Alumni spotlight on A-levels graduate Hannah Beveridge, who qualified from our Middlesbrough college-level campus in 2022 in Art History, Photography and Textiles. Since leaving our Newport Road campus and attending university in Birmingham she has recently worked for the Birmingham Royal Ballet capturing performances for the prestigious organisation. We caught up with Hannah to learn a little more about this type of photography and what her advice is for students looking to do the same. Read on to find out more. 

How did you get involved with the Birmingham Royal Ballet?

My work with Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) began during my final year at uni. They had reached out to the university wanting some students to come and photograph The Nutcracker at the photo call (a photo call is normally held during the final dress rehearsal before the opening show, members of the press are invited to photograph the performance). I applied for the opportunity, and I was selected by BRB to attend.

The experience was emotional. As a child, I loved to dance but I hadn’t seen a ballet since I was around eight. BRB’s Nutcracker is breathtaking. The sets are gorgeous. BRB are accompanied by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia. I saw how every individual and their role mattered deeply. The dedication, attention to detail and trust in each other shown by all I met and observed on that first day, highlighted how much I would value working in a community of creatives like at BRB. I also met some lovely photographers including Johan Persson, ex-principal dancer of the royal ballet and currently ‘the’ production and advertisement photographer for live dance and theatre. He was incredibly kind to me and very helpful. I sent my photos of The Nutcracker back to BRB and they were impressed! They allowed me back to photograph rehearsals for Carols Acosta’s Ballet Celebration and invited me back to photograph Cinderella.

Tell us about shooting this type of photography.

Between The Nutcracker and Cinderella I had become serious about pursuing a career in dance photography and so I upgraded my equipment. I invested in a secondhand Sony A1 after taking advice from my tutors and from Johan Person. When I photographed The Nutcracker, I was using a Nikon D750 which was challenging as this camera was not efficient in low light particularly using fast shutter speeds which I need for dance. The Sony A1 is mirrorless with a large sensor meaning my images have a much higher resolution. It is very efficient in low light and its autofocus is very intelligent which is important when your subject is moving around quickly.

I shoot fully manually in order to have complete control over the exposure. During productions the lighting changes and the pace changes and it keeps you on your toes. Photographing dance has helped me to more deeply understand the science behind photography. I picked up my Sony A1 a few days before Cinderella and apart from a few test shots it was the first time I used it. BRB were again impressed with my work and wrote an article about my work with them which also made its way into a few small scale dance magazines.

My photographs of Carlos Acosta’s Ballet Celebration rehearsals were included in the programme. I decided to work with BRB for my final project at university. It was the best grade I received during my time at uni and I believe this was because I was truly enjoying the process of creating the work. I spent my last semester at university building a portfolio of dance photography. This was an invaluable time of exploration, experimentation and research. Around this time, I also worked with Elmhurst Ballet school for the first time. It wasn’t until after I graduated that I began to receive paid work with BRB . Since then I have been freelancing and have photographed rehearsals, events, workshops and performances. Rehearsals in the studio are my favourite, I always leave feeling inspired by the dancers. The studio environment allows me to capture the quite moments, the laughter and the dedication, with honesty and realism.

I do not get paid for the performance shots as I am invited to photograph the performances with members of the press. I do it because I enjoy it! However, I have it in mind to start making back some money on these by joining an agency and selling the images. I have had the pleasure of photographing Cinderella, Black Sabbath The Ballet, Carlos Acosta’s Ballet Celebration and most recently Don Quixote, as well as The Nutcracker twice.

I have photographed all these productions in studio rehearsals aside from Cinderella and I have also photographed rehearsals for Green Table as well as the dancers morning classes. Working with the ballet opened many doors for me. It has made my work visible to more dance companies around the UK and boosted the confidence I have in myself as a professional.

What was your favourite production to capture?

I think my favourite production I have photographed was Black Sabbath The Ballet as it was like nothing I had seen before . I saw Black Sabbath perform at Download Festival when I was around 11 and at the time I was still taking ballet classes. I would never have guessed that the two could be combined into such a powerful production. Don Quixote is like a party, there are pretty much always other dancers standing around the stage while others are performing, it is fun, flirtatious and colourful and so requires the dancers to act a lot in between their moments dancing. I really enjoyed watching how they explored acting alongside dancing in the studio rehearsals.

How has your experience at The Northern School of Art impacted your career?

My time at the northern school was vital in my early artistic expression. It was a time where I learnt technical skills but more importantly I learnt ways I could express myself through art. I learnt how to structure a project, the value of research and the importance of time management, all things that, as a freelancer who has to self manage my projects, I use all the time. In college my expression was much more free, boundless by the technical rules and the need to pay the bills. I would like to return to this more open and experimental mindset now that I have a better grasped the ‘rules’ of photography.

What is your advice for current students?

The advice I have for current students is to follow what brings you joy whenever possible. I have never had a long term plan nevertheless, goals are also a wonderful motivator. I have made choices based on what I enjoy at the time and from that and hard work opportunities have arisen which I have then learned more about myself from. My advice is to take on every opportunity that you feel able to. It is through experience we learn and we find what we love. This has been a struggle for me as, during my time at university, I developed pretty bad anxiety which has held me back from opportunities. This is something I am still learning to manage.

I think it is important to remember that we will always be learning, changing and growing, you do not know what the future holds so try not to get lost in what has not happened yet but rather what is happening now. This is something I remind myself of a lot, when I start to worry about the future and become nostalgic for the past. I tell myself that I am living through that exciting time of the story where nothing is decided, where stability is nowhere, emotions are plentiful and discovery is everywhere.

What are your future steps?

In the future, I would like to publish a book of my work with BRB maybe. I would also like to explore different sports photography and editorial photography as well as work with small communities. I may also be moving back up north so I will be looking for new opportunities there in the next few months. I hope to continue working with BRB and to build on my confidence, to give myself patience while I am learning and maturing.

Make sure you stay up to date with Hannah’s work on her Instagram: @hannah.beveridge.photography and you can visit her website here.