Search Results

behind the scenes feat. Louise Coquillard Let’s talk about the RF28-70mm f2, a fantastic lens that has huge breathing issues. I noticed that on multiple shots I tried to get while filming 2 music videos A few weeks ago. Every time it went out of focus and back it looks like the lens is zooming in and out. I want to put this out there early on because this is the only thing I hate about this lens. Also, another important thing to mention, I had this lens in my hands for only 72h! When you look at this lens closely, it is almost like having multiple primes with you. It’s fast, it is a unique feature. I don't know any other zoom lens out there that can open at f2… at least at the moment. You can grab that extra light and have a little more of that gooey bokeh. It can almost replace the 24 - 70mm lens. It is a versatile lens and can easily be your only lens for a lot of jobs. I mentioned it earlier, I brought the RF28-70mm f2 with me during a video shoot. I was hired by french jazz pianist Gregory Ott to make 2 video clips and a few photos during the recording of his latest album. I cannot show you much of what we did because they are not been officially released yet. But I can show you a few pictures I made backstage and the quick portrait shots I did. I didn’t have time to set up anything, no fancy lights, I had to create with what I had as I was only allowed to shoot during breaks. I used the available light and was very happy to be able to open it at F2. Before returning this lens I was able to use it on one single photoshoot. Again, the lens was used with the EOS R5 inside the Chapelle des Carmélites in Toulouse where I met for the first time dancer Louise Coquillard. I used the RF28-70mm f2 for the majority of the shots but we didn’t take many photographs because we had to experiment a bit. Nothing new in my work but I changed the way I usually create my photos with flying fabrics. Instead of having multiple assistants, this time I only had one! In the end, it’s doable but, it takes way more time on location and much more work in Photoshop. CANON EOS R5 & RF28-70mm f2 Broncolor Lights (SirosL 800ws) 28mm - 1/100sec at f/2 ISO 320 CANON EOS R5 & RF28-70mm f2 Broncolor Lights (SirosL 800ws) 28mm - 1/160sec at f/2 ISO 320 CANON EOS R5 & RF28-70mm f2 Broncolor Lights (SirosL 800ws) 28mm - 1/160sec at f/2 ISO 320 And as a bonus are 2 images I made with the EF135mm f4 Tilt-shift lens. When playing with the tilt, you are changing the plane of focus which gives this effect: CANON EOS 1DXIII & TS -E 135mm f/4L MACRO Broncolor Lights (SirosL 800ws) 1/160sec at f/4 ISO 500 CANON EOS 1DXIII & TS -E 135mm f/4L MACRO Broncolor Lights (SirosL 800ws) 1/160sec at f/4 ISO 640 I won’t say anything more about this lens because, to be honest, 72h isn't enough for me for a review. I cannot give a definitive opinion based on only 2 sessions. My first impressions are great, but since I am planning on working almost exclusively with prime lenses, I am not sure if will have the opportunity to use it again. Only time will tell, we never know. So if there is anyone out there that currently owns this lens, tell us in the comments below, what are your thoughts about this one? Love it hate it? Why?

Behind the scenes video We made pretzel shapes, or at least we tried… We embraced the weird and the crooked early in this session because I wanted to avoid the classic poses I have done so many times . This is yet another dance photography portrait session at home… with a twist! It’s hard to steer away from habits. When I am tired, lazy sometimes, and when I am pressured by tight delays and have to work fast, this is what happens. I take my go-to light setups out of the bag, and I shoot the poses I know and master because I know I can get instant results. This kills any creativity in me if there is still any left… So in order to save me from hating my work later down the road, I sometimes force myself not to rely on those reflexes. We avoided the easy way, even if it could end up in an epic failure. We almost succeeded on this one. I slightly changed the positions of Virginie, my dancer of the day. Asked her to improvise a bit in between takes. Changed the position of the hands and feet, and thanks to her talent we were able to capture a few moments that kind of stand out from my regular dance portraits. It’s a simple, straightforward session. A backdrop, very little space, and we used 3 lights. I am still rocking the Fujifilm GFX 100s and the GF50mm f3.5. I am sculpting my lights with the Phottix Raja softboxes and added a tiny bit of smoke for the last images. For some of these images, I only used one light (the overhead) or set the ones on the sides at the lowest power possible, just enough to keep those details. I am again shooting in the shadows, looking for contrast and drama. In the past, I would have added another light facing her at a 45 degrees angle camera left or right or anything to raise those shadows. Now I am lighting from the back, from the sides, overhead, or all of that combined. What are you currently working on? Drop your latest projects in the comments, or portfolio… I am curious to see who is following me and the type of work you do. I also asked on IG so you can share your work in my post there. My final and last video made with the Kinefinity MAVO edge will drop tomorrow on my 2nd YouTube channel… The behind the scenes video will of course be shared on my channel and available on the blog, so stay tuned. I personally haven’t started 2022 yet, I am kind of taking my time, chilling… not really… But I still have a few projects from 2021 that are not completed, so until they are, I will not jump into anything new yet. I guess that I will catch you in my next post, until then, have a greatone!

Hi, my name is Haze, and I’m a professional photographer. Thank you for stopping by and welcome to the first article of my blog. I will be posting here a few thoughts on my journey, behind the scene videos, and some information about the way I work. It all really started in late 2013. Yes, I’ve only been doing this professionally (meaning trying to make a living out of it) about a year ago. I decided to specialize myself quickly in dance photography. After a few years covering hip hop dance events (with my partner Marlène under the name BLACKDOUGH ), I took the step and decided to take my photography out of the battle circles. A way for me to open to more creativity. This led me to a work aimed at dancers and performers in general and not only hip hop dancers. Two local artists helped me a lot when I started. The first one is Fanny, an ex-gymnast and dancer, and the second is Cécile, an accomplished ballet dancer. We met with the help of social media. After a few messages, we decided to meet for a first shoot. I must admit that I rarely look back on my past work unless I’m forced to, so it always feels funny when I do so and realize how much my style and knowledge in photography has evolved. But these images are worth a look as they are a witness of who I was as an artist at the time. I’ve learned to live with it and it is always good to know how far we’ve traveled. It wasn’t easy at first because I encountered so many obstacles on each shoot I made. Finding a pose or a move to freeze with the artist, choosing the location, and trying to be the closest possible to the idea I had in mind. Editing was also a real pain as I was incapable at the time of using photoshop properly. Thanks to the patience of the first artists I’ve worked with, I was able to learn quickly from my mistakes and multiplied the number of shoots. With a growing number of artists that wanted to collaborate with me, I began in no time to get closer and closer to the signature look I was aiming to. Within a few months, I was concentrating more on the overall scene, attitude, and story of my pictures, than on the technical stuff that restricted my creativity. The journey is long, and I believe it lasts a lifetime. What I mean, is that you never stop learning. Your style grows, changes, and evolves with time. I don’t know what my style will look like in a few years, nor do I know what will I be shooting, but not knowing what kind of crazy projects and pictures I will make in a near future is what excites me and motivates me every day. I’ve learned to not be ashamed of the work done so far because it is what has made me the artist I am today. I randomly picked a few pictures from my first tryouts in dance / Performance photography. If only you could see that little grin on my face while I’m looking at these pictures. Great souvenirs! Big thanks to Sandra, Elda, Marthe, Sope Lo, Thibault, Ayoub, Julia, Fanny, Cécile, and Marlène who helped me begin the series "InMotion – My Life in movement" and a special shoutout to Anne Marie who welcomed me at her hôtel Best Western de l'Europe in Strasbourg for a couple of indoor shoots.

One light, yes only one light! A few months back, a fellow photographer asked me what material I was using on some of my pictures. He insisted on knowing what lighting system I used on all my shoots. I didn't understand at first because my lighting setup is everything but complicated. So I answered him briefly that I was only using a single bare Speedlite and sometimes when the weather allowed it, I used it with a silver reflective umbrella like the picture above shot in October 2013. He was shocked by the info and thought I was using a much more expensive system. Well for me this system was already expensive! Even if a lot of brands now offer cheaper solutions for lighting with Speedlites, I decided back then to invest in a canon 600ex-rt and its wireless remote. And for me, this piece of kit isn't cheap. Of course, it is cheap if you compare it to "professional", more powerful systems like the Elinchrom Quadra, The Profoto B1, or The Broncolor move. But we're not fighting in the same league here and comparing them in terms of price and quality doesn't really make sense. So, for a year that, is how I learned to use a flash on my photography. If you know a little bit about my work you know that I often shoot outdoors. So basically I use off the flash for fill light or when shooting just after sunrise or just before sunset. It helps me have these dramatic looks on some of my early pictures. And in some situations, I use artificial light to reduce the dynamic range of certain scenes where darks and highlights are too extreme. Playing with only one Speedlite for me was a good introduction to flash photography. Unfortunately like a lot of starting photographers, I thought I would make better pictures by breaking the bank and investing in multiple expensive head flashes. I went down this road at the beginning when I thought buying the most expensive gear would help me be a better photographer. With only one light, you already have at your disposal a tool that offers you a wide range of looks to choose from and I still believe it is the best way to learn how light behaves on a scene. I usually play with my shutter speed to "kill" a little bit of the ambient light. This of course is difficult to achieve in mid-day as the power of your light source is insufficient. But this shouldn't be an issue if you avoid shooting outside "golden hours". For the placement of my Speedlite, it will often depend on the body position of the artist I'm shooting with, the scene, and the way you want your shadows to behave. But looking at my pictures today, I can say that I often place my light at a 45-degree angle to create enough contrast and shadows to give more depth to my model. The height will depend on the pose or movement if the subject is crouching, standing, or jumping. I've worked for a whole year with only natural light and a single Speedlite when necessary. I see incredible photographers making crazy pictures with little material, so I truly believe that you have no excuses to make great photography. It will all depend on your ideas and on the way you will work things around to overcome the technical weaknesses of your material. I won't let my tools stop me from making great pictures!

Hello people, this is my 3rd post on my blog and I've decided to add a little video. A behind-the-scene video like a lot of my fellow photographers do. I just didn't have the time to do one in the past, and I thought, to finish off this fantastic year, I'd publish at least one before 2015. This article will be about Improvisation and last-minute photo shoots. I usually do not recommend people to improvise but sometimes you don't have much choice. As I only work with professional dancers today, It is sometimes hard to plan everything. I depend on their schedule, I catch them on tour, before workshops, before shows or competitions, and you have to find, at the last-minute, locations and Ideas. This adds stress to the photoshoot and you absolutely have to hide this feeling from the artist you are working with. You are responsible for the mood and energy on set so, even if you are improvising and stumbling upon difficulties, you have to make it feel like it was planned. You certainly don't want your model to feel insecure and uncomfortable by showing him that you don't know what you are doing. So yes again it's all about dance! I had the chance to catch dancer Mamson from the Wanted Posse before he gave his workshop here in Strasbourg. For those of you who don't know the man, he is one of the world's finest house dancers. His crew is known internationally and has won prestigious hip-hop battle competitions. He came to my hometown to give a workshop, and he was kind enough to give a little bit of his time for an improvised last-minute shoot. We only had an hour and a half before his workshop. Since Strasbourg is a cold city in November, I had to find in less than 72h an interesting location indoors for the occasion. Thanks to a friend Remy we were granted access to "Fort Frère in Oberhausbergen". To spice up this session, a few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to meet Ana from Broncolor in their headquarter in Allschwil, in Switzerland. If you guys are not familiar with Broncolor , it is in a few words a brand that proposes professional lighting systems. I've tried other brands in the past, but not on my personal work, so it was really the first time for me to use state-of-the-art material on a shoot. For those who follow me on Facebook, I've talked about this already. I've discussed the fact that I've worked with one, and only one light for about a year. I also explained the way I worked during this past year in a previous article . My approach here wasn't really different. I decided, on this one, to use only one flash head for a direct comparison. The system is just bigger (in size) but doesn't take that much more time to set up (less than 5 minutes). It happened really fast, I barely was thinking about my flash. Once my settings were dialed in, I was able to concentrate on my photography. Broncolor was kind enough to lend me a traveler kit system. It consists of 2 flash heads, a 1200 L move generator, and a wireless remote. They even gave me a light modifier, the Para 88. Usually, with my Speedlite, I use hyper sync to freeze the action and control my ambient light. Here I didn't have this option as I needed a pocket wizard controller for Hyper Sync. I was shooting indoors, so it was easy for me to freeze motion as there was very little ambient light. I just had to set a shorter flash duration on the broncolor move , and this could be done with only the push of a button. For the second artist, the story was a bit the same. Bboy Guillaume aka torture was invited to Strasbourg to judge a hip hop battle event. We again didn't have much time either and the location was found at the last minute, but you've got to accept it! We headed to Shiltigheim, it was freezing cold and I wanted to use as a backdrop a metal structure there that I used already on a past shoot a year ago. I usually avoid using a location twice, but it was the closest place we had and we had to make it quick. Shooting with him was particular. Guillaume is not a posing person. He has to move constantly, so it was impossible for me to tell him to stop and rework a move he just did. We tried a few times but we were incapable of reproducing a genuine pose or move with the same intention as the first time it occurred... Sometimes some artists can't help overthinking a move or pose and it just doesn't look right. Repeating it over and over again won't work so we have to work differently. I just told him to move freely and I tried to capture the moves that I liked. The pace was fast but the broncolor never let me down. This highlighted an element I really liked about the system. The fast recycle time of the flash. With my Speedlite at full power, there is a slight delay that doesn't allow you to take consecutive shots. It is also not recommended to do so as the Speedlite is not built for such purposes. The fast recycling time and the constant light quality helped me concentrate on my photography and nothing else. This was a long day! Even though I'm used to improvisation, I was a bit worried. Using new material and not having time to prepare is not something I would recommend, but it all went well thanks to the Broncolor system. For a first try, I was quite impressed by the system although It wasn't enough for me to make definite conclusions. Will the next 2 shoots confirm my first good impression? I'm not trying to make a direct comparison to the material I normally use. But I'm just asking myself this simple question: With the work, I'm actually doing, and the ones coming ahead, is it worth it for me to invest in such a system? My experience with the system isn't over yet as I had a rendez-vous in one of the biggest modern libraries of my city for a special shoot. This was the perfect occasion for me to continue my tests. So here it is, here is how it all turned out! Feel free to give me feedback on the video, or ask me questions about my work. Rendezvous in a few days for a 2nd video? Mamson Bboy Torture

Behind the scenes feat. Sandra Ehrensperger & Fanny George Disclaimer, some of the images in this article were modified since the initial publication of this article. Hello world, this is sort of the "part 2" of my previous post. If you haven't read part 1 , and missed my very first behind the scene video, make sure you do so. For this third shoot, I organized a double featured session in "La mediathèque Andre Malraux" in Strasbourg with Fanny George, a dancer and ex-gymnast, and Sandra Ehrensperger, a dancer at Opera National du Rhin . I would like to thank the whole staff of the library, in particular Madelaine Régine, for her warm welcome and for giving us this unique opportunity to work there. I originally planned to work with the 2 artists separately on 2 different mornings. But guess what? We had to do it all in one! So, unfortunately, I had to throw away parts of the ideas I originally had in mind, and make things simple. I didn't want the artists to wait around too much and the place is huge with so many interesting things to do. So I had to make choices, in order to be efficient and make good pictures with the little time frame we had. I worked again with the Para 88 and the broncolor move . The idea was to keep elements from the place so that it is somehow recognizable and to give that dramatic dark look I often use in my work. As stated in a previous article , I'm used to working with a Canon Speedlite and a reflective umbrella. In Hypersynch mode you have several options to kill the ambient light. You can play with your f-stop or your shutter speed to create the ambiance you like. Here, to achieve my look with the Broncolor RFS remote, I could only work with my f-stop as the flash would only let me synch at 1/200 of a sec to avoid that nasty black curtain. This restriction forced me (in a way) to give away more of the scene as much more elements were in focus. The overall dark background obtained, helped me give a separation between the model highlighted by the flash, and the rest of the environment. Unlike with my Speedlite, I was able to keep my ISO as low as possible with the amount of power supplied by the unit. Again things weren't simple (but when is it ?), sometimes I didn't have the necessary space and height to place my light as desired. To save time, I decided to work with only one light. Sacrifices are necessary for these situations, but you know sometimes "less is more". When we worked with Fanny and the ribbon, I had her repeat it a few times the movement as I wanted the ribbon in a particular place. It took a couple of shots to nail it. We had to be careful because we didn't know if the shelves she was on could handle her weight. Know that I never put my artists in Danger even though I tend to push them to their limits. With Sandra it was a little easier, we only repeated the jump a couple of times to have a satisfying position. The last pictures we made were the ones with the reflective floor. We almost didn't make these ones, and I'm glad we did. We started our photoshoot outside business hours. People were coming in when we moved to the last floor. We weren't allowed to talk during these pictures because people were studying and working while we were shooting. So I had to communicate with my hands, arms, and body, which was kind of funny. One thing I've learned with time is to not lose my cool on a photo shoot... and this whatever happens during the session. With experience, you will be able to change your plans and come up with ideas you never thought of. If you stay positive and if you manage your stress your artist will be in the same vibe and will be much more open to propose and improvise with you. You're responsible for the mood on set and thus responsible for the mood of your final pictures. To avoid being too stressed, you still have to prepare your photoshoot beforehand, even if, deep inside, you know a lot of things will change once there. For this 2nd experience in "special conditions" with the Broncolor kit, I cannot say anything bad about it. In fact, It's quite the opposite. It confirmed my first impressions. Easy to set up and use, powerful, versatile, and efficient, it never let me down. Of course, it is a huge difference compared to my Speedlite and umbrella, but the reason why I would use this system is not the same that will sometimes push me and continue to use my Speedlite. My Speedlite will fit in any of my camera bags, so it is really practical when you need to move really fast or when you shoot in really uncomfortable places that require the minimum equipment on your back. For the rest, I don't see any reasons why you would not trust Broncolor . Yeah, it ain't cheap, but it's handmade, robust, and come on, the results are fantastic. No bad surprises when editing my pictures! I love it when my tools don't hold me back, it's cool when you are worry-free because you're not limited by the performance of your material. So yes on bigger projects, I would definitely trust them again if I have the opportunity to rent a kit, or if one day my projects allow me to buy one.

This is it! My last post of the year. I've only started this blog a few weeks ago, and things are doing great so far. 2014 was a rich year for HK Visuals. I have met so many great artists, and for a start, it has gone way beyond my expectations. When I decided to start shooting dancers and performers in late 2013 I just couldn't imagine how far this would take me in a year. I thought at first that I would only shoot dancers from time to time, but look at my work today, dance photography has taken a special place in my body of work. I've been allergic to social media until recently. I guess that today you don't really have many options if you want to show your work. So I had to use today's tools and share my pictures. Facebook , Instagram , twitter , and photo sharing websites like 500px and Flickr. They were a pain in the a** to use for me at the beginning, but I managed to organize myself in order to share my work efficiently on all different platforms. I only started a few months ago, and in this short period of time, I managed to get some of my pictures noticed. From the honorable mention for the 500px anniversary contest to articles on blogs like Ufunk , Whudat , and interviews by the Club des ambassadeurs , oh happy world , and The gallery art magazine , the year ended nicely for me. I cannot deny that the time spent on communication paid off. Projects are coming and I'm eager to start 2015. Throughout the year there is one thing that struck me often. Usually, the pictures I liked were not the most popular ones according to the people that follow me on the web. To celebrate the end of this fantastic year let's go through a selection of pictures made by yours truly based on your reactions and feedback across all social media platforms and photo sharing websites. I added a few words to the back story and my feelings about them. Let's travel back in time. 1/ Marlo Fisken Phlearn inspiration weekend CXXIII and photo of the day on stoppers (11.22.2014) I totally understand why people love this picture so much, but It is not my favorite picture of the session I made With Marlo Fisken. Spotted on Phlearn and Fstoppers, it is one of my most popular pictures on Instagram (in black& white) and 500px. I had the chance to organize this shoot before her Pole dance workshop in Strasbourg and much of the pictures that were made with her were improvised on location. Personally, I prefer this photo of the series that was also chosen for the inspiration weekend CXXVI on Phlearn a few weeks later : 2/Alizée Sicre Editor's choice (11.20.2014) on 500px chosen by photographer Emily Soto I'm really happy that this one got picked by Emily. I'm a fan of her work, and I truly respect her young carrier. If you don't know this talented photographer, I advise you to go and give a look at her fantastic work ( http://www.emilysoto.com ). When I got the news I was thrilled as this is one of my favorite pic of the photoshoot done with Alizée in Paris. I enjoyed this photoshoot session very much, as Alizée is an easy and fun person to work with. It all happened in Parc de Bercy on a cold autumnal afternoon. We were supposed to work on 2 different outfits, but time and weather didn't give us the opportunity to do so. But guess what, her first dress was my favorite anyways. 3/ Juliet Doherty Photo of the day on Fstoppers (12.12.2014) and Dance Spirit I love this one! It is the second picture captured in Long Island City with the Talented Juliet Doherty. This picture is apparently not a favorite on My Instagram and Facebook page . This is maybe due to a bad posting time. Anyway, this picture was easy to make. Juliet only did 2 or 3 attempts and nailed it on each one. I loved shooting with her. She's fun, professional, and trust me, it's hard to make a bad picture of her. I really hope I will be able to work with her again. According to social media, you guys preferred this one : 4/ Kevin Yee Chan I first met Kevin in Strasbourg, when he was a dancer at the Opera National du Rhin. Unfortunately, while he was in Strasbourg, we were unable to match our plans and find time to work together. We had to do something together somehow but I guess Strasbourg wasn't the city to make it. We just had to wait a couple of weeks and we made it to San Francisco! 5/ Gianna Gi and Ismaera Two incredible artists I met in Paris before the Defipayette event (a dance event created by french photographer Homard Payette). This was random and improvised before the show and I, kind of, regret the fact that I didn't make the most of the situation. I only took 2 pictures of this duo! You can find the 2nd one below which is a variation of the first one. This highlighted something important missing in my work so far... I'm lacking duets and group works. 6/ Fanny and the Cathedrale Notre dame de Strasbourg Shared a couple of times on Facebook, this picture was fun to make. It was my 2nd time working with Fanny, a local artist in Strasbourg. Fanny is one of the rare artists that I don't mind working with regularly. We always manage to find new ideas with minimum effort. Shared by Dance spirit Magazine last summer, this picture was captured in mid-day. I didn't want anybody else on the photo like in most of my pictures. The problem is that at that time of the day the place is full of tourists. Fortunately, we used an angle that allowed me to avoid having anyone else on the shot. I also hate shooting during the middle of the day because the light is too harsh but sometimes you just don't have the choice. This didn't prevent us from making this cool picture. 7/ Martina and the manhattan bridge. One of my first early shoots in Brooklyn was made last summer. For unknown reasons, this picture didn't get the attention I expected. I personally like it, but maybe my feelings are biased by the souvenir of this fun shoot. With the help of social media, I had the chance to meet Martina Heimann. I first saw this talented lady on stage, during the Just debout event in 2012 at Paris Bercy, I never thought I would get the chance to work with her in New York 2 years later. 8/ Fanny George One of my latest photoshoots of the year! Made inside the Andre Malraux media library in Strasbourg, this one wasn't easy. You can judge for yourself as I made a special article on my blog with a behind-the-scene video on this special photo shoot. This one was well appreciated by my followers on Facebook. 9/ Sarah Hochster Another recent picture received a lot of positive feedback. A little different from the pictures I usually make, and this was possible with the talent of Sarah Hochster a ballet dancer from the Opera National du Rhin. One of the rare photoshoots where we could afford to take our time. This was great because we worked with less pressure, and were able to experiment a lot more things than usual. 10/ Monica Ramirez Another personal favorite, captured in Paris. I sometimes have cancellations, and these are not fun when they happen. I was in Paris for a few days and one of the dancers I came for couldn't make it to the shoot. So I tried a last-minute call on Facebook and with a little luck got a response from Monica. Maybe sometimes things are meant to be. This gave me the opportunity to meet a wonderful artist. This selection is sort of an overall view of the work done so far but I'm going to personally add 3 pictures. A lot of people ask me if I shoot male performers. Well, yes I do, and here are 3 of them who unfortunately didn't get noticed, and weren't so popular, but are important in the work I've done so far : Pascal Molat, principal dancer at the San Francisco Ballet Stephane Déheselle, winner of the experimental category at the Juste Debout 2014 Dave Scott (Hollywood choreographer and dancer) And here is a little bonus I would like to add, the pictures and a little video of my last dance photoshoot of 2014 featuring Sarah Hochster!

Let's go back in time and look at the story behind Hk Visuals. It started in 2011 when I bought my first DSLR. At the time I was much more interested in making videos than photos. Everything was a pretext to film... Shows, concerts, events of all kinds, I wanted to capture everything. This led to a point where I didn't have enough time to edit all the footage I shot. These videos were then posted on youtube, and we had to create a name around our project... Blackdough was born. I say "we" because we're two video makers. Most of our videos were about street art events and hip hop, R&B, and Jazz concerts, and we wanted to concentrate our content on the “urban” and “afro American” cultures. At the end of 2012 people were interested in our work and hired us on some of their events. Back in 2012 covering the COZE magazine cruise 2013 in the studio with French piano jazz player Gergory Ott It was tough because people usually underestimated the amount of work and cost behind a video. And as we couldn't afford to work for free even with the promise of great exposure, we only had a few clients as others sought collaborators that would work for free. In addition to video, I decided to make photo reports, and my wages were much more affordable for my clients. Although the impact of a picture is different, they were more inclined in investing in that type of service from a price standpoint. We decided to continue and make content for our youtube channel and created "InSession" . The goal was to promote local singers and musicians through video covers. The concept lasted 2 years before we encountered financial problems. Without sponsors, the concept could not last, as it was taking us a lot of time, and these arising artists couldn't afford to buy their videos. Two of our most-watched videos of InSession back in 2013 My interest in the Hip Hop culture started back in 2007. As Marlène took popping classes. I decided to accompany her to learn more about this culture. From workshops, to shows, to battles, I decided to take the step in 2011 and make pictures during hip hop events and dance battles. The next year I created “InMotion” and made short videos with local dancers. We encountered the same problems with In Motion and after only a few tryouts we sadly abandoned the video format for photography. The last episode of InMotion back in 2013 Blackdough was in difficulty by the end of 2013. A lack of a powerful concept maybe, and a saturated market, that we had troubles breaking in. Moreover, the growing number of video makers and photographers offering their images for free slowly killed the market. We only attended a few battles in 2014 because most of the organizers didn't want to pay for photos and videos they could now get for free. I was a bit frustrated because I wanted to continue to work with dancers but in a different setting. So by the end of 2013, I decided to launch a photo version of “InMotion” . It started with local hip-hop artists. With time, I wanted to explore other forms of expressions, so I started to look out for other styles of dancers. I always was fascinated by the Ballerina project , but I wanted to give my own personal feel to my dance images. One of the first dance photoshoot I did in Strasbourg with bboy Sope Lo from Illusion Crew. Down below are samples of our past work...Battles (IBE, Juste debout, Ready II Rumble...), shows, hip hop events (Wanted Posse Unlimited)... 2014 was a year of experimentation and meetings. I learned about what was behind a movement, how to sculpt the light around my models and the body language. This specialization couldn't fit into blackdough and I wanted to carry this project on my bare shoulders. So I decided to create a new name. As my photographer nickname is HazeKware, I decided to brand myself as HK Visuals . 2015, will be the official launch of the project “InMotion”. I know exactly how and where I want to carry this project. HK visuals offer me the opportunity to explore new things. Blackdough was fun but without support it was impossible for both of us to carry. This doesn't mean that "InMotion" doesn't need any financial support. I will probably stumble upon the same issues shortly. But I think It will be much easier for me to pursue this project solo for a longer period of time in hopes of convincing rapidly brands, sponsors to support me. Blackdough is not over. We still produce videos, and we have several projects on hold, but we want to deliver quality content, and this take time to prepare. Expect a return of the duo this year and new creative visuals. I had to take time to organize this year's goals during the first weeks of January. I started slowly with Paris with a good friend dancer Monica Ramirez De Leon... next stop : Stuttgart, expect a video for this one!

Behind the images created with Monica Ramirez De Leon This is the first "Behind the image"! I will share from time to time some info on the way I work. Why? Simply because I've read on the web that I was "cheating", capturing my models in studio and then adding a background in post-production... Well those who have worked with me know that this is completely untrue. Down below, are 2 images I created with the talented Monica Ramirez de Leon in the Museum of art and history of St Denis last January. Dancer: Monica Lighting gear: Broncolor Move 1200L, 60 x 100 broncolor softbox Camera 5D mark III + 24-70mm 2.8 mark II Shot at ISO 100 / F2,8 / 1/200 Dancer: Monica Lighting gear: Broncolor Move 1200L, 60 x 100 broncolor softbox Camera 5D Mark III + 50mm 1.4 Shot at ISO 100 / F3,2 / 1/200 Here is a basic diagram to show you what I've done : There is nothing complicated! You can have fairly the same results with 1 or 2 bare Speedlites or if you desire you can add a softbox or a reflective umbrella. For this photoshoot, I had with me a broncolor move 1200L and a 60 x 100 broncolor softbox. I just placed the softbox behind the left column. It was a cloudy day, and I needed a little something to help me have the dancer stand out from the building. When I work with my canon Speedlites I use Hypersync which lets me use a fast shutter speed to freeze the action. To have the same effect with my broncolor kit I had to set the flash output to "minimum". This is how I managed to keep my shutter at 1/200 without having any motion blur. For those who missed them here are all the pictures from this session with dancer Monica Ramirez De Leon. Big thanks to the museum of art & history of St Denis . And a huge thanks to the people from Broncolor in Paris. Feel free to leave me a comment or to ask me questions. See you guys soon for more!

Behind the scenes feat. Miriam Kacerova It was about time! Never thought I would wait so long before I would be able to share this new video. Last January, the opportunity to visit Stuttgart (Germany) was given to me. I always knew That they had fantastic dancers and performers but I never had the chance to meet them. Last year, I worked with Sandra Ehrensperger from the Ballet du Rhin and she advised me to meet a fellow dancer in Stuttgart named Miriam Kacerova. You know what? I'm glad she did! The first plan was to organize an outdoor photoshoot, but I realized quickly how bad that idea was. We're in January, and it's freezing cold out in Stuttgart at this time of the year. So I had to find quickly a backup plan. I had a few ideas of cool locations in mind but all of them were hard to get unless had time in front of me or were off-budget. Everything was set except for the location, and I didn't want this detail to modify our plans. So, my partner and I in crime Marlène headed to Stuttgart in hopes of finding something on the spot. We had a few days before the shoot and we wanted to visit the city. There were so many places to see but one, in particular, got my attention: the Stadtbibliothek. A modern building conceived by the architect Eun Young Yi. Once there, I simply asked myself, what if we made our photoshoot there? Well, that's what we did. We were allowed to shoot with the minimum gear for the first half of our session in the huge white hallway on the ground floor. The difficulty was to concentrate with the users in the library gathering around us, intrigued by what was going on. Unfortunately, we didn't have the library for us as for the Andre Malraux photoshoot but we couldn't complain, the place is beautiful and unique. So, we had a Broncolor move 1200L and my favorite light modifier the Para 88. With a few scenarios in mind, we were ready to make new pictures for the series “InMotion”. Like I already stated in a previous post, one light sometimes is just enough. You can have a multitude of looks with the minimum of gear by playing with the height and the placement. The focusing rod lets you have a harsh or soft look with deep shadows with contrast or not. After that, we just couldn't leave without making a couple of shots on the other floors, so we headed inside the library. This time, no flash was allowed, I used the available artificial light and my 5D Mark III set in silent shoot mode. We could only whisper so communication wasn't simple. We still managed to capture quickly a few poses without disturbing anyone. You guys may think I'm obsessed with libraries? This one wasn't really planned, unlike the Andre Malraux shoot. Next stop, Strasbourg my hometown with local artists. You guys will be surprised because the next one will not involve any dancers! Be notified when I drop my latest stories, behind-the-scenes videos, or tips by subscribing to my newsletter. I would like to thank Miriam Kacerova and her boyfriend for sharing their craft with me, my partner Marlène who filmed this video. Thanks to Meike Jung and the entire staff of the Stadtbibliothek for welcoming us and giving us the opportunity to shoot in this amazing place. Thanks to Broncolor and SNAP for their help and for supporting this photoshoot.

The title says it all! Illusion crew will celebrate their 10th anniversary in Lingolsheim (Strasbourg), Sunday, May 3rd, 2015. On the menu of this event: 1vs1 b-boy, b-girl, b-kids, foot rock, power tricks, and 2vs2 stand up. This crew is a real family, and one of the rare groups of dancers in my hometown that respected my work and helped me when I started. When they called me for this photoshoot, I didn't hesitate. Although we didn't have much time we managed to shoot all 9 members and we sure had a lot of fun. Long live Illusion crew! more info: ILLUSION DAY Tout est dans le titre ! Illusion crew célébrera le dimanche 3 mai 2015 à Lingolsheim (Strasbourg) son dixième anniversaire. Au menu de cet évènement : 1vs1 b-boy, b-girl, b-kids, foot rock, power tricks et 2vs2 debout. Une véritable famille et un des rares groupe de danseur ici à Strasbourg qui respecte mon travail et me fait confiance depuis mes débuts. Lorsqu'ils m'ont appelé pour ce shoot, je n'ai pas hésité une seconde. Malgré le manque de temps, nous nous sommes bien amusés, et j'ai pu faire défiler les 9 membres du crew devant mon objectif. Longue vie à illusion crew ! plus d'infos: ILLUSION DAY -HazeKware-