"Brittany and Adam," taken at a Rochester City Ballet rehearsal. Click the image for a gallery of Tim's dance photography.

Of all Tim’s photography equipment, the most important camera he owns is the one behind his eyes.

“I am constantly ‘framing’ photos in my mind,” says Tim, of Webster, NY. “I see something and my mind automatically crops it and frames it. I imagine how I might shoot it.”

Framing imaginary photos in his head, pondering them, and stringing them together into a narrative—these are just a few of Tim’s many sources of inspiration. What else?

“Music and dance,” he says. “I often try to include the two somehow in my photography and shoot a lot of dance photography as a result.”

It's quite a task, filling still images with so much movement. And emotion. But when you see the shots he captures from a ballet, you’ll likely find his storytelling as moving as the dance. If his shoot schedule is any indication, dance companies are moved by his work, too.

TimTim recently shot the photography for Rochester City Ballet's upcoming “The Blood Countess.” The image collection will appear in their ads, posters, and website in Spring 2011. And this summer, he heads to New York City for a two-day shoot for the world-renowned all-male ballet company Les Ballets Grandiva.

Tim's also in the midst of completing a series of promo shots for musician Tommy Brunett, one of which is destined for the cover of Brunett’s next CD, "Hell or High Water."

Busy guy. Still, when he has the time, Tim devours photography online. It moves him to push his own limits. And gives him ideas about techniques and subjects.

“It's amazing the photography talent in the world today that you can see on the internet,” he says. “You can find more inspiration in 15 minutes on Flickr than our previous generations had available to them in their lifetimes. I look at my work in a much deeper and more meaningful manner by viewing these other artists."

“I walk this path alone...” From Tim’s “Dark Light” series.

Depth and meaning are themes you can see in the titles he gives his artistic projects. Tim recently finished a photo series called “Dark Light.” He has another series, tentatively called “Hauntings,” in the works.

“It will explore the possible life-force impressions that people have left in certain places, and the idea that some part of them may still linger,” he says. “I hope to provoke thoughts as to what that person's story might have been, who they might have been, and why they're related somehow to that specific location.”

Makes sense. It takes the shutter of an open mind to photograph people who aren’t there.

 

See more: Tim on Flickr and www.leveractive.com

Say hi: tim@timleverett.com

 

All photography in this post ©Tim Leverett. All rights reserved.