Shooting these divine dancers would be the envy of many photographers. Add a young princess and the majestic setting of Angkor Wat, you are in celestial heaven.
- How it happened.
I’ve been working on a photography project with photographer James Mills, for a while now. By chance James met Chhoem Sakada, a Khmer actor, who was on a photo shoot at north gate, Angkor Thom. Sakada Invited us to join proceedings the next day for an event ‘Smile of Cambodia’. We had no idea what to expect.
The following morning a formal Khmer speech kicked things off, followed by some food offerings by sponsoring restaurants. This event was to promote Khmer food, arts and cultural heritage for tourists. We were then introduced to the dancers, one of which is the grand daughter of late Princess Norodom Buppha Devi. Things were starting to get interesting. James and I wondered into Angkor with the dancers, photographers and makeup crew. I have a good understanding of what works here and was able to guide some of the proceedings. The natural light that spilling into these chambers works well, a magical moment never to forget.
Celestial Devata enters the heavenly kingdom.
Princess. Keep it simple!
Timeless. The Kingdom of wonder.
Magical Tones of Angkor. West gopura, heavenly!
Reflecting, refinement and respect, a spirituality connection.
Majestic!
- Technicals
These were all shot with a 50mm 1.4 prime on my faithful Canon r6ii. I let the camera do some work using aperture priority, shooting a stop under and upped the iso for a bit of security. All shots are hand held working quickly, moving around looking at how the light was interacting. Prime lenses give great sharp detail, but you have to work for it, moving back and forth to frame your shot.
- Behind the scenes
Picking only six out from this session was difficult. Here are some behind the scene shots. They give a good feel for mornings proceedings, a truly magical time with wonderful people.
- A note from Darren
I have been shooting these wonderful performers since 2010. There were many opportunities back then in the capital Phnom Penh. I’ve seen the royal ballet several times, a truly wonderful experience. Performances are usually well lit, under stage lights. Putting these dancers into the amazing setting of Angkor and using natural light was magical. A huge thank you to those that allowed us to join this special moment.
Check out my recent blog, Faces of Angkor here.
