Obviously this one if close to the heart and one of the reasons I initially got into photography. There was so much bad dance photography out there when I was younger and I was incredibly frustrated by it. It seemed like people were doing the same things they had done in the 80’s and just never bothered to try and innovate into anything new. With the democratization of photography and the cost of entry coming down a lot more people have gotten involved which is great. There is a much more honest and accurate portrayal of dancers in media now. But with the proliferation of anything it also means the bad and tacky work has also multiplied many fold. This post is mainly for people that dont shoot dance often as I think most dancers will find these to be no brainers.
Start with a ton of research, know who you are photographing and what their strengths are. If you dont know dance that well it means researching the style of dance they are focused in and what that general aesthetic looks like. If they are a tap dancer what sort of poses look good in that, if they are a classical ballerina what poses can you pull from to make them look amazing. Dont be afraid to ask questions beforehand. Rely on the strengths you have, ie lighting, composition, post processing, and then have them help fill in the gaps to make the most of the time. Generally most dancers have a good start to what looks good one them, and then you can build from there to your own aesthetic. Dont come in with ideas that are too strong unless you know your talents skills inside and out. In that case it can sometimes be useful to have strong ideas to push them into areas that might be new and more invigorating than usual. Pull some poses beforehand from online to have as references for what you think works well. Its incredibly useful to have a broad selection so dancers can see something and very clearly try to imitate it. We are visual learners so this is crucial to creating quick captivating imagery.
Have the right gear, depending on what you want to do. If sharp images are what you’re after then have lights that can high speed sync beyond 160th of a second. Make sure that you have lenses wide enough to get the full length of their body as they will often stretch out quicker than you think to full length. On the flip side of that if you hate distortion make sure you have enough runway to stand way back with a standard lens more zoomed in. If you are going to use a seamless get a big one, at least 9ft across if not 12. I can make a 9 foot work but a 12 is much more likely to save you from unnecessary photoshop work on the back end. Particularly with any dancer over 5’6. If you are shooting outiside please dont ask dancers to do things excessively on concrete or hard surfaces. They will do it for you over and over again without complaining but it is hurting them. Its not sad and its unfair to them. If you need a shot in that sort of environment, or one thats cold be ready to get it on the 1st try. Dont test, change your settings, move around, try again, change postioin, change again. It’s not fair to them and they won’t complain but they’ll be thinking it.
Music, so crucial. This can completely change the course of a shoot. Of course ask your subject if there is something they prefer, this is always the first option. Having something that splits the mood between artistic and inspiring and then moves to fun can really make things flow incredibly well. Music adds all the subtle nuance of acting and emotion that can be missing in a static image. A dancer will naturally absorb this subtlety and start to play it back to you in the imagery. They cant help it.
Play. This is a big one. Once you have a few test images in the bag and tried a few poses let them go. Ask them to improvise a little from a piece they have done or a routine they know. This allows them a little framework to execute some movement in that is more practiced and they feel comfortable in. This is where your best imagery is going to come from, I promise you. It will be filled with all the kinetic energy that is missing from the posed shots. It has spontaneity, freedom, emotion, and that element of the unknown that makes an image truly special.
On the back end ask the dancers which shots they think are best. Our bodies are our brands and our vehicles for work so we have very specific ideas about how we should look. It doesn’t necessarily always make sense, we have weird insecurities, but we appreciate it deeply if you allow us a once over to approve images. We can easily explain why an image works in the dance world or not. There are certain things with feet and legs that make all the difference. I know its weird but go with it and we will deeply appreciate it.
