I fell in love with dance a very long time ago, and this love affair has manifested into a dance photography business that moves my soul. In my opinion, you have to bring your love of dance to every single photo session — you need passion to photograph dancers — because, anything less and your images may fall short.
Photographing dancers is not easy. When I first got started, I made my fair share of cringeworthy dance images that will never see the light of day. It’s hard to openly admit that, but it’s true. It took a lot of work to get to where I am now. I spent time collaborating with dancers, shooting for free and allowing dancers to offer their critiques of my photos. It was useful for me to hear which images they thought were good and which they’d never allow the public to see because dancers are very particular about what is presented to the public.
I also learned to hear “no,” because even though I was shooting for free, not every dancer or dance studio wanted to work with me. But with every “no,” I dug in because I knew I was getting closer to a “Yes!”
Though there were some low points, I didn’t give up. I wanted it too badly. And I believe that if I could make it as a dance photographer, anyone who puts in the dedication and practice can do it too. Here’s what I learned along the way:
Remember, dance photography is unique.
When I was starting out, I made a classic mistake… I nervously took a few dance photos at the end of a family portrait session because Mom said, “She brought her pointe shoes. Do you mind taking a couple shots before we wrap up?” I should have had the courage to say, “no,” or ask them to set up another session (buying myself time to do my homework). But instead, feeling backed into a corner by a paying client, I gave in to the request. As I sit here writing this article, I shake my head just thinking about it.
Let me tell you how that mistake affected me. First, it was a disservice to my client and I knew it. I was not a dance photographer then, and should have deferred to a more qualified dance photographer. Second, it was a disservice to myself. As you can imagine, the images were not great (understatement). This hurt my photographer soul so much that I did not attempt any dance photography for about two years. Making one bad decision made me feel like a failure.
It’s tempting, especially as a new photographer, to want to do everything to please a paying client. But we need to be honest with ourselves and our clients and know when to say no.
Luckily for me, the desire to photograph dance was so strong, it kept tugging at my heart to come back. I remember seeing ballroom dance competitions on television and being in awe of how the performances dripped with drama, and passion. I remember going to see Shen Yun, and Cirque du Soleil, hearing myself gasp at the pictures created during the performances. The urge to capture those moments came rushing back, and at that time I had enough photography experience to know it was the right time.
It’s important to make a true connection.
Most of us photographers do a pre-shoot consultation with our clients. If you’re not doing that, you should start right now. Gone are the days of getting the call, booking a shoot, never having met the client. The pre-shoot consultation is one of the biggest tools of my business. I do this via FaceTime or Zoom with my dancer and their parent, and we stay on the call as long as they have questions.
This is where you can really connect with your dancers, but you have to be genuine. Be yourself, ask the questions that you really care about to help you get to know your dancer. For me, that includes hearing their favorite genre or style of dance and how they envision themselves in the final images. I want to know if they prefer leotards and tights, or street clothes on pointe. Do they prefer a traditional bun or letting their hair fly? Are the envisioning photos in the street, or are we on the side of a mountain?
All of these pieces of information help me better understand what my dancer wants and how we can get there. Additionally, when I ask for this information, it helps my dancer really understand that I’m tapping into his or her vision to create something that represents them well. I never want them to think that when they show up, I’m just going to throw out my ideas and they have to comply. I let it be known that my dance photography sessions are a true collaboration between my dancer and me.
You have to do the leg work.
After I consult with my dancer and have information about them, I begin to plan. I look at the date, the weather, the arc of the sun as it travels across the location, and I check to see if there are any conflicting activities in our preferred area. I like to drive to the location or use Google Earth to see the location if I have never been there before. It’s no different than prepping for any other photoshoot.
After that, I focus on creating a mood board based on what my dancer has communicated to me, and what is sent to me via Pinterest and Instagram. We will reference these during the shoot, but I tell my dancers to add their own movement and element to each image instead of trying to copy a pose or shot they like.
If this is your first dance shoot, it might help to know some of the language. Releve, passe, arabesque, turnout, etc., all have specific meanings to dancers, and knowing some of the language allows me to communicate better with my dancers. Don’t worry about getting it all right the first time. If you don’t know it, ask your dancer at the shoot and they will demonstrate, and teach you (another opportunity to connect).
Give yourself and your dancer room to make mistakes.
Shoot day is your time to shine! Everything you prepared for brings you to this day and it’s easy to feel nervous. I like to take a step back internally, and I remind myself to breathe, I remind myself I’m human, and I give myself room to make mistakes. When I meet my dancer on location, I also remind them that they are human, and I give them the same space to make mistakes. This really takes the pressure off my dancers and me so we can just focus on having fun, enjoying the experience, and creating something magical.
During the shoot, there is constant back and forth communication. I know what I’m seeing and I often will tweak a thing or two to get the image that I want. Very often, I will shoot a series, then call the dancer over and ask them to critique themselves. This step is important. As photographers, we often see things in terms of light and shadow, shape and color, etc., but our dancers are looking at fingers, feet, wrists, ankles, shoulders, neck, hip rotation, etc. So, when a dancer says, “I don’t like that,” don’t take it personally. In most cases they just want to repeat the movement because they know they can make corrections and do better. We should be prepared to give them that opportunity.
Sometimes I miss the shot. Not often, but it happens occasionally, and I will immediately fess up with, “Sorry I missed that. Can you do that again?” Remember, we gave ourselves permission to make mistakes, right?
Pro tip: It’s easy to get carried away when everything is flowing, but again, your dancer is human, so please don’t forget to give them breaks.
Showcase the dancer’s strengths.
Another thing to remember to do, is to play to your dancers’ strengths. Most dancers study two, three, or even more disciplines. I usually ask my dancers where their strengths lie during consultation and we pursue those so we can get them in the zone and create the strongest images for them. It’s an amazing feeling to see a dancer soar when they start to feel themselves, and to know you have captured them at the peak of the movement!
Have a plan but be flexible.
Like most of you, I always have a soft plan when I shoot. I tend to do the safe stuff at the beginning of the session so that I know I have those shots in the bag. Once I have those set, I throw out the rules and begin experimenting with what my environment is giving me.
In addition to the natural environment, I typically bring a mobile studio with me, because sometimes Mother Nature doesn’t play nicely. When I say studio, I mean backdrop, stands, lights, sand bags, and a rugged cart. Yeah, it might sound a little crazy, but so far, this mobile studio has saved my bacon on numerous occasions when the weather wasn’t right, when there was no sun, or when we ran late and the sun went down.
I’ve had to ditch my plans on multiple occasions and call the audible for the benefit of saving a shoot. I do like having a plan, but I’m definitely not afraid to go off script, and I find that I do some of my best work when I take some risk.
15 Dance photography tips to remember
The most important thing when doing a dance photography session is ensuring that you and your dancers are in sync. This is not just because capturing an image requires timing, but because you and the dancer need to essentially be on the same wavelength to get the best out of each other. Here’s a recap of tips to remember that will help you ensure a smooth dance photo session:
1. Connect with your dancer by asking the right questions.
2. Be genuine in your communication.
3. Include your dancer’s ideas in the shoot. It’s a collaboration!
4. Do your homework and learn some dance terms.
5. Check the weather, sun location, and activities that might affect your shoot.
6. Scout your location or use Google Earth to get ideas.
7. Create a joint mood board for reference during the shoot.
8. Have your dancer add their own flare to each movement.
9. Remind yourself and your dancer that you are both human.
10. Leave room for mistakes, and ask to the dancer repeat a movement if needed.
11. Always play to your dancer’s strengths.
12. Communicate, communicate, communicate. You get the point.
13. Don’t forget to add in water breaks. Dancers are athletes.
14. Have a plan, but be okay with ditching it.
15. Create a mobile studio kit to help you work in any environment.
Dance photography is challenging, and to do it well will take time and consistent practice. The information is this article will get you on your way, but there is no substitute for practice and experience. If you have the patience and the passion to create beautiful dance photography, I can tell you from experience that it is incredibly rewarding, not just for my clients, but to my photographic heart and soul.
My dance photography gear:
My equipment is pretty standard, and as long as everything continues to work and help me create amazing images, I will likely stick with it until the gear fails.
Cameras: Nikon D750 and Nikon D780
Lenses: Nikon 24-120mm f/4 ED VR and Tamron 85mm f/1.8 Di VC USD
Lighting: Flashpoint XPLOR 600 studio light and Flashpoint eVOLV 200 flash
Photos by Kavan Lake
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This is one of the hard photoshoots especially if you’re taking a photo during the live show. Perfect timing for every photo is needed so you’ll able to the perfect posture. Anyway, thanks for your tips. This is very helpful to all aspiring dance photographers.