Experience counts

More than twenty years ago I photographed my first dance performance. It was fast paced, low light, my timing was off and it was hard to know if the dancers were even in focus! But, I loved it.

I don’t think I can count all the performances I’ve photographed up to this point. And still to this day I feel as the dancers must feel behind the curtain. Anxious, nervous and ready to get the show going! Every show is different, and photographing them is a performance on our end. A split second to early or late and you’ve missed it. Some scenes need to be wide and include many of the dancers on stage, while at other times it needs to be tight and focused on a single individual. So much is happening, and sensory overload is a real thing! Lighting changes, sound levels, music tempo, the number of dancers and the energy they carry, it all comes in to play. Capturing a photo and capturing the essence of the dance within that photo are very different, the camera sees in a different way than the eye does. The camera is quite limited in it’s ability to “see” when compared to our eye and brain. Knowing the camera as you think is essential. You must be able to adjust automatically and know the limitations of the technology being used. That’s why you should hire a seasoned professional to capture your performance. Having great images from performances allows you to share and market to your audience with enthusiasm. When you think in professional terms, it’s far more expensive to have and use less than ideal images for your promotion. Use a professional photographer even if it’s not us! But we’d be happy to do it for you.