprisingly wide range of ages. Typically events like this attract a younger, primarily hipster crowd but there’s a vibrant social dance scene in NYC which draws a much more diverse crowd.
My interest in dance came through the avant-garde as I began to photograph butoh performances at the Cave Art Space in Williamsburg so social dance was a considerable change. I had attended a number of events organized by Dances Of Vice and had a passing familiarity with the period dances but found it extremely challenging to get good shots. Challenging but very enjoyable.
Personally I can’t dance because I can’t count beats properly. I’ve tried a number of times but if more than three steps are involved I invariably loose count and up tripping over my partner’s feet. Several seasoned dance instructors have tried to help but in the end have just shaken their heads and gently suggested I head over to the bar for a drink. Its frustrating as I always thought it looked like a great deal of fun but you have to recognize your limits. Finding myself unable to directly participate I’ve consoled myself with watching and taking photos. There’s no reason you can find your own measure of enjoyment in another’s pleasure.
Honk Fest West was a 3 day festival for bring street music to Seattle. The festival originated in Somerville, MA as a festival for activist street bands and several of the bands playing at Honk Fest West had a progressive message to share with their music.
I only saw Saturday’s performances at Seattle’s Gas Works Park but was treated to several hours of Klezmer, American Folk, and a number of drum lines. Its music I never listen to at home but always enjoy when I go out to see it live. Having a dozen pieces of brass in front of you with girls dancing around the band is such an important part of the street band experience that never comes across on a CD.
Most of the music I’ve shot over the years has been in concert halls or clubs. Shooting outdoors is a challenge as you have to worry about the direction of the sun, the background, and errant hacky-sacks. Even with the additional elements to keep in mind its far more fun as you get to decide how you want the band to visually interact with the environment and the crowds are far livelier.
Attending the Honk Fest was a hugely cathartic experience for me. Most of April and May had been spent looking for work, working obscene hours at my contract position, looking for my own apartment, attending to the logistics of moving from where I was staying with friends on Bainbridge into Seattle, and fighting with work to get the time to do so. Just being outside in the sunshine with bands playing, the trees opening their first leaves of spring, and people dancing around felt like I had finally arrived.
