Who is the Story-teller?

That would be me, Christine.

Adventure in Imagination started from my desire to tell stories in a combination of words, pictures, and clothing, all related to the wonderful world of Swing-Dance. I have always loved writing and reading and I always want to know the details behind everything. When I began learning the Lindy-Hop in 2017 I soon became fascinated with the story behind it, as well as the moves themselves. I started to get into photography as an art form when I was in my early twenties. I love to take photographs that tell a story; that offer a brief window into another persons universe so you are left wanting to find out more.

When I started to attend social Lindy Hop dances I took my camera along and it has very quickly became one of my favourite things to photograph, as well as tackling the very tricky world of band photography. There is a distinctive joy and excitement when I upload my images to edit and I see what magic I was able to capture, and that joy is shared when I share my images with the dancers themselves. They help to continue the story of the event and keep it alive, rather than just a distant memory.

I had a very steep learning curve in mastering low light photography, which is the primary obstacle when shooting at dance events and I now shoot regularly at local Swing dances and public events where local swing-dancers are taking part. My kit has been upgraded in line with the types of photographs I take and I am constantly progressing my use of Photoshop and Lightroom to be able to produce high-quality images that capture the beautiful movement of social dancing and live band performances.

Creative digital imaging has also been an interest of mine since being introduced to it as a teenager. I am now using that as the basis to transform my images and ideas into componets of designs for my clothing line, Imaginative Adventures Clothing. I mainly screen-print my designs, and it’s such a fantastic feeling to take either a photograph or abstract idea, create an image from it, and then print that image onto an item of clothing. It gives each garmet a story of its own, as well as the story contained within the image that has been printed.

When I’m not shooting dances, I am learning the Lindy-Hop as a lead and follow, as well as learning about it and listening to Swing and Jazz. When I’ve not got the camera in hand, or my dancing shoes on, then I love to read, write and create. It could be anything from a cake to a painting, some crochet or sewing. I’m always happiest when I’m creating; bringing something new into the world that has a story to share.