MAKING ART WORK is a series that taps into the knowledge and experience of seasoned creatives from our community and beyond for the benefit of our students.
Erica MacLean is a photographer, choreographer, director, and performer based in Brooklyn, NY. Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, Ms. MacLean began training at the start of college, where faculty and staff encouraged her to pursue dance as a full-time career. Since then, she has received training in Ballet and Modern Dance at Glendale Community College, Arizona State University, and the University of Utah School of Dance, where she received her BFA. She has performed in the works of Mariah Maloney, Ihsan Rustem, Guy Thorne, Eric Handman, Rebecca Rabideau, Quitalyn Cheramie, Katie Noletto, Elijah Labay, Brianna Lopez, and Patrick Delcorix to name a few. Along the way, MacLean stumbled upon an interest in photography as she attempted to document her choreographic work. She now photographs many fashion and fine art projects/editorials, and has published work in Harper’s Bazaar Poland, Vogue Poland, Vogue Italia, Theme Mag, Floated and many others. She has also recently photographed NYFW FW20 for several designers, including Claudia Li, Collina Strada, and Kim Shui. For all of her projects, MacLean hopes to combine the landscape of human architecture and fashion in an attempt to allow others to create a subjective narrative.
Have you always been equally interested in photography and dance? What affected your decision to get your bachelor's degree in dance?
I haven’t always been interested in both dance and photography, and I’ve definitely never focused on either in equal ratios. When I really love something, I’ll spend 70% of my time on it and the 30% left over gets taken up by other distractions. When I was at the University of Utah, I mostly worked to develop choreographic projects and dance, and photography was just something I picked up to enhance what I was already creating. I wanted to do the best I could to document my work, so I picked up a camera and started shooting.
I got my degree in dance because at the time, it was what made me happiest. I, of course love movement, but the closeness and support of the community was what really made me shift over. I felt secure knowing everyone around me was on a similar path. When I look back, the most valuable things I gained from the U was how to openly view/respect art from all angles, and to stop making work for the sole purpose of pleasing other people. I really learned how to vocalize why I did/didn’t like certain work, why/how a work is important, and if you made something it’s okay if someone didn’t like it. You made choices based on what was important to you, not them. Don’t sweat it so much.
How do dance and photography blend in your everyday life now? 
Currently, dance comes into my life as choreography in photographs. I’m mostly photographing for creative fashion and editorial content, and less “dance” type photos. When I’m developing these types of images, it’s literally in the same way that I’d create a choreographic work. I turn on some music, think it up, and focus on texture, color, light, shapes, and mood. I always think of this thing my professor, Ellen Bromberg, once told me. She said “You are creating the world we are going to live in for a little while. What goes into it?” This informs almost all of my work.
To be clear, at the moment, I’m not dancing all of the time. Dance in NYC is VERY expensive, and I only take class when I can afford it. In a way, I’ve blended the two because I love and want to do both, but also I’ve had to make sacrifices to sustain a living.
When I look back, the most valuable things I gained from the U was how to openly view/respect art from all angles, and to stop making work for the sole purpose of pleasing other people. I really learned how to vocalize why I did/didn’t like certain work, why/how a work is important, and if you made something it’s okay if someone didn’t like it. You made choices based on what was important to you, not them. Don’t sweat it so much.
What prompted your decision to move to New York City? What has been the most unexpected aspect of your life and career there?
I moved to NYC because there was a huge opportunity for both dance and photography. I was interested in photographing fashion, but I also wanted to live in a city with a large dance community. It was a pretty obvious choice. The most unexpected aspect of moving to NYC was that it’s actually pretty affordable to live here. That’s about it! Everything, for the most part, is as expected.
How did you get connected to Ballet West as an intern? What did you gain there?
When I was at Ballet West, I was working alongside Beau Pearson specifically as his photography intern. I was a follower of his on Instagram, and loved the technical lighting aspects of his images, so I reached out. I basically worked with him on whatever projects he had going on at the time, and this happened to be “The Shakespeare Suite” and various portraits of dancers from the company. I shot alongside Beau for many rehearsals, promotional photoshoots, and dress rehearsals at the Capitol Theatre. Because of this, I gained a ton of insight in retouching images in photoshop. I learned to apply the techniques he uses ( frequency separation/dodge&burn) in my own photos, and still use them when working various editorial projects.
What were the key steps in building your portfolio of photography clients, and what was the most challenging or intimidating job you have taken on?
When I was building my portfolio, I really had to think about what it was that I wanted to do in my career and go from there. In this case, I like photographing people, extravagant clothes, movement, and some sort of narrative. So it made sense for me to create a book with fashion and editorial in mind. My biggest dream is to photograph/creative direct for Rodarte and Gucci, and for this to manifest, I have to show them that I’m very capable, versatile, and have a very clear sense of personal style. I’m always in the process of developing my book, but a key step to get here was to shoot as much as I possibly could to develop my style. I’d write down a shot list/concepts, pick up some cool clothes from the thrift store, and force my friends to shoot with me(they didn’t mind too much). Over time, I’d just add or get rid of relevant photos, and always keep track of the overall style.
The most intimidating job I’ve taken on so far was very recent. I shot photos at three official shows during New York Fashion Week for Claudia Li, Collina Strada, and Kim Shui. I worked primarily on backstage images for Claudia and Kim, then shot portraits of Hayley Williams from Paramore for Collina Strada. It was pretty scary because I’ve never had to do anything remotely like this. There are people running around everywhere, stylists quickly forcing models into outfits, and production crew shouting left and right. It was also challenging because although I was a house photographer and working specifically for the designers, there’s unfortunately a lot of misogynistic attitudes toward female photographers in the industry. I found myself often pushed around, and stepped on or in front of, by a sea of male photographers while I was just trying to do my job. I learned pretty quickly that if I wanted to get a good shot, I had to take up a lot of space, and be extremely vocal with them. And although it was difficult, I really did have an incredible experience.
Follow Erica's work on Instagram at @erica_maclean or at https://www.ericamaclean.com/.
