Festival Photographer Christopher Duggan Draws Inspiration from a Rich History of Pillow Photography
Photography plays an essential role in fulfilling Jacob’s Pillow’s mission to document and preserve dance. As Festival Photographer, Christopher Duggan has been capturing Jacob’s Pillow artists and audiences for over fifteen years. Now, in the Pillow’s 90th Anniversary season, the Archives exhibit Now & Then: Evocative Dance Portraits by Christopher Duggan—on display through August 28, 2022— pairs vintage Pillow photographs with the contemporary works of Christopher Duggan, to show how he has often turned to the photographs of the Pillow’s past for inspiration.
We sat down with Christopher to discuss his journey as a photographer. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Q: How did you get your start as a photographer?
A: I was always interested in photos, but I was really intimidated by the mechanics of the camera. When I was in college, I went to Japan for a year, and a friend inspired me to get my first manual camera. After graduation, I started taking class at the School of Visual Arts [in New York City] to learn how to develop my own film, shoot on manual, and shoot 35mm.
I loved taking pictures of people. When my friends started getting married, I went to their weddings and would take, develop, and print photos as gifts for them.
Years later, I met my wife, Nel Shelby, and she was a dance filmmaker and documentarian. I had just rented a digital camera, and she was filming a dance show in NYC. I asked if the choreographer would be okay with me taking some photos, even though I had never photographed dance before. The choreographer said, “sure, as long as you give us the pictures!” That was the beginning of my dance photography.
Q: Your work is currently featured in an exhibit running in Blake’s Barn, Now & Then: Evocative Dance Portraits by Christopher Duggan. How did this exhibit come about?
A: I have been doing these “now and then” photos for 12 years or more, which Norton [Owen, Director of Preservation at Jacob’s Pillow] knew that I was making. In the off-season between 2019 and 2020, Norton came up with the idea to create an exhibit. Then, the pandemic hit. But this summer, it seemed to fit with the 90th Anniversary Season, as a look-back on history.
The first time I came to Jacob’s Pillow, I saw photographs on the walls in every building—the offices, the hallways, the studios, the residences—in addition to the hundreds of thousands in the Archives. I tucked away those pictures in my mind, and when I started doing creative portraits, I would use those as inspiration. It gave me a starting point—a tie-in to history, and something the subjects of the photos could get excited about. We would recreate the photo, then throw our modern spin on it.
Q: What is your process for creative shoots?
A: I think there are three artists present: me, the dancer, and the environment of the Pillow. I really love taking creative portraits on location, because you immediately know Jacob’s Pillow from the texture of a barn, the sky, the woods, or the rocks. I’ll reach out to a dancer and ask if they want to shoot with me, and I’m a little surprised every time they say yes! Then it becomes my responsibility to bring ideas to the shoot. The idea of “then and now’” can be a really useful tool at those times. Once we’re doing the shoot, sometimes a dancer will be fine with improvising, and then I’ll see something and ask to see it again.
I get to make connections with artists—that’s what’s fun. I like to see faces and people expressing themselves. Sometimes, I’ve been particularly inspired by a movement they did in their show. But, I always ask the dancers what they would like to do. I want to make sure the dancer feels represented.
I want the personality of the dancer to be present. It’s a collaboration. It’s a conversation.
Q: Do you have a favorite spot on campus to do shoots?
A: I have a few go-to spots. One view from the Overlook parking lot is a good place to get the sky into the image. I’ve also been shooting on George Carter Road just a little past Jacob’s Pillow; that country road is a really nice backdrop. Across the street from Hunter House, there is some tall grass where the direct sunlight comes in, which is great for morning shoots.
Q: Do you have a favorite photographer that you find inspiration with?
A: John Lindquist was Jacob’s Pillow’s staff photographer for more than 40 years, so his work was prevalent during much of Jacob’s Pillow’s history, and many of the iconic images are his. Those images really excite me, because they are so historic.
When it comes to other photographers I really love… Jack Mitchell is a real favorite of mine. He’s incredible. I just love the way he captures dance. There’s also a woman named Julieta Cervantes, who shoots for The New York Times. She has a real way of dissecting the scene. As a dance photographer, I want to keep every part of the body in the shot, but she has a way of cutting things off that works. You have got to do that right, otherwise it just doesn’t work. The way she works is very exciting to me—it’s a mystery every time.
Q: What aspects of photography do you enjoy the most?
A:I love making connections with people, and making pictures that are reflective of their personalities. When I shoot weddings, for example, I love capturing the feeling of “us” in couples photos. I don’t want to shoot wedding photos that look like they were done by Christopher Duggan; they need to be reflective of families and relationships. Same with the dancers: their collaborative input and feeling needs to make it into the photograph. Everybody’s different and unique. I need to be able to pull from that and be witness to that.
Now & Then: Evocative Dance Portraits by Christopher Duggan is free and open to the public. Visit the exhibits page for hours and more information.
Interested in learning more about Christopher and his work? Watch Christopher in conversation with Scholar-in-Residence Maura Keefe in the PillowTalk Christopher Duggan: Now & Then.
Written by Megan Ruffalo. Published July 2022.