Camilla Greenwell is a director and photographer whose work explores human connection. With a background in visual arts and dance, she has spent the past decade capturing the intersection of reality and performance, often focusing on movement, intimacy, and the stories that unfold within those spaces.

As part of our 40th anniversary season, we invited her into the studio to capture the artistry of Scottish Dance Theatre's dancers — and to talk through the process.

Tell us about the studio setting of these images. Was that an intentional choice and did you find it informed the tone of the images?

Yes, it was intentional. We wanted something that contrasted with the epic, outdoor scale of the shoot we did in Pitlochry for the Scottish Roots promotional poster, and to create a separate series that focused on the dancers more as individuals. Working in the studio meant we had the space and time to work one-on-one with each dancer, which is always such a nice way to work - there's room to improvise, and to find things you wouldn't necessarily plan for. The dancers were amazing, so willing to just throw themselves into the process with you.

You specialise in photographing dance. Are you a dancer yourself? How do you approach capturing fluid movement in a still frame?

I'm actually a terrible dancer! I started out in acting, but I was very shy and never felt comfortable in front of an audience. I ended up photographing a performance I was meant to be in, a large, site-specific, week-long piece staged by the National Youth Theatre - and loved it. That was when I realised I loved performance, just from this different side of it. I'd also studied fine art at university, making sculptural, abstract sets and objects which I then photographed, and the photographs became the work itself. I think that interest in the sculptural form and playing with reality also influences my work with movement, even though they seem worlds apart.

It was actually by chance that I started photographing dancers. I shot Jamila Johnson-Small, Flora Wellesley Wesley, and Eleanor Sikorski at a street festival, and they asked me to work with them again as part of their Sadler's Wells Wild Card residency. Emma Gladstone, Artistic Programmer at Sadler's Wells at the time, decided it would be interesting to have a set photographer for the series and brought me in on the Wild Cards, which introduced me to some of the incredible artists I still work with today.

Not being a dancer myself is probably both a help and a hindrance. I don't have the technical knowledge of someone who's trained for years, but I think it means I come at it from a different perspective. I'm usually trying to capture a feeling or a detail rather than something technically perfect. I'm as interested in the process and the story behind the movement as I am in the finished performance. So my approach is really about understanding the story and the people behind the movement, then trying to capture a glimpse of that, or something unexpected.

More specifically, how did you work with the Scottish Dance Theatre team for this session?

Joan and I shared mood boards and discussed ideas beforehand, such as props and lighting, to bring something of the theatrical world into the shoot, while still keeping the rehearsal space visible. It was a mix of both worlds, in a sense. From there, I worked with the dancers both individually and in groups, alongside Joan. Working one-on-one gave us space to improvise and try variations on a movement rather than just capturing something fixed, which is always exciting, you never quite know what you'll land on. The dancers threw themselves into it completely, which made the whole session really enjoyable to shoot. It was great to have such an open brief and be able to play, I feel like Joan and Katye really opened up the space for that to happen which I’m immensely grateful for. 

Featured dancers: Molly Danter, Thomas Goodwin, Ben McEwen, Massimo Monticelli, and Kassichana Okene-Jameson.