When considering an upcoming Dance Portrait Session, one of the first decisions that needs to be made is what style are you after? Do you want the images to have a classical feel or more of a contemporary one? That decision may help guide your choices about the location of the session. If you are looking for a more contemporary style mood you may want to consider an urban backdrop. Whereas a classical feeling may lend itself more to a park or more natural setting.
What are you planning to wear? Dance clothes or street clothes? Tights or jeans? A leotard or a dress? Pointe shoes or bare feet?
Whatever you choose, make sure that you are able to move without any restrictions. These images will be about capturing the very best aspects of your abilities and talent. Any kind of limiting clothing will only work against that goal. And be thoughtful about the kind of lines you are wanting to highlight. If you have sweeping leg lifts as a goal a long skirt will tend to hide those lines.
Also give some thought to color. If it is a studio shoot color won’t matter as much as a location session. Location sessions (especially Urban settings) can have visually busy and distracting backgrounds. Simple high contrast clothing can work well against these types of complex settings. Street clothes can also work well in gritty urban locations.
Our shoots are typically out on location. So, if you are planning on wearing pointe shoes, bring an old pair that you won’t mind getting beat up. You may also consider bringing socks to cover them for locations that require some walking. If you need to make an outfit change during the session – I bring a pop-up changing tent with me. You are always free to use the tent or your car. Just be mindful that we will be out in public.
When you show up for the photoshoot, it will be a great help if you have given some thought to what you believe are your greatest strengths as a dancer. You may be an amazing jumper. Or spins may be your strong suit. Or extensions. Maybe it is long beautiful lines. Whatever the case, we want to make sure we are highlighting those things that showcase your talent and abilities.
After you have decided what you want to focus on highlighting. Make sure that you have considered several different ways of showing off this skill. If it is jumps, be ready with a variety of options. If flexibility is your thing, work up opportunities for showcasing this feature. Every photoshoot has a limited amount of time so the more options you can draw on, the higher the likelihood of capturing some outstanding images.
One exercise that I often suggest, is browsing through social media to find examples of ideas and poses that you would like to use as inspiration. And take a screenshot. Or start a Pinterest board. I encourage referencing these images before and during the shoot.
Before the session start time – make sure that you leave yourself enough time to warm-up and stretch. I recommend doing a warm-up similar to one you would do before a rehearsal. It will help get you to the lines you are hoping to hit as well as lessen the chance of injury. And while we are on that point, never ever do any movement that you feel uncomfortable or unsure about. The last thing I want happening during a session is a dancer injuring themselves. It is not worth it. We can get some great images and stay safe at the same time.
This is all a good starting point. Every session has a limited amount of time. So, the more you can do to prepare ahead of time the better. In my experience, the longer a dancer has to work with a photographer, the more opportunity they get to develop trust and a rapport with them. And the more comfortable the dancer, the greater the connection and confidence in their movement.
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