How often do we see dancers with their gracious moves and appreciate their skills, their beauty, and their
ability to awaken admiration? How often do we look at a photo of a dancer and gasp in awe, taken in by the
frozen movement, by a snapshot that reflects so much more than just one still frame? And the question
becomes: how do we photograph a dancer to bring out the emotion, to show their skill and character, to tell a story in a portrait?
Here are five suggestions that will help to capture dancers:
1. Warm-up.
This sounds very basic, but it is a mandatory part of a successful photoshoot. Not only there
has to be enough time for the dancer to get used to the camera, but you need to allow them to stretch
and do some warm-up exercises to prevent injury and ensure the best movement poses.
See this article from the Johns Hopkins Medicine on injury prevention for dancers!
2. Appropriate outfits.
Every dancer will have a leotard and ballet shoes but we should incorporate some
skirts that will allow for easy flowing movement, some tulle skirts that will add glamour to the still
shots, and some flowing fabric for more creative shoots. It is wise to discuss in advance the color
palette, ensure that the right colored leotard is used for the shoot, and prepare additional elements in
advance. The tulle over the dancer’s hair often adds to the styling and flowers can be added for more
feminine shots. The key is to plan in advance.
3. Incorporating movement.
My Modern Met has a beautiful article on capturing movement. The images are so captivating, you can almost feel the movement! Thought many photographs displayed in that article would require a lot of skill, it is always fun to try and incorporate some movement into the portraits of dancers.
of It is very fortunate if we have a large space where the dancer can
demonstrate their skills with jumps and dance moves and our job is to light them appropriately and
capture the moment. However, often we shoot in a small studio with limited space for jumps and
movement shots. If that is the case, we need to be creative and direct our dancers to do poses that will
imply movement. A skirt flowing in the air, a fabric flowing around our model, a move that is used in an
actual jump but does not require a lot of space, all these elements, once executed creatively will help
us to create an illusion of a dance move and will allow us to capture our dancer “in action”. An
assistant (or a parent) is most helpful when it comes to throwing fabric or a skirt, but of course, we can
be creative even without an assistant.
4. Reflection.
I love reflection in photographs! It adds depth and interest to a capture and I truly enjoy the symmetry it creates. The reflection is often incorporated in photography (see this article by Fstoppers).
Incorporating a reflection adds such a special feel to the photograph. It can be a reflection
in a “lake” or a “pond” where we add water texture to create an illusion of water. It can be a mirror
reflection on the floor or an illusion of ice. It can be a reflection on a wall that resembles a mirror… the
opportunities are endless, but we should take our photographs with the intention of creating a
reflection later on in post-production to ensure proper pose.
5. Details of proper posing.
Every dancer will notice if their arm is not turned the right way, their foot
was not extended properly, their knee was bent when it shouldn’t have been… the list goes on. It is
imperative to educate yourself on the proper dance moves and proper positioning of different body
parts. At times, we need to take another frame to “fix” the pose and at times, we can “fix” a minor
imperfection in post-production but it is important to be able to see that proper positioning of hands,
feet, legs, body, and head is observed. This will often make or break the photo.
I hope this was helpful to you! If you are a dancer and would like to explore creative portraiture, get in touch! I
love photographing dancers and would love to work with you!
By Elena Dilai