I shoot a lot of dancers and dance movement – mostly hip-hop and contemporary – and I’m still developing my approach. I like to enter a class or rehearsal as a guerrilla observer, a fly on the wall. I also try to be an extension of the movement itself instead of the motionless guy with the tripod and big lens.
My step-by-step:
First, watch the choreography and take a couple of shots to tweak my camera settings. Then I focus on a few dancers (if it’s a large ensemble or class) who are really bringing the energy and try to move with them, like a fish responding to currents. If it’s a small ensemble – two or three dancers – I look for the interesting shapes they make together as a unit. And dancers can make improbable shapes with their bodies – like crazy, melt-y, interlocking Legos.
After I’ve got a feel for the movement, I place myself where I know the most interesting shapes will happen and begin shooting for emotion and drama. Frankly, this stage relies on luck and burst mode. I’m looking for that fleeting moment where the performer hits her flow, a state of relaxed concentration where the inherent rawness of dance comes forth brilliantly. Sometimes this happens a dozen times during a shoot, sometimes not at all. It’s a product of powerful, honest movement from a good choreographer, a good rehearsal space, and a dancer who is willing to get lost – a fragile balance!
I set out today to talk about style in dance photography but got side-tracked. I guess I hit my own moment of flow. Can’t complain about that.
[...] shutter speed too slow), and flat (because I was worrying more about my settings than getting in the flow). Instead, I brought my Strobist-inspired off-camera flash, an omni-bounce diffusor, a light stand, [...]