TIPS (THAT NO ONE WILL TELL YOU) FOR EXCELLENT DANCE PHOTOGRAPHS

This is an article by guest author Pelayo González, who brings you a series of tips on dance photography, drawn from his own experience photographing dancers. Surely you have noticed that, recently, it seems that the theme of dance photography has become fashionable. Especially when it comes to classical ballet. Just look at the 500px photo portals, or Flickr, launch any search and look at the results. We are looking for nudes and of the first 100 results, 30 are ballet dancers who only wear the tips. We look for low key and we have a lot of photos shooting in the dark with a dancer as the protagonist.

Ksenia Abbazova

I love. I have to admit that I am very happy that people, photographers, or photography enthusiasts, or whoever, have discovered the aesthetic possibilities of this type of photography. I have been dedicating most of my work to dance photography for a few years, mostly with dancers and ballet dancers, and I have to say that I am surprised that no one has noticed before.

Iratxe Beorlegui

THE THREE MAIN ASPECTS

In any case, and from my experience, the idea of this post is to give you some tips so that, in case you are about to make your first photo session with a dancer or dancer, or you are thinking of doing some, everything Go your best. For me, there are three things that are fundamental when making a photo session, regardless of the type of session: common sense, respect and education. We are working with another person who has hired us and is going to pay us for our work, or is collaborating with us, giving us his time and his image.

Nuria Varela

TIPS FOR PERFORMING THE DANCE SESSION

So, based on these three things from the previous point, let's see how to get the most out of the session.

1. CLARITY AND SINCERITY

Make clear what you are looking for in that session and be honest with what you offer. And find out what the person you're going to work with expects from the session. It is the best way that there are no misunderstandings. Be humble, but don't overdo modesty either.

2. KEEP IT SIMPLE

Come on, don't complicate your life. I take it for granted that you have not worked with dancers before, so look for an environment (or a lighting scheme, if you are in the studio) with which you are comfortable and for which you do not have to worry much. This way you can focus on learning from the person you are working with and absorbing everything you can contribute. This will allow you to improve a lot in the face of later sessions.

3. REPEAT THE PHOTO

Repeat the photo as many times as necessary until BOTH are happy with it. Sometimes, especially at the beginning, you have to repeat the photos many times. It is normal, do not despair. But it is important that both of you are satisfied with it. As we said before, assuming it is a collaboration, this person is dedicating your time and your image and it would not be fair if you did not take at least some decent photo. Keep in mind that for a ballet dancer, that you upload a photo in which she is not correctly uploaded to the tip, it is as if someone uploads a portrait that you have made that is not focused.

4. LEARN THE TECHNIQUE

Learn the technique of what you are photographing. I also assume that you are not technically expert or expert in the type of dance you are photographing, so when your model does not like a photo, find out why. Ask him what is not right; or when you have them in front of the PC, compare the one you have taken for granted with the rest and discover what is wrong with them. Knowing what you are looking for will make you have to repeat the photos many times less.

5. HAVE FUN

Try to make the session fun. It is not necessary to become a clown with a camera, but I can assure you that the experience has shown me that the results are better when there is good vibes in the session. The more fun the shooting , the more relaxed everyone is and the more comfortable you work.

6. CHOICE OF PHOTOS

Choose the photos between the two. As I said before, it is important that you both agree on what photos you are going to publish. What you can do is, in a first step, discard all the photos that are not correct from the photographic point of view (unfocused, moved, eyes closed, etc.) and that, of those that remain, choose the dancer or the dancer which ones are good from your point of view. Over time you will be able to discard in the first past photos that are wrong as far as dance is concerned. And even to offer you a selection that you directly love.

7. ENJOY

Enjoy, enjoy and enjoy. If all of the above is fulfilled, the session should go on wheels, so have a lot of fun in your first experiences with dance photography.

Alba Egido

ADAPTING IS THE QUESTION

Oh, by the way, if you already have a few dance sessions, but you see that it is always difficult for you to hit the first photos when you work with a dancer for the first time, do not worry, it is normal. Each one has a different way of moving, different power, different speed ... It takes a little while to adapt. As you can see, the advice I can give you is not very different from what I would give you for almost any type of photography. The really important thing here is to learn and understand what you are photographing. Can you imagine that someone would like to take soccer photos and did not know that the important thing is to score goals? That he just take pictures of the center kick? Well this is the same. The more you understand what you have in front of you, the better you can capture it.

Samantha Vottari

I hope that with these tips you will be encouraged to try dance photography, you never know what can get you hooked. And if you don't like it, nothing happens, keep trying more things. The good thing is that everything you learn here, you can apply in other types of photography. I changed the way I see the picture. This is an article by Pelayo González, professional dance photographer who also makes family reports and books for various artists. You can follow his work on his website , his Instagram , on his YouTube channel or on Facebook. If you also want to participate as a guest author, click here. Did you like the article? Thank Pelayo for his advice by sharing the article on your favorite social network so that others can enjoy his fantastic work and experience. Thank you and see you soon.

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