I got some amazing ballet photos...

greenpea

Last weekend as part of a photography class I am taking, I got the opportunity to photograph the pro-classes at the Pacific Northwest Ballet. These kids (14-17) are recruited from around the country to train with PNB, and they were some of the most amazing and tallented athletes I've ever watched.

Unfortunately I can't post any of the pictures because of the agreement I had to sign in order to get to take the photos. :cry

My point in posting this, if you ever get the chance to photograph pro level dance lessons, do it! I'm not necessarily a big ballet or dance fan, and this isn't the sort of thing I typically photograph; but these dancers were amazing to watch and photograph.

And if anyone else has any dance photos (that they are allowed to post) I would love to see your pictures.

DavidTO

greenpea wrote:

And if anyone else has any dance photos (that they are allowed to post) I would love to see your pictures.

Search for Rutt. He's posted a bunch of 'em.

aktse

I drool whenever he posts.

http://rutt.smugmug.com/Dance It's like living art that is captured by a master.

greenpea

aktse wrote:

I drool whenever he posts.

http://rutt.smugmug.com/Dance It's like living art that is captured by a master.

Okay, now my photos don't seem so great...

But photographing dancers was some of the most fun I've ever had!!!

If you ever get the opportunity, try it (granted it may not be as cool as hockey photography, but still pretty cool ).

DavidTO

greenpea wrote:

Okay, now my photos don't seem so great...

But photographing dancers was some of the most fun I've ever had!!!

If you ever get the opportunity, try it (granted it may not be as cool as hockey photography, but still pretty cool ).

Rutt worked really, really hard at perfecting his technique, and I'm sure he'd tell you he has a long way to go, yet. He also had access to ballet that most don't.

He's been busy with other ventures in his life, lately, but I'll do my best to make sure that he chimes in on this thread. Could make for a great discussion we could all learn from! <img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/clap.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" > (<< smiley for rutt! <img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/mwink.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" >)

greenpea

DavidTO wrote:

I'll do my best to make sure that he chimes in on this thread. Could make for a great discussion we could all learn from! <img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/clap.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" > (<< smiley for rutt! <img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/mwink.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" >)

I'd love to learn more about photographing dancers! <img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/clap.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" >

ian408

Like TO says, look for Rutt's stuff. Top notch

aktse

greenpea wrote:

Okay, now my photos don't seem so great...

But photographing dancers was some of the most fun I've ever had!!!

If you ever get the opportunity, try it (granted it may not be as cool as hockey photography, but still pretty cool ).

I wasn't kidding about the drooling part. His work is exceptional. He hasn't been around lately, but whenever I heard people mention photos of dancers, my thoughts automatically think of his images. Rutt has worked really hard on his craft and it shows. I believe he starts with great images from his camera and he pays close attention to Margulis in post. There might have been a thread about his post flow...

Actually, I will be getting a chance to shoot dancers in about two weeks -- Bollywood Indian from the 4th row. And I'll be using one of the lens that he loves (one of my faves too)! We'll see how I do...

I have a lot to learn... The good news is at least I'll won't turn into a popicle during this shoot and don't have to worry about safety glass.

rutt

Kathleen Breen Combes as Queen of the Willis in Boston Ballet's "Giselle", Spring 2007

Well, my nose was itching and I found this thread. Thanks!

For me, photographing professional ballet has been just about the most hedonistic fun I have ever had with a camera. These people are about the best athletes there are. What they do is a lot more predictable then sports; just listen to the music. And in performances and dress rehearsals, well nobody, not even Shay, can light better than Boston Ballet's lighting director. So most of the really hard work is done by others. All I have to do is show up, know where to sit, and enjoy myself.

I've posted quite a bit about what I have learned about shooting and about the post techniques I use for ballet. I suppose the most important thing is this: if it doesn't make the dancers look good, forget it. Not only that, it has to make them look good to themselves on their own terms. Ballet is a classical art form, like classical music. It has inflexible rules. The dancers don't want pictures of themselves floating around which show them doing anything other then obeying those rules with perfect grace. If you want to be a friend of ballet, there is no drama-of-the-agony-of-defeat. Catch them fully extended, doing their best stuff, perfectly synchronized to each other, turned out, on point, knees straight, shoulders down... I don't know all the rules, but I had so many shots which I liked rejected by the ballet that I've learned some of them. These days, I may shoot more than 500 shots at a 3 hour dress rehearsal and cull down to 50 to show the artistic director. I'm happy if he approves 15. Sometimes I get why a shot is rejected and sometimes I don't. When I don't I try to learn why.

I have posted a lot of technical advice both about shooting and about post.

1. http://dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=206778&postcount=9
2. http://dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=272331&postcount=14
3. http://dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=417161&postcount=17

I've changed my mind a little about lenses. I now use both 85mm f/1.2 and 135mm f/2. A lot depends on how dark it is and how much I'm trying to show individuals vs groups. I wish it was always bright enough for a 70-200 f/2.8 zoom but, that just isn't so, and things can change quickly. Also, the additional shutter speed is worth a lot. The shot at this top of this post wouldn't have been possible with anything other than 5D and 135mm f/2 (at the time, now both Canon and Nikon have some new bodies which might even be better in low light.) Of the 5 or so people shooting, I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who got shots and the only one with a chance of saving the color shots. The second act of Giselle takes place in a graveyard by moonlight...

schmoo

rutt wrote:

I suppose the most important thing is this: if it doesn't make the dancers look good, forget it. Not only that, it has to make them look good to themselves on their own terms. Ballet is a classical art form, like classical music. It has inflexible rules.

GREAT advice, great insight in your posts!

ian408

Thanks John.

greenpea

schmoo wrote:

GREAT advice, great insight in your posts!

Thanks Rutt!

For a few short hours I felt like I got a little bit of a taste of your photography world, and it was fun. Like you said "These people are about the best athletes there are".

claudermilk

While I'm sure my stuff doesn't compare to rutt's, I do have a bunch of dance work on my site (see link in sig).

Shooting dance is challenging, but once you start getting the hang of it, is a lot of fun. Oh, and it's plenty cool to shoot dance...suddenly the geek is with the in crowd.

BTW, aktse, you'll find some Bollywood stuff buried in there--run a search for Bollywood. I love shooting that form, it's hard to not machinegun the shutter with so many good moments to capture.

rutt

You know, it's easy to forget, but the very first lesson I learned might just be the most important. The final dress rehearsal is what you want to shoot if you can. You can sit where you like. You won't bother anyone with camera noise. The dancers are trying hard to get it right. The lighting and the orchestra (if there is one) is all there. Performances, particularly opening night, have an electricity missing in rehearsals, but the camera won't really see this. You'll still get tons of great shots which are individually as perfect as it gets...

pathfinder

It's nice to see you back John, we've all missed you

rutt

pathfinder wrote:

It's nice to see you back John, we've all missed you

Thank you. That's very nice to hear. In time, I hope to spend more time on photography and then I'll be here more.

claudermilk

rutt wrote:

You know, it's easy to forget, but the very first lesson I learned might just be the most important. The final dress rehearsal is what you want to shoot if you can. You can sit where you like. You won't bother anyone with camera noise. The dancers are trying hard to get it right. The lighting and the orchestra (if there is one) is all there. Performances, particularly opening night, have an electricity missing in rehearsals, but the camera won't really see this. You'll still get tons of great shots which are individually as perfect as it gets...

Very true. There are also possible opportunities you'd never get during the live show. I've been able to actually run around on stage during final tech. Obviously I had to remain out of their way, but I got some fantastic shots that would have otherwise been impossible.

Another thing is it helps to talk with the performers beforehand. You might be able to arrange additional shoot time. There was one show with a piece that used a solo harpist. My 20D was way too loud (darn shutter), so I arranged to show up early one day & we did a full run through of that one piece with lighting, effects (smoke in this case), etc. Again, fantastic shots otherwise impossible, and I simply took a break during the actual show. It was a nice win-win, I got some great shots, the performers both got great shots & an extra practice session, the show was not disturbed, and I came off looking brilliant as someone easy to work with. I think that's paying dividends right now in fact.

The key is to be flexible, and make an effort to stay out of their way. It is appreciated, and again, makes you look good. I always tell everyone that I'm not the reason they are there & to kick me out of the way if needed. Seems to make everyone more willing to tolerate the geek with the camera running around.