How to take good dance pictures
Dance Photography (How to Shoot Beautiful Dance Portraits)
By Taya IvanovaA- A+
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Your privacy is safe.Dance photography is a fascinating genre that can turn even the simplest movements into art.
Here are 14 tips to help you easily capture the beauty of any dancing style.
14. Get to Know the Dancer(s)
Dancing is often very expressive and intimate. This is why it’s important for you and your model to feel comfortable together.One of the best ways to understand someone is to talk to them about their passion.
Instead of blindly going into a photoshoot, find out who your model is and why they love dancing. Let them know why you’re interested in dance photography, too.
Once you get to know each other, you’ll feel more relaxed and confident during your session.
This will allow you to make mistakes without feeling embarrassed. And it will give you enough room to experiment with different concepts.
13. Familiarise Yourself With the Dance Style
What type of dance are you going to photograph? If you answer this question in detail before your photo shoot, you’ll be able to predict your model’s movements and adjust your camera settings accordingly.
For example, if you want to get better at dance recital photography, you might want to use a wide-angle lens to take wider photos. If you want to take interesting close-ups while your model is dancing, you might need a zoom lens.
If you’ve never photographed a specific dance style before, watch a few videos or talk to the dance company before your shoot.
The more you know, the easier it will be for you to come up with cool ideas. These will not only impress your models but also put a spotlight on your skills.
12. Make Sure Your Models Know They’re Being Photographed
No, this doesn’t mean you have to shout at them as you quickly press the shutter. They just have to know that someone is going to take pictures of them as they dance.
Dance photography is quite similar to street photography when it comes to permission. If you’re going to photograph a group of strangers, you’ll have to get their permission first.
This will be easy to achieve if you work with a dance instructor who can inform the dancers about your presence.
It won’t be as easy if you stumble upon a random group of dancers outdoors.
If you just want to practice, you can freely photograph strangers. But you have to be careful when it comes to online sharing and selling.
To avoid unwanted confrontation, get to know a few basic street photography laws.
11. Use a Tripod to Avoid Camera Shake
You might be tempted to move your camera around all the time to get the perfect shot of a dancer’s graceful movements. This might confuse or frustrate you, especially during a fast-paced dance event.
To avoid unnecessary stress and camera shake, use a tripod. By limiting your movements, you’ll be able to make the most of the compositions in front of you.
A tripod will also help you take beautiful long exposure photos (you’ll find out more about this topic soon) that will fill your gallery with diversity and surrealism.
10. But Don’t Take Photos from One Angle All the Time
One of the best things about dance photography is that it doesn’t have to be photographed a specific way.
If the situation allows, take photos from the ground. This will create a blurred foreground and naturally lead viewers’ eyes to your dancer.If you constantly shoot from a standing or sitting point of view, your photos will look dull. You can easily change this by shooting from different angles.
If you want to make your photos stand out even more, create depth using foregrounds. For example, if you photograph a dancer through a fence, you’ll add both texture and depth to your photo.
Don’t be afraid of experimenting with different objects and foregrounds. The more you practice, the more interesting your compositions will look.
9. Shoot on a Real Stage
Stage lights are perfect for taking atmospheric dance photos.If your model spends a lot of time on a stage, take photos there!
A stage already has all the equipment you need to photograph professional dancers. The black background will put the focus on your dancer and the natural or artificial light will create a photo-worthy atmosphere.
All you’ll need to do is focus on your dancer and your camera settings.
In addition to providing you with tools, a stage will make your model feel at home. This will enable them to feel more confident and powerful in front of your camera.
8. Use Long Exposure to Elegantly Track Movements
In some photography genres, sharpness is a priority. When it comes to good dance photographs, this isn’t always the case.
Long exposure is often used in landscape photography to emphasise certain movements, like running water or a windswept tree.
Dance photographers can use it in a similar way to photograph body movements. This is why it’s worth memorising the various guidelines of long exposure.
7. Use Dramatic Lighting
Dancers don’t always have to be photographed outdoors or on a stage. You can use simple locations with dramatic lighting to take unique photos of your models.
An empty white room with window blinds on a sunny day, a roof during the golden hour, and a dance studio with artificial light.
These can all be used to create dramatic compositions that emphasise the dancer’s movements.
6. Take Photos at Dancing Events
Not sure what kind of dancers you want to photograph? You can introduce yourself to different dance styles by taking photos at events or recitals.
Once you get permission to photograph the dancers, you can significantly improve your knowledge of dance, portrait, and even candid photography.
Even a couple of hours at a recital will expose you to different styles, movements, and lighting situations. Use this opportunity to experiment with different angles, fast shutter speeds, and apertures.
All of this exposure will give you a better idea of the type of dance photography you should pursue. It will also teach you how to make the most of a busy setting.
5. Use a Large Aperture to Separate the Dancer from the Background
The photographer used a large aperture to separate the ballerina from the busy city background. If the aperture were smaller, the model’s outfit, pose, and expression wouldn’t stand out.
Dancers aren’t always surrounded by beautiful backgrounds. Sometimes, they’re surrounded by curious strangers, unflattering buildings, or a street full of cars.
All of these distractions can make it difficult to focus solely on one subject. Photography projects showcasing ballet dancers in urban settings are popular still.
If you can’t move to another location, you can separate your subject from their background by using a large aperture. A large aperture, also known as a small f-number, will add more depth to your photos. Examples of a large aperture are f/1.2 and f/2.8.
The larger your aperture, the blurrier your background will be. However, this might stop you from taking sharp photos.
If your aperture is too small, you might find it difficult to focus on specific parts of your model’s face. A relatively large aperture, such as f/2.0, will blur your backgrounds but also let you take sharp photos.
4. Focus on Details to Tell a Story
Diptychs can be used to create contrast, emphasise details, or simply tell a meaningful story.
Details are just as important as the big picture in any photography genre. Even though wide shots are what make dance photography beautiful, they need to have a story to be meaningful.
Details can add depth, texture, and emotion to your photos. You can use them to create diptychs, which are collages that consist of two photos.
You can also include them in a set of photos inspired by the dancer(s) you’re working with.
3. Take Photos in Vibrant Places
A carousel isn’t usually associated with dance. But it was the perfect location choice for this vibrant photograph. If you want to take unique photos, be open to finding potential in unusual places.Overly vibrant locations can take the spotlight away from your subject. However, if used correctly, they can dramatically enhance your compositions.
No matter what location you shoot in, make sure you use a large aperture to separate the dancer from their background.
The larger your aperture, the larger the background bokeh will be.
This will make it easy for you to blur out almost any background distraction.
With the right amount of blur, you’ll be able to photograph your dancer in front of fantastic locations like carousels, cityscapes, and neon lights.
2. Photograph Multiple Dancers from Above
If you have to photograph multiple dancers, you can create symmetrical compositions by taking photos from above.
This is easiest to do in a dance theatre or any location with an indoor balcony.
This unique perspective will allow you to play around with different concepts and outfits, like the rainbow umbrellas in the photo above.
1. Take Surreal Photos of Dancers With Flour
Flour dance photography is a sub-genre that involves a lot of messiness and surrealism. You’ll need the following things to have a successful flour photo shoot:
- A black backdrop to highlight the whiteness of the flour,
- Lots of flour,
- Any kind of material to protect objects that shouldn’t be covered in flour,
- A fan or large window to prevent suffocation,
- A mop to clean everything up at the end of your photo shoot,
- A clean set of clothes for you and your model.
If you need some ideas or inspiration, check out Derrick Senior’s flour portraits.
Conclusion
Dancing is freeing, vibrant, and eye-opening. You can use it to take photos that are just as emotional as your models.
With the right amount of practice, you’ll be able to photograph all kinds of dance styles, capture true joy, and take your photography skills to the next level.
If you’re looking for ideas to get started with dance photography, try a ballerina project.
Or call up your local dance company to see if they’re interested in some great dance photos. It’ll be good practise for you even if it’s unpaid!
The 7 Most Important Tips for Taking Good Dance Photos — A Dancer's Life
As dancers we spend hours upon hours training to have the technical, physical and mental skills required to be able to perform our best and master our artform whether it be ballet, ballroom, commercial or jazz.
And whilst dancing itself is the perfect reward, as passionate performers… we also love being able to show off these talents to a willing audience. Sometimes though, performances can be few and far between (thanks COVID), or perhaps you need more content for your personal branding, or just want to have a lasting keepsake of what you have been able to achieve through hard work, practice and perseverance. Whatever the case, dance photos and dance photography are a dedicated artform all of their own, and one that has its own unique set of skills and techniques in order to master ‘the perfect shot’. If you’ve clicked on this article hoping to find some tips and techniques to help you make your dance photos shine (whether you’re the photographer or the subject) then you’re in luck! Because that’s exactly what this article is here to do. Read on for our guide to dance photography whatever camera (or phone!) or dance level you’re at.Tip 1. Come prepared.
Whether you’re the one planning to be photographed or the one taking the photos, or both (welcome to the selfie age!), it’s always a good idea to come with ideas and poses in mind.
Think about your setting, the style of dance you’re hoping to capture and the mood you want to convey in your photos. If you’re a contemporary dancer, save some of your favourite contemporary poses, search Instagram and pinterest for popular phrases like #contemporarydance and #contemporarydancer or try looking up dance companies or dancers you admire that fit your theme. Sydney Dance Company for example could give you some great inspiration for contemporary poses to try. The same applies for ballet, commercial, urban, jazz, tap, ballroom, salsa, lyrical - you name it! There’s nothing worse than finding the perfect backdrop, having a great outfit and amazing edits for your photos but not being happy with the poses you ended up with! One more tip: if you find a pose that’s really working on the day, don’t just take one photo and move on; make sure you give it several attempts so you’ve got time to improve the framing, technique, angle and everything else. It’s so much easier to make a change and take the shot again in person than it is to spend hours trying to fix or crop something later because it wasn’t ‘quite right’.
Tip 2. Play to your strengths.
This tip is aimed at the photo subject, the dancer, but it also applies to the photographer. Everyone’s talent and skill level is unique, and everyone has things they excel at and things they’re less adept at. Make sure you’re making the most of your photo opportunity by highlighting those things you’re most proud of. If you’re a phenomenal jumper, jeté your heart out. If you have stunning arches and a gorgeous pointe, show that off! If however, flexibility isn’t your strong suit then don’t make that the focus of the photo by trying a split kick in every shot. Not only will it make for a more awkward and uncomfortable look, but you won’t be doing yourself justice. No one is a 10/10 master at EVERYTHING, so take some time to really think about your strengths and make the most of them in every photo. Photographers, you too. If you’re not confident at nailing those night-time shots, keep practicing and don’t give up, but save it for when you’ve got time to play without needing a flawless result, and instead go somewhere you know you’re confident shooting when you need to capture the perfect dance pic.
I for instance LOVE my natural light, so you can bet I’ll be photographing my dancers out in the natural sunlight whenever possible.
Tip 3. Location, location… location!
This tip is pretty obvious, but I couldn’t write a how-to guide for dance photography without putting something in about the thing that determines SO MUCH of the overall mood and feel of your image. Locations don’t have to be mind-blowing and epic for a photo to be good, they can be, but sometimes the simplest locations make for the best results too. What you need to decide is what kind of setting is going to produce the results you’re wanting from your photo. Looking for something elegant and stylish? Clean, minimal backdrops with less rather than more colour and softer light will do the trick. Wanting moody and atmospheric photos? Try a textured, dark wall, an empty carpark or somewhere urban and opt for overcast weather as opposed to full, bright sun.
Epic backdrops do have their place, but make sure they’re not taking over the photo and over-powering your dancer. You want dance to be the main wow-factor in your image, not whatever is behind them. So if you do go for somewhere really bold or busy, really consider how to frame the shot and how to position your subject so they’re not lost in everything going on around them. Time of day plays a big part in this too, a sunset or early morning light can have such a dramatic effect on a photo compared to a bright sunny day, or a stormy, cloud-filled sky, test it out and see for yourself.
Martha Berhane wears the Perry Hot Short Unitard
Ned Zaina wears the Jordan Jacket, the Logan Track Pant and the Mens Cutaway Singlet
Tip 4. Lighting.
As mentioned above, lighting can make all the difference with how your photos come out. Not just natural sunlight and whether there’s a lot of it or a little, but also where that light is in relation to the photographer and the dancer.
Backlit photos (with the light source behind the dancer and furthest from the camera) will create gorgeous halo effects and softer, more muted colours in your image. Images taken in full sun will be bright and clear with colours that pop. Try and avoid shooting with the sun directly overhead though, as this is likely to produce pretty unflattering/harsh shadows on your subject and the background, if you do want full sun, instead go for mid-morning or mid-afternoon photo sessions when the sun is at a much more photo-friendly angle. Low light (dusk and dawn) can give you ethereal, cinematic imagery, and if you’re inside or low on light, artificial light sources like car headlights, car park lighting, a lamp, or even just your phone can create spectacular effects that add new dimension and a completely different feel to your photo’s end result. Always think about where your light source is coming from when taking a photo, and what effect this will have on enhancing or disrupting the look you’re trying to create.
Experiment! Move your light around, or if you can’t move it (for instance… the sun), move the camera and the dancer around in relation to the light and see how much your photo changes!
Shivawn Joubert wears pieces from the Gemini Collection
Tip 5. Nail the outfit.
It’s not just the backdrop, or the pose, or the lighting that can have a major impact on how well your photo turns out. If you have a look at some of your favourite dance photos, you’ll notice what a huge difference the dancers outfit can make in either adding to or taking away from the overall beauty of the shot. Flowing skirts, striking designs, bold colours; these things can all play a big part in how a dance shot ends up looking. So planning an outfit should be one of the first steps you go through when deciding on a shoot. Baggy clothes can be great for a more urban/moody shoot, but they can also ruin the lines and shape of a great pose.
A really bright, bold leotard can absolutely make a photo with a cleaner background, but it could also easily overwhelm if there’s too much going on already. Similarly old, dirty shoes that are falling to bits can end up being the unintentional star of your photo, so always try to have clean, beautiful outfits (whatever the style you’re going for) and pick a dance outfit that enhances your shot. Some of my all-time favourite choices are the sophisticated elegance of a high neck leotard, a long free flowing skirt to give you something to play and create shapes with, and any fabrics or patterns that add an extra element of beauty to your photo, take the exquisite Velvet Collection, which is a current favourite for the way it shimmers and catches the light with every movement. Superb! Keep an eye on Energetiks brand New Arrivals if you’re wanting a stunning, unique outfit to really set your photo apart.
Zoe Cavedon wears the Pippa Leotard and Adeline Skirt in Burgundy
Tip 6.
Angles are everything.We all know the old hold-the-phone-above-your-head and add a little chin tilt trick that works a treat for selfies. Just as selfies have tried and true angles, so too do dance photos and they’re not always the same as other types of photography. Think about what you’re trying to accentuate and enhance with a dance photo: often the aim is longer legs, higher jumps and the appearance of power. You want to look in control and full of poise, and the best way to achieve this in your subject is to place the camera closer to the ground, below eye level. Don’t be afraid to crouch or lay down to get the optimal result (or, you know, put your iPhone on the floor if you’re shooting solo!), shooting this way will often give your subject a more powerful appearance, just as shooting above them can create the opposite effect. But as with everything, rules are made to be broken, so don’t feel like you have to take my word for it, just make sure you’re trying out multiple angles to see what one gives you the effect you’re after and don’t just take every photo at boring old eye level (yawn).
Bonus tip: Dance is about the whole body, so full body shots are definitely a winner, but you can also get creative with closer in, cropped photos for some really interesting and unique results.
Kyra Dooley and Jack Hersee wearing the Viva Collection.
Tip 7. A little edit never hurt nobody.
So you’ve really done it: you nailed the pose, you mastered the lighting, you aced the background and the outfit is fire! Now what? Well you could just call it a day, upload, caption and post to insta… or you could go the extra mile and make some final creative tweaks that might just take your photo from a new fave to an all-time favourite. Yes, Instagram and other apps have handy inbuilt filters and basic editing tools that give you a few options to play with. But if you’d really like to have some more control over your image I would recommend having a look at as many editing apps and tools (either free or paid) that you’re able to test out.
Lightroom and photoshop are a pro-photographers best friend, but if you don’t have the time or budget to sink into learning and owning software this pricey there are so many great, easy to use, affordable phone friendly tools out there. Consider the lightroom and photoshop apps, the free versions still have plenty of amazing features, or try other ones like Snapseed, VSCO, Carbon or Afterlight. What you do with an image after you’ve captured it can be just as transformative and enjoyable as the process of planning and taking it. Making small changes to the lighting, sharpness, saturation and hues in your image can elevate your photo to new heights and make the picture your own work of art.
Before:
Ned Zaina, wearing the Jordan Jacket, the Logan Track Pant and the Mens Cutaway Singlet
After:
Ned Zaina, wearing the Jordan Jacket, the Logan Track Pant and the Mens Cutaway Singlet
It’s an amazing skill to understand not just the art of dance, but of good dance photography too, and it can be incredibly rewarding.
So whether you’re wanting to be the photographer, the dancer or both for your next photoshoot, be patient, thoughtful and creative, and keep practising. Because all of the amazing skills, knowledge and bodily awareness that make you a great dancer will go a long way towards making you a great dance photographer too. Have fun and happy shooting!
Article and photography by Elly Ford
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Editors Pick, Advice + TipsEnergetiksDance photo tips, dance photography, Dance photography guide, dance photography tips, ballet photography, ballet photography tips, dance photographer, ballet photographer, how to take dance photos, how to take good dance photos, tips for dance photography, Elly Ford, tips for taking good dance photosComment
0 LikesDance photography - the nuances of shooting, the secrets of success, polishing skills
Dance photography is an expression of the beauty of movement and emotions.
Dance can be a source of great shots, but it's no secret that photographing dancers is very difficult: framing, focusing and releasing the shutter at the right moment - absolutely everything must be done, and at the same time with the best exposure in the available light. For Bernie Ng, one of Singapore's most prolific dance photographers, shooting choreography involves not only capturing the action, but also the aesthetics and emotion that permeates the movement. She shares some tips for capturing dramatic shots of dancers. nine0003
EOS 5D Mark III / EF24-70mm f / 2.8L II USM / Manual exposure (f / 2.8, 1/250 s) / ISO 2500 / WB: Auto. "Pure" by T.H.E Dance Company (2016) / Choreography: Kuik Swee Boon / Dancers: Anthea Seah & Wu Mi
- Exposure
Getting the exposure right is probably the most difficult aspect of dance photography . Since flash photography is generally not allowed indoors, you should do your best with the available lighting, which will vary from one show to the next.
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Use fast lenses
This will allow enough light to reach the camera sensor so you can keep the ISO sensitivity as low as possible to minimize visible noise. Ideally, your camera kit should include both a wide-angle lens for capturing the entire scene and a telephoto lens for close-ups.
Shoot in manual mode or use exposure compensation in Av or Tv mode
The action in the scene (and hence the shooting conditions) can change very quickly, so you'll need to keep control of your exposure settings. Bernie prefers to shoot in manual mode to fine-tune the camera. But if you choose to use semi-auto, she advises using compensation to get the right exposure.
For beginners, aperture-priority (Av) mode will probably be easier to use: you just need to set the maximum aperture and the camera will give you the fastest possible exposure without underexposure. Shutter priority mode (Tv) gives you control over shutter speed, but it can be a little more difficult for an inexperienced photographer to get an adequate exposure.
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Shutter speed. Know what you need
Consider factors such as dance style, choreography, and the type of shoot you want. Bernie's shutter speed is 1/250 second, which she adjusts as needed. For example, she may decide to use a slow shutter if she feels it is necessary for the image.
EOS 5D Mark III / EF24-105mm f / 4L IS USM / Manual exposure (f / 4.0, 1/13 s) / ISO 800 / WB: Auto. "Giving" by Frontier Danceland (2015) / Choreography: Adrian Skjoldborg
Using a slow shutter speed can add momentum to a photo and bring the whole composition to life. In the shot above, you can see that the photographer chose to use a slow shutter speed to create some motion blur while keeping the dancer in focus. This filled in the empty spaces and added movement to the image.
Pro Tip: If you have access to a stage crew and lighting designer... about the upcoming show. Bernie usually asks what the lighting will be like. nine0003 Creative ideas: stroboscopic lighting can be a great opportunity! EOS 5D Mark III / EF70-200mm f/4L IS USM / Manual exposure (f/4, 1. Some shows use stroboscopic lighting, which can cause you to miss many moments if you're not ready. However, if you prepare and react quickly enough, this can be an opportunity to get creative. For the shot you see above, Bernie made a quick decision to slow down the shutter and get a strobe effect. nine0003 EOS 5D Mark III / EF24-105mm f / 4L IS USM / Manual exposure (f / 4, 1/400 sec) / ISO 12800 / WB: Auto. "The Ordinary Man" by T.H.E Dance Company (2014) presented by Huayi - China Arts Festival, Esplanade - Theaters in the Bay / Choreography: Wu Yi-San & Kuik Swee Boon A lot of people think about snapshots in a jump at the mention of dance photography, but quiet moments can be just as dramatic. nine0003 Your photography will definitely be influenced by: Find out which ones work well and which don't. A big part of dance is conveying thoughts and feelings to the audience, so Bernie tries to capture the emotions and facial expressions of the performers. This is exactly the moment when it is useful to know what the choreography really is before you shoot! The intriguing facial expressions of the dancers above reflect the comedic nature of the choreography. Take those shots where the dancers blink or their eyes are empty and unfocused (unless it's part of the choreography) and mercilessly throw them in the trash. nine0003 Pro Tip: Be sensitive to the shots you take Remember that your camera can capture things that the human eye cannot see: pressing the shutter button will inevitably take pictures that may not be the most flattering for dancers. Dance photos don't have to include the entire body of the dancer! EOS 5D Mark III / EF24-70mm f/2.8L II USM / Manual exposure (f/2.8, 1/100s) / ISO 400 / WB: Auto. Pallavi in Time by Chowk Productions (2017) / Choreography: Raka Maitra Close-ups of the dancers' faces or other details of the mise-en-scene can also create memorable shots. "The legs were very important to this choreography," Bernie recalls of the above shot. She wanted to get closer to the ankle bracelets of the dancers. The photo turned out to be successful also because the lighting was also focused on the legs. nine0003 Bonus: if you really want to capture the jump… EOS 5D Mark III / EF24-105mm f / 4L IS USM / Manual exposure (f / 4, 1/250 sec) / ISO 5000 / WB : Auto. The most important thing in pictures of dancers in a jump is the exact time: "If you see a jump, you are already too late." To get the timing right, the photographer advises not to rely too much on continuous shooting. Instead, learn when to press the shutter button. Sometimes you can tell from the music at what point the dancers are getting ready to jump. It will probably take a lot of trial and error, but it will only improve your photography skills. nine0003 Other noteworthy parts As mentioned above, things obviously move quickly on stage and you have to anticipate the moments and react almost instinctively to get the shots you want. What will help? It's easy to get carried away here, but be aware of both the audience and the dancers on stage. YES! NOT… The dancers work very hard to perfect their art, and without them you wouldn't have your photos. The career of dancers is short. Your photographs of performing on stage in the dance element may be the only record of these precious moments, so try to take pictures that will bring joy to people and bring back fond memories. How to photograph dancing? This question is often asked by our students, because dancing has always attracted photographers with its unusual figures, energy of movement and bright costumes. Think about where you will be photographing in advance. If the dances will be held in the open-air format (on the street, in nature, outdoors), then, as a rule, there is enough free space for the photographer to work and the question of choosing a lens with one or another focal length is not so acute. But in any case, you will take both general shots and close-ups, so to make it easier to photograph, you can take a zoom lens with focal lengths from 24 mm to 70 mm or up to 105 mm (such lenses are widely available in stores and are used very popular due to its versatility). nine0003 But the answer to the question "what maximum aperture should the lens have in this case" is ambiguous. On the one hand, it is easier to photograph when the depth of field is large (for this you have to close the aperture to F / 8 - F / 10), but then everything in the frame will be sharp. In most cases, such photos look good (especially if the dances take place in a club where there is a lot of colorful light music). But sometimes photographers want to single out one couple from many dancing ones - then it’s better to open the aperture to F / 2.0 or even to F / 1.4, but the number of unsuccessful shots increases dozens of times, because the depth of field becomes very small and catch the dancing couple in focus is not an easy task. But if you manage to take a sharp shot, then the joy of the photographer is unimaginable, because the background is so blurred that it creates a feeling of unreality of what is happening in the photo: as if the dancing couple had momentarily left the real space and froze in the air. nine0003 If there is enough light on the dance floor to take pictures with a slow shutter speed (about 1/320 sec or less), then a flash is not needed. Well, perhaps only to create various light or color effects. But if there is not enough light (as a rule, this is when dancing takes place in a room with poor lighting), then it is better to take a flash, because without it it will be difficult for you. Light from the flash is best softened by using a softbox (there are small softboxes just for mobile photo shoots) or by directing the light at the ceiling. If the ceiling is not too high and white, then flash power will be enough for you and soft light will make your photos very attractive due to smooth light-shadow transitions on the faces of the dancers. If you do not use a flash, then the advice is simple - the lower the shutter speed, the better (but only within reasonable limits - so that the brightness of the photo falls into the dynamic range of the camera's matrix). But if you use a flash, then there is a purely technical limitation of cameras - synchronization of the camera with the flash, as a rule, only works up to values of 1/200-1/250 sec. At slower shutter speeds, part of the frame simply does not have time to be exposed. There is one more nuance. With high flash power and low shutter speed (even if this value is 1/160 sec), the flash overshadows all the lighting devices in the room with its light - thus, in the photo you will see not the light-color picture that the participants in the dance event saw, but the one the picture painted by the flash. Therefore, if possible, then try to increase the exposure time (according to experience) to about 1/30-1/20 second and direct the flash at the dancers - then the flash draws the dancing couple in the photo, and the local light filling the dance floor creates an atmosphere in the frame . Thus, you can get a photo that feels close to the atmosphere that prevailed on the dance floor.
3s) / ISO 320 / WB: Auto. "Planet Romeo" / Presented at DiverCity as part of the M1 Contact Contemporary Dance Festival (2015) / Choreographer and Dancer: Daniel Kok
They can be different for different dance genres. However, you don't have to have a dance background to take decent shots - basically it all comes down to a well-developed sense of aesthetics. Make the dancers look good in the frame.
Be very careful and careful when choosing the final set of shots (if you are an invited photographer and completed an order). Get permission from a particular dancer or company if necessary, especially if you share images on social media, a website, or wherever. nine0003 "Schubert Symphony" Singapore Dance Theater (2016) / Choreography: Chu-San-Go
Customize your own shortcut buttons. nine0010
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How to photograph dancing
How to choose a lens
Do I need a flash to photograph dances
Flash operation in automatic mode (ETTL mode) gives good results if the illumination of the dancers and the hall is approximately the same, otherwise we switch to manual mode (M mode) and manually set the flash power value (the flash power level strongly depends on the actual photographing conditions - here It's hard to give clear advice. nine0003 What shutter speed to use to photograph dancing
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