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Via Instagram/@kennethbedwardsKenneth B Edwards is one of the biggest names in ballet photography. But he wasn’t always focused on taking pictures. In fact, he was initially an opera major at the Boston Conservatory and had a love for classical music. Eventually, he wanted to go on to music school but lacked the funds to do so. He ended up moving to New York City on a whim in hopes of figuring out what he wanted to do next. There, in the big city, he started taking ballet classes for five to six hours a day and ended up performing for about a year. That’s when Kenneth first started to photograph for a living.
Kenneth described his leap from performing to photographing performers as a way of making friends and meeting other performers. He knew he was good at photography. And he knew he wanted to obtain a social circle of other performers. So he simply took the initiative of asking to take pictures of people he wanted to meet. He claims, “sometimes it’s people who give your life a purpose.”
“I always thought it was a big joke to myself that I wasn’t influenced by anyone,” he says. He was more inspired by paintings. He says he always loved museums and paintings because his grandpa was a painter, and that portraiture is what really sparked his interest. Specifically, he loved “almost journalistic style portraiture.”
What’s so special about Kenneth B. Edward’s photography style is that he shows dancers in a very natural, candid light. He likes to capture things in the way they appear to the eye as if you’re actually looking at them. He strives to capture every shadow and detail to create the most realistic image possible. And instead of taking pictures of poses, he likes to capture “moments.” So the viewer almost feels like they’re watching something happen, instead of looking at a dancer frozen in position.
Perhaps the most unique aspect of Kenneth B. Edward’s photography is the varying locations of his shoots. Typical ballet photography used to take place only in a studio. But Kenneth, as we now know, likes things to be raw and real. So he’ll photograph you anywhere and everywhere. It could be your kitchen, the laundromat, the middle of the street, or literally anywhere at all. Kenneth takes ballet from the studio to the real world and that’s what makes his pictures so captivating.
