Lois Greenfield started as a photojournalist in Boston. While covering the usual range of subjects, she got her first dance assignment. When she moved to New York City in 1973, she started specializing in dance photography for the Village Voice and other publications. To achieve greater control, Greenfield changed the setting. Instead of going to the dancers, she brought them to her studio.


The difference starts with Greenfield´s observation that "a great piece of choreography does not necessarily make a great photograph." To capture the "spirit of the dance," she transforms it to meet the needs of the camera. For example, dancers move across the frame, rather than toward or away from the camera. "I´m interested in slicing a moment very thin. To do it, I set the camera at a high shutter speed, and set the flash units at 1/2000 second. The dancers seem to defy gravity for just an instant."


To get crystal-sharp images, the duration of the flash is much more critical than the camera´s shutter speed. Greenfield uses a Leaf Valeo 22i digital back on her Hasselblad. When the Leaf Mosaic file is converted to black-and-white, the tonal range of the converted image equals that of film. The Leaf back also has the quickest recycle time, so she can shoot rapidly as the dancers improvise.


Greenfield´s editorial clients include Sports Illustrated, Time, Elle, Vogue, Life, and The New York Times Magazine. Her photographs have been used in print ads for Raymond Weil watches, DuPont fabrics, Cutty Sark whiskey, Sony Music, and Kodak. Greenfield creates advertising and promotional photos for dance companies around the world.