One of the basic forms of human expression that have continued to be a part of our culture is dance. This form is one way that communicates beyond speech, much like the art of photography. Both do not have a specific dialect or language. Dance conveys raw emotion through movement that extends over all kinds of boundaries.
Here are effective tips on how to shoot fabulous dance images:
• Shoot with manual settings at the widest aperture possible – more often than not, most of the dance performances involve a lot of dramatic lighting. This can be a reason to lose a lot of detail pertaining to highlights and shadows in an image. Always remember, though, that it is better to lose details from shadow than details from highlights. To get the best possible outcome, manually set your camera to the widest aperture. Also remember to adapt the exposure to the performer’s skin tone.
Do not even bother using spot metering. Another way to tackle exposure is to adjust shutter speed setting until you are able to see details in the performer’s face. However, whenever the lighting changes you will still have to adjust the settings each time.
• Shoot in RAW – as much as possible, shoot in RAW format. Although it can slow you down in post processing as you make adjustments to your images, you will be able to capture more detail. But always remember to use a memory card with adequate memory since RAW files are rather huge.
• Familiarize yourself with the camera – stages have lighting that is usually centered on the performances and it varies depending on the tempo of the music or the type of mood that the performance wishes to convey. In most cases, you will probably have to be working in the dark. So it is best to familiarize yourself with all the buttons of your camera to make sure you are pressing the right one. Also make sure you know the proper settings to adjust your camera.
• Have the right timing – the more performances you attend, and the more times you persevere to capture great dance stills, the more chances you will have of d
eveloping your skill. It takes more than just constantly being on the look-out for a great move because once you see a great movement in your viewfinder, chances are it is too late to capture it. You must always anticipate what will happen next to get the perfect opportunity. There are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to gauge when a highlight moment is about to take place, such as a change in music, lighting or movement of the dancers. You can sense that that something big is about to happen. It helps to love your niche because there are different types of dance performances that do not always follow the norm in lighting and music.
• Capture the perfect pose – the visual impact of a perfect pose immortalized in a photograph is a rarity because you only get one chance when the whole body of a performer is in the right position allowing it to speak to the viewer when looking at the image. It will be pointless to set your camera to continuous mode and take random shots because the only way for you to get the precise moment is through patience.
Tags: dance photo tips, dance photography, tips in photographing dance
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1. Get your gear – the tools of your trade will always depend on your budget, amount of space available, and the types of photographs you plan to specialize in or what your clients may require from you to take. It would be wise to start cataloging your work as soon as possible before it gets to be too much for you to handle, and do the same for all your equipment. It will take you at least a year for you to complete all the gear or equipment requirements you’ll need such as lenses, tripods, filters, flash, stands, etc. Try to minimize your purchases by determining the essentials before the luxuries such as expensive equipment you will hardly ever use during your photo shoots. Also try to make use of what office equipment you already have such as a computer, fax machine, scanner, printer and furniture. What you save on what you already have can go towards funding the expenses needed for more photography equipment.
force that will keep making your customers come back. This will also make it easier for you in the future since you might be given discounts if you patronize their services on a regular basis. In the beginning of your business, first impressions often last. Good and reliable suppliers will help keep your standards high and you will never compromise your work.
ovement and one huge element that provides visual effects is the costume. The dainty and ethereal tutus of ballet dancers add to the aura of grace and softness, while the giant headdresses of Las Vegas lady dancers provide drama and spectacle.
eduction, all these are readily available in most point and shoots. Not only that, the quality of these cameras remain high and one can take sharp and clear shots without even trying. If you feel that the buttons and settings are overwhelming, steadily learn how to use each button or setting by testing it with practice shots. There is no better way to learn how to your camera works than to fiddle with it and to take lots of shots. Ask a photographer friend to help you or find out through photo books or online how the basic features work. 
to shoot at high ISO of 1600 or more. If possible, make sure you are equipped with a lens that is 70mm-200mm for bigger aperture sizes of f/2.8 and below. It can be difficult to use zoom lenses with a stop down of f/4 or f/5.6 aperture so try to avoid using this. Even with adequate lighting, you may want to show some motion blur in your shots to portray the movement of the dancers. A relatively slow shutter speed such as 1/20 sec can show movement trails while leaving parts of the scene sharp enough to be recognizable. The best way to know the right settings would be to experiment and settle on the exposure adjustments that work best.
