Portrait Dancing between light and shade

By Jesse Chun

STUTTGART, Germany — Exquisite light poured through the windows of Sue Jin Kang’s studio, highlighting her every move. The light painted strips of shadow onto her dainty figure, smearing blurry lines from the window frame across the white floor.

She danced, completely oblivious of her flirting with the thin line between light and shade.

Photographing Kang was a rhythmic experience — running around to capture her moves as she floated like a leaf heading down a stream or lying down on the floor to catch the glimmer in her eyes as she bent down.

Capturing the dancer during practice provided a real glimpse into the backbone of her artistry: the empty room where the walls sweat after hours of hard work, the sincerity of the twisted straps of her old practice clothes and the untiring support of her husband, who sat in the corner to appreciate both the candor and art of his blithe beauty, the prima ballerina Sue Jin Kang.

Jesse Chun is a fine art photographer whose works have been exhibited and published internationally. Chun earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in photography from Parsons School of Design in New York. She currently lives in Toronto. Visit www.jessechun.com (fine art) or www.jessechunphotography.com (editorial).