John Deane Photography

    In my own words...
     When John Lennon was once asked in an interview, for Rolling Stone, I think it was, what he listens to when he is preparing to record an album, he indignantly answered something like, “Listen to? Me? No one! I’m John Lennon, I don’t have to listen to anyone. It’s all in my head.”
    When I prepare for a shooting, I never, ever, look at photographs, though I may go wandering through the painting galleries at the Met in search of some inspiration. There I will seek out the great portrait painters like Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Edouard Manet, and for sheer expressiveness, Caravaggio. It is that depth of experience I wish to pursue. For me all my work comes down to portraiture, perhaps seeing people “in the best light possible.”
    A printer I used to work with once said, “John, there’s one word that describes your work: elegant. There is an elegance to your lighting, composition, and choice of subjects.” A stylist told me, “Your fashion photos are like portraits, in fact they’re fashion portraits. But rather than shooting models, you should be shooting heads of state!”
    If there is any truth to these compliments, it is certainly due in part to the degree in Art History I received years before ever taking up a camera. My work is strongly influenced by those studies in my college years, as well as the years playing bass and performing in rock bands, during which I developed my ability to collaborate artistically with groups of people. Then when digital photography came along I embraced it wholeheartedly, learning those new skills on only the most sophisticated equipment available.
    So today I find myself with the skills to coordinate complex projects while bringing to bear a love of classical art combined with a full embrace of technology, all of which help me create a portrait of the subject at hand in that best possible light.

Testimonials:

Jack Mitchell, Photographer:

    John Deane's dance photography not only glorifies dance and dancers, but it sharply focuses on the choreographer's intent and the integrity of the choreography. This is indeed a very rare combination of artistic and technical skill.
    I was a dance photographer in New York City for many years and worked with most American and European dance companies. I hold the record for Dance Magazine cover photographs at 168.
    I am acutely aware of honest, beautiful, and technically superb dance photography. John Deane's work embraces all of these qualities and I am proud to recommend him to you.

Christine Dakin, Terese Capuccilli,
Artistic Directors, Martha Graham Dance Company:

    It is a great pleasure to work with photographer John Deane. He has been an important part of the development of our Company's image during the last four years, providing us with stunning photographs that combine beauty of design with sense of movement.
    He is committed to perfection in the care he takes with the final preparation of the photographs and in the creative process in shooting the photographs with our dancers.
    John is an excellent collaborator, generous with his time and energy, creative in his approach to all his work.

Janet Eilber, Artistic Director, Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance, from foreword to Acts of Light:

This book of John Deane’s photographs gives us insight to both the instant and the personal dedication that are so much a part of Martha’s aesthetic. Because of his artistry and understanding of the work, his photos catch and preserve the energy and visible intensity of the dancers who have worked to ready themselves for their breakthrough moments.

    Press Release - University Press of Florida release a new title this Fall, 2006 entitled Acts of Light, Martha Graham in the 21st Century by John Deane and Nan Deane Cano. How can still photographs hope to depict the action and passion of the art of movement? The breathtaking images in Acts of Light are the result of John Deane’s unprecedented access as a promotional photographer for the Martha Graham Dance Company. Through Deane’s work, we are made keenly aware that the essence of dance exists only in what Martha called “the instant,” that fleeting moment of recognition when the dancer and audience become one. Martha Graham took an uncompromisingly honest look at our deepest fears and hopes. Passion, lust, anger, fear, honor and courage run through our 21st century veins and in her dances we see ourselves moving as artlessly and honestly as we would hope. There is nothing alien or incomprehensible here and there is a reason the stories last – they touch us. The photo and text combination translates her dances into the everyday moments of contemporary life.
    The first book to comprehensively survey Graham’s dances in full color digital photography, it also features personal interviews with this new generation of Graham interpreters, who reflect on their own lives, the meaning each dance has for them personally, and the Graham technique in frank and touching style. Dancers reveal how they approach now-classic works and personalize their interpretations, coming to them with a new sensibility and unique life experiences. The 18 featured works range from the Greek cycle and biblically inspired ballets through abstract studies of tragedy and hope, considerations of loss incurred in wartime and literary speculations like Deaths and Entrances, a recently revived work on the Brontë sisters. Deane and Cano give special consideration to the beloved American masterwork Graham created in collaboration with composer Aaron Copland – Appalachian Spring.
    Drawing on essays, poetry, and excerpts from Graham’s own notebook, Acts of Light considers the narrative, dramatic, and philosophical base for each dance, and offers reflections on its contemporary relevance for today’s audience. As photographer John Deane explains, “Anyone who holds this book in hand will come to know how I felt having a private dance performance by one outstanding artist after another, and the reader will learn what it is like to sit and talk and learn from such artists. The text was not meant to be a history of Martha Graham nor even a definitive explication of the stories of the dances, but rather a window onto the world of the living, breathing art of one of the last century's greatest artists. These photographs invite the viewer to share with us these glimpses of fleeting moments of greatness, and encourage the viewer to experience in person these Acts of Light.” Appealing to dance historians professional dancers, students of dance, and those with interests in the performing arts, the sophisticated reader will find in this book an insightful appreciation of the living influence that Graham, as a 20th-century icon, has on current times.
    Press please contact Workhouse Publicity, Anna De Souza at anna@workhousepr.com.

John Deane
529 West 42nd Street Studio 4F
New York, NY 10036
tel: 212-563-3054
email: john@johndeane.com

Copyright Information:
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No images are within the Public Domain. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration is a violation of the copyright laws. All images within this site are registered images with the Copyright office.

Clients include...
Atlantic Records
Bill Blass, Japan
Boston Ballet
Capezio
Carol Dauplaise Jewlery
Christie's
Claude Montana, Japan
Cohoes Fashions
First Publicity, Tokyo
Glenfiddich, Japan
HBO
Izzard Asian Art
Jacob's Pillow
Lord, Geller, Federico, Einstein
Martha Graham Dance Company
Mia Cosmetics, Japan
Museum of Modern Art
National Arts Centre, Canada
New Millenium Entertainment
Nippon Life Insurance
Pace College
Paul Stuart
Phillips, dePury & Luxembourg
Phoenix Soho Gallery
Starter Sportswear
Stockfisch Records, Germany
Tokyo Senko International
U.S. Army
Un Jardin en Plus, Paris
Young & Rubicam