"I have been picking it up whenever I can, photographing everything from a highly-annoying woodpecker who took up residence in our backyard, to candids at my daughter’s swim meets"
In 2001, I started a small marketing and public relations consultancy. My work life revolves around crafting creative messages and communicating them to carefully curated audiences. I'm hired to help companies, brands, people, and causes stand out in a crowded marketplace and 24/7 news cycle. My career is perhaps best summed up by a campaign slogan that I wrote for an estate planning law firm: “Words Matter. Every. Single. One.”
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Woman's March 2020 in Washington DC. Photography by Vanessa van der Have.
Having my own business has served me well. I am fortunate to have a solid book of loyal clients, the flexibility to make my kids’ games, and the luxury of working from home. However, this type of work comes at a price. Sitting in front of a computer for hours upon hours every day is mentally and physically taxing. Google “desk jobs and life expectancy” when you have a minute. (Or don’t, because the results are terrifying!) It occurred to me recently that my job, despite its perks, was taking a toll on my wellbeing. I began exploring ways to channel my creative energy and desire to communicate in ways that, simply put, won’t increase my risk of heart attack or stroke.
"Street photography provides all of the creative and communicative rewards that writing does, with the added bonus of exercise. It is very easy to log 10,000, even 20,000, steps while getting lost in the daily happenings of any city."
Enter photography.
I purchased a DSLR camera several years back and took some very precious photos of my kids with it. However, I didn’t have the time to learn how to use it and wound up returning it soon after. I continued taking photos - pretty good ones if I do say so myself - but with a subpar camera. The desire to upgrade persisted, and a couple of years ago, I hinted to my family that I would love a new camera for the holidays. At the recommendation of my neighbor Anne, a nature photography enthusiast, they bought me a solid introductory camera - the Cannon EOS Rebel SL2. Since that time, I have been picking it up whenever I can, photographing everything from a highly-annoying woodpecker who took up residence in our backyard, to candids at my daughter’s swim meets, and the sun coming up over the bay in Lewes, Delaware.
Belize City Pier. Photography by Vanessa van der Have.
As I began honing in on the types of photos that sparked joy in my heart (shout out to Mari Kondo), I found that it was pictures I’d taken while meandering around city streets that excited me the most. I’ve captured the intersection of cobblestone and railway in Dublin, sand-blasted bicycles in Belize, green-eyed cats in Istanbul, breathtaking murals in Chicago, and every fruit and vegetable known to man in a Barcelona market. I've come home with everything from tired street vendors and newlyweds sneaking kisses to babies on the shoulders of protesting parents and dogs living their best lives in my camera. The best photography experiences, for me, take place outside, during the day, and involve no specific agenda. Inspiration comes at a moment’s notice, depending on the people, objects, cities, and events around at the time. Sometimes the results are light-hearted, sometimes they’re serious, but they’re always honest.
Man and His Dog On the Streets of Barcelona. Photography by Vanessa van der Have
Street photography provides all of the creative and communicative rewards that writing does, with the added bonus of exercise. It is very easy to log 10,000, even 20,000, steps while getting lost in the daily happenings of any city. Of course, the grind of being a working professional photographer can be hard on the body too. I got a taste of the physicality of photography at the Women’s March on Washington this January. I found myself in the middle of the road with a group of other photographers as the front line of the march procession headed towards us. There was steam blowing out of holes in the street, which was creating this amazing Braveheart-esque scene. The march’s theme, Women Rising, came to mind as it looked as though the protesters were rising up from the billowy vapor. I wanted to capture it so badly. My thighs shook as I struggled to maintain a squatted position, hoping for (but never getting) the shot I wanted. As the marchers and police leading them got closer, I learned that sometimes you have to forgo your creative itch in the interest of personal safety. Alas, I got many other good photos that day...just not the one I wanted.
Chicago Mural. Photography by Vanessa van der Have.
As a novice, I don’t have any revolutionary tips or technical advice to leave with you. All I can say is that street photography makes me happy. There’s something uniquely liberating about letting your surroundings be the Creative Director. For now, I’ve got to stick to my day job, but I’m thrilled to have found a new, healthier platform of creativity and self-expression. After all, we only get one "shot" at this thing called life...
"Somehow all that progress seemed to halt immediately with the 2020 Oscars"
The 92nd Academy Awards have come and gone. All the posturing and red carpet arrivals won’t be back in full force until November at the earliest. And with it likely comes the staunch call for better representation among nominees.
This isn’t exactly a new narrative. In 2015, the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag went viral after a year that seemingly ignored quality performances both in front of and behind the camera. That was repeated in 2016 with another slate of all white acting nominees. The 2016 nominations might have been even more problematic as Sylvester Stallone was a Best Supporting Actor nominee for his role in Creed where he was one of the few white actors in an otherwise predominantly black film.
Premiere Of Warner Bros. Pictures' "Creed" - Red Carpet.
Credit Getty Images
Hoping to end the trend, the 2017 nominations and winners were far more diverse. Denzel Washington was a Best Actor nominee. Ruth Negga was a Best Actress nominee while Octavia Spencer and Naomie Harris were Best Supporting Actress nominees for the award Viola Davis won. It was the first time in Oscar history that black actresses had more than a 20% chance of winning the award. Mahershala Ali also won Best Supporting Actor that year.
"It seems odd for the Oscars to trot out so many black performers to honor their peers while failing to acknowledge their work."
Somehow all that progress seemed to halt immediately with the 2020 Oscars where one black performer — Cynthia Erivo was nominated for her starring role in Harriet. Erivo is compelling in the film about Harriet Tubman, but it keeps going back to a familiar trend of too many black actors being hailed by their peers for roles where they’re marginalized either as slaves (Lupita Nyong’o in 12 Years a Slave) or stuck in the civil rights era fighting a losing battle against racism (Ali for Green Book).
(Left to right) Lupita Nyong’o, Mahershala Ali, Cynthia Erivo.
Credit Getty Images
At the show, Chris Rock joked that Erivo was asked by the Academy to hide all the black nominees before his co-presenter, Steve Martin, shouted out Eddie Murphy for his arguable career dramatic best turn in Dolemite Is My Name. Martin did mention some progress has been made as in 1929 there were no black actor nominations, right before Rock adds, “and now, in 2020, we got one”.
It’s the kind of thing that is funny, but it’s become too much of a recurring theme. Rock made similar remarks in 2016 when he was the Oscars host. Weird how little has changed.
ABC's Coverage Of The 92nd Annual Academy Awards - Show
Credit Getty Images
Expecting the Academy to make lasting changes is probably not going to happen as there’s little interest for the Academy to actually watch and consider films like Us, Queen & Slim,Waves or Dolemite Is My Name. So maybe in a show of silent protest, all the black actors and musical guests that are invited could politely decline? It seems odd for the Oscars to trot out so many black performers to honor their peers while failing to acknowledge their work. Maybe a literal #OscarsSoWhite show would force a different line of thinking?
It’s just a thought and something that as Quentin Tarantino phrased it can only happen Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
I set out on a mission to pick a ballet and watch an adagio from that ballet to sharpen my ability to discern how costuming and props are used to help further the story being told by the choreography. In my quest for the perfect adagios, I came across the Rose Adagios from The Sleeping Beauty, which has been called one of the hardest adagios of any ballet, ever. And since I’m never one to shy away from a challenge, the ‘hardest adagios’ sounded like the perfect choice for me (at least for analysis).
"I came across the Rose Adagios from The Sleeping Beauty, which has been called one of the hardest adagios of any ballet, ever."
Prior to watching anything, however, I learned a lot of interesting facts about the ballet that features my adagios of choice. The Sleeping Beauty story was derived from Charles Perrault’s classic fairytale, La Belle au bois dormant (Sleeping Beauty). It is about a Princess, Princess Aurora, who was cursed by Carabosse, an evil fairy, and could only wake up after being kissed by Prince Desire. The flowy, weightless choreography uses dance to display all the virtues and qualities that Princess Aurora has; qualities include beauty, purity, kindness, vitality, and musicality. The original choreographer of the ballet was Marius Petipa, and the original composer was Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, which is noteworthy as The Sleeping Beauty has gone down in history for being the first time the Russian choreographer and the Russian composer collaborated (they also collaborated on The Nut Cracker and indirectly on Swan Lake). At a remarkable 4 hours in length, it is Tchaikovsky’s longest ballet, and his score is widely admired and even used in Disney’s adaptation of the fairytale. Petipa’s choreography was quite difficult, even beyond the princess Rose Adagio which occurs during Act I of the ballet.
First performed on January 15, 1890 at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia, the original cast of the ballet included Carlotta Brianza as Princess Aurora, Pavel Gerdt as Prince Desire, Marie Petipa as the Lilac Fairy, and Enrico Cecchetti as Carabosse. In 1911 in London, the ballet was staged with Matilda Kschessinskaya as Princess Aurora, and she and her company brought a forty-five minute abridged version of the ballet to New York City on August 31, 1916. The first full version of the ballet in the United States debuted on February 11, 1937 and was produced by the Academy of Music. While the original was 4 hours long, ballet companies today tend to shorten the score, making it about 2 hours and 20 minutes including a 20 minute intermission.
"The costume and prop choices clearly shape the aesthetic of this acclaimed ballet and aid in telling the story, which has stood the test of time."
While the history really helps to add some perspective to the ballet, there is no substitute for seeing it. From watching the Rose Adagio performed by Irina Kolpakova it becomes immediately apparent that the costuming really portrays Aurora’s immense beauty because of her costume’s individuality. It’s obviously very different from everyone else’s costume, but it’s more vibrant and eye-catching, just like her character. The suitors’ costumes are also very historically accurate, and tight-fitting enough around the legs to see their gorgeous lines. The rose that each suitor holds is the visual that gives the adagio its name and is a tangible representation of the suitors’ interest and love. Similar to the concept of giving your partner a ring when proposing, white roses were typically sent or given by suitors, during the Victorian era in which the play was conceived, to show that they wanted to start a courtship. The rose is more visually pleasing to the audience than a ring, however, and more historically accurate. It also does a great job of speaking towards the suitors’ intentions, narrating the story in a way. The flower garlands held by the corps de ballet create beautiful shapes that branch off as an extension of their port de bras, effectively making their lines look more elongated and beautiful. The garlands also show the story’s connection with nature and the fairies, and truly make the waltz they’re used in prior to the adagio look refined and connected to the story. The waltz has a youthful exuberance because of the bright colors of the flowers. The baskets held by the corps de ballet have a similar effect but give more variety in props.
The costume and prop choices clearly shape the aesthetic of this acclaimed ballet and aid in telling the story, which has stood the test of time. And without a doubt, the use of the rose, which gives the most famous adagio from this play its name, was perhaps one of the most critical prop choices made. I wonder if a Ring Adagio would’ve maintained the same degree of popularity for over a century.