The power of movement

February 07, 2014  •  Leave a Comment

So, 95% of the time, when line up your subject in front of then lens, they usually freeze, smile and wait for you to click the shutter. While this may deliver sharp images, it may fail to deliver dynamic frames.

One of my latest photoshoots included a subject who can’t stand still because she is paid to mover. Heidi is a professional dancer who is a master of ballet as well as other dancing disciplines. Keen to shoot some new images for her calling card, she contacted me and we arranged a studio shoot.

I’ve also found that the key to getting the best poses out of professional dances is to position them in their natural environment, so after clearing a space, I asked Heidi to run through a few of her dance routines.

Lighting-wise we tried a few set-ups, but I thought the best results came from a black background, which gave a decluttered backdrop to help the view focus solely on our ballerina. To get some separation between model and background I aim one of my flashheads towards the rear of Heidi’s head.

Another key tip for these sorts of shoots is to set the mood. Plug in a iPhone and turn the music up, this will help the dancer feel at home and get into the beat.

Enjoy,
Matty


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