Capturing the beauty of Cinderella

Dance photographers are vital to us here at Birmingham Royal Ballet as they help us capture and share the beauty and majesty of dance. It takes training and experience to capture each moment perfectly. That's why we were delighted to invite Birmingham City University student photographer Hannah Beveridge to photograph Cinderella.

Below you can see a selection of her images and find out from Hannah how she came to study photography, the origins of her love of arts and the equipment she used to capture her pictures:

How did you get into photography?
I am currently in the third and final year of my Photography degree at Birmingham City University.

I first started taking photographs around the age of 12. It was my dad who introduced me to photography. When we would take our dog Boots for a walk, my dad would take his camera and let me use it. I remember him recalling a time when I stood precariously in the middle of a stream with his DSLR while he stood nervously on the bank. For as long as I can remember, I have always loved drawing and painting. By the age of 12 I had been gifted so many sets of paints and pencils for Christmas and birthdays we didn’t know what to do with them. Growing up my parents would take me to galleries. My dad and I often visited the Side Photographic Gallery in Newcastle.

I had decided by Year 10 of secondary school that I wanted to pursue the arts in college and so I wasted no time in securing my place at The Northern School of Art in Middlesbrough. Although for my GCSEs I submitted photographs alongside paintings, it was not until college that I seriously considered Photography over Fine Art. For my first year of college I studied five A Levels: Textiles, Art History, Fine Art, Photography and Graphic Design. I then had to make the difficult decision to continue with Photography and leave Fine Art behind as the college did not allow me to do both at once. In the end I left college with A-Levels in Art History, Photography and Textiles.

However, my time at college was not smooth sailing. During my first year I was diagnosed with a type of bone cancer called a Chondrosarcoma. I went through multiple operations and rehabilitation on my left leg that spanned my time at college. A section of my femur bone was removed and replaced with a metal implant, rods were drilled high into my femur and down through my tibia and my knee joint was now completely artificial. My skin and muscles were moved around to reconstruct my leg. My social life and the energy I had for studies was heavily impacted but I refused to restart my A-levels.

My last operation was in January of 2022 and by then I had written off university as I didn't think I'd be able to manage. It was a split second decision to go to university in the September of that year after all. I realised that in order to move on with my life I needed a fresh start somewhere else. By the time I left for university I was on the mend but naive to the deep effect that the last few years had had on my confidence. I have only recently come to accept my body post cancer with all its limitations and scars.

Where did your love of the arts come from?
I loved the movie Singin' in the Rain so much that as a child I asked my parents if I could learn tap and ballet. They took me to see Singin' in the Rain at the theatre and I insisted on meeting all the dancers after the performance. After dancing Tap and Ballet from the age of around five, I became interested in acrobatic dance around the age of eight and asked my mum if I could start lessons. She said that I had to learn how to do a cartwheel and then I could start. I practised all day and could do it by tea time so she had to stay true to her word and I started acrobatics.

As a child I also learnt to play piano and sing. In secondary school I swapped the piano out for the bass guitar and joined the hockey and rounders teams. Dance and music was a key part of my childhood. I can no longer participate in dance and sport due to my leg. Which is why the privilege of being involved in the world of ballet now means a lot to me. Everything from the dancing and the orchestra to the set, costume and lighting designs, is an inspiration to behold. My younger self who at one point dreamt of being a ballerina is jumping with joy inside. Working with the ballet is a wonderful experience that has increased my skill set and my confidence.

During my time at university I have explored many genres of photography, from documentary, fine art, fashion, portraiture and now dance! My final project of second year was a series of clothes designed and handmade by me. I used the early photographic process of cyanotype to print my photographs on to the fabric. However, portraiture has been the genre I always come back to. I love working with people, capturing emotions and feelings. Some of my favourite series have been collaborations between myself, a friend who is studying fashion at Northumbria University and my best friend from home who enjoys modelling. These photoshoots are playful. The rugged landscape of my home in the North East makes an inspiring backdrop to these editorial portraits. In the future I wish to merge my love of portraiture and editorial photography with my new found passion for dance photography and to branch out into videography as well.

What camera did you use to capture your images?
I came to photograph The Nutcracker in November with very little knowledge of dance photography. The experience had a profound effect on me and I knew I wanted to put my all into creating a future involving dance photography. For TheNutcracker I used my Nikon D750 and a 24-70mm lens.

I knew if I was serious about dance photography I would need to upgrade my camera before photographing Cinderella. I made the decision to sell my old camera and borrow some money to purchase a Sony A1. The first shoot I had with this camera was Cinderella. I used a 70 -200mm lens with the Sony A1 camera body.

The camera has greatly improved my ability to capture movement in low light situations, thus improving my photography and allowing me to be more creative. The final photographs are also of a much higher resolution and quality which presents a challenge for my laptop.

I think the most challenging aspect of photographing the ballet has been selecting the right photographs. I found myself flicking between shots wondering which hand placement was best or whether the dancers leg should be here or there.