Hi gang. Managed to squeeze this shoot in about three weeks ago while the weather was still fairly decent here in the Chicago area. Comments welcome.

1.

Great shots, Ron!

Nice !
The background a bit distraction.

Thanks, guys!

Jonathan, I can see how the background on 1 and 2 could be a distraction. Thanks for mentioning it.

Looks really good, Ron.

The expressions play a big part in the shots. These gals know when to smile.

This first, I find the background to be a distraction, because I cannot see where the dancer is coming from.

The second and third I think are fantastic. I like that the ground she jumped from is in the frame.

These are great Ron!
2&3 are my favorites.

Very nice Ron. .. actually I like the background. .. Like the little hint of the setting sun.
Maybe if she had a lighter colored body suit it wouldn't have clashed.

All are really, really good. I like 3 a lot.

I think 2 could be warmed up a bit, feels a tad cool.

I like these, Ron. The first time I looked at #3 I thought "Did he do selective white balance or what?" But once I realized what I was seeing, I liked it and thought the "white skin" vs. "tan skin" was pretty cool.

If you wanted to increase the separation on #1 and #2, you could reduce the contrast of the background and warm the subject slightly.

The "doggie style" picnic tables are a little unfortunate but at least they're green and out-of-focus.

Very nice. 2 is tremendous!

@Thanks, Jim! Same girl whole way through! That last picture really makes her look different.

@DTOB, thanks! I go back and forth about my crops with the jumps. I like it the way it is here as for me, it really gives the sensation that she's flying. But like you, I also like to see where she's taken off from.

@thorne99, thanks thorne! Backlighting worked pretty well in 3.

@bbourizk, thanks Bud! I actually had another shot in mind that her black skirt/top would have worked really well on, but that didn't work out. This was our backup location.

@benee, thanks Ben! Yeah, that one probably could be warmed up a little more.

@Eyeball, thanks! Yeah, they need those leotards. The first time I asked a dancer to not to wear the leggings, she mentioned that she felt naked. With the kind of moves they do, that's not a good thing, esp with a 14-year-old girl. I actually did some separation with the background, didn't like it, and left it as you see it here. I'm not sure what was up with those tables. I usually do a pretty good job assessing the background for things like that. Maybe this was really my only choice, due to other elements, not sure.

@ChiSutter, thanks Haseeb! It took some work to get her hair to all go on the opposite side of her head, worked out perfectly!

Only one of them is obviously lit by strobe -- what about the rest?

Also, I think the backgrounds really help set these shots apart, rather than distract or detract.

The 3rd one really brings out her beauty and energy.

3 works great, but the first two are harder to enjoy with the b/g being a distraction.

Ron, nice series. I agree on the background issue, BUT I love #2!!!!

Bob

I wont complicate it. I think its pretty amazing. Like 2 and 3 most. 1 seems bit "color-less" if I take it as series. But as picture itself it would work nicely.

ChiShutter wrote:
Only one of them is obviously lit by strobe -- what about the rest?

Also, I think the backgrounds really help set these shots apart, rather than distract or detract.

Haseeb, one of the things I was wanting to do here was utilize my high-speed sync. I shoot with a D4 and was using my SB-910 -- but had my settings wrong, so had to settle for 1/250 shutter speed. So the two jumping shots have the SB-910 adding a little fill, and then I used the SB-910 for back lighting on the other pic.

Andre, David, Bob, Mescalamba -- thanks!!

I really like these, even with the background...maybe a tad cool in the shadows as you'd expect, but these are still great!