Airborne Gymnastics

Frances' youngest princess, Michelle is possibly one of the most elegant Level 9 gymnast that I will get a chance to see in person. Frances is my ex-manager in Sun Microsystems, Inc. I have shot Michelle during gymnastic practise before but in horrible lighting conditions. This time round, it will be different. ;) I have always wanted to shoot gymnasts and ballet dancers. My previous foiled attempt in shooting Charisse and Krystal due to time constraints was a big, big disappointment for me. So, this is a compensatory shoot to satisfy my inner artistic desire, if you will. I brought a truckload (literary) of gear for this shoot. It's a heckavu lot of gear to bring for a TFP shoot. But it's worth it! Oh yeah, it is. The immense amount of setup in a large space require a bit more gear, I suppose...and my concepts demands it as well. It's a treat for me since this photoshoot is done in the Airborne gymnasium. Space is completely not an issue (for once...wow!). I could use a barbie sized backdrop with a 500mm lens if I need to and it'll be OK! Well, except I don't have a 500mm lens. :-( Sarah, Michelle's friend join us for the shoot as well and she is like a rubber band, twisting like a pretzel with ease. All that in mid-air. Quite fun to watch if you ask me. I started with a standard lighting setup using a softbox, a rim light and background light. Did a few shots and then I advanced into the photography artistic hyperdrive and did something that is usually frown upon in photography, which is to use a small light source for people. Hah, I'm a naughty boy. What can I say? In doing that created imagery that WOWed even myself. I had Sarah do a Sheep Jump to the height where the light hits her to created The Shadow of the Sheep. Yeow! I have to say it was a really amazing experience. Michelle and Sarah, who supposedly never model in their lives would create stunning poses one after the other with very little directions from me. Most, if not all, of their poses would lay shame to even the most experienced models. They embody the very word, Airborne itself. Moi? I'm just the button clicker. But heck, these images aren't even the best in the series. You'll have to check out the whole shebang in the gallery. I especially love the Götzen-Dämmerung, Twilight of Idols, The Archangel's Requiem and you should NEVER miss The Stasis, which I think is the best of the entire shoot. Without further adue, presenting the Airborne Gymnastics Gallery. I suppose an explaination of the titles for the images is in order.

Shadow of the Sheep - that is the "Sheep Jump" (don't ask me, I didn't give that jump the name).

Götzen-Dämmerung is a book is a book by Friedrich Nietzsche, which translates to the "Twilight of Idols". The background represents the sunrise and the idol...

Archangel's Requiem or The Archangel's Lament, if you will. The archangel is standing between the good and evil (the divide between the white and black) and is deciding which way to go.

Telos is derived from the Greek word, which means "the End of the process" or in this case, the end of the dance or dilemma.

Woglinde, pronounced wo-glin-day, means "gentle evenness or balance".

Stasis is a form of equilibrium, which depicts this image.

- Michael Soo