Yesterday I had the pleasure of working with this high school senior on some dance photos for her graduation announcement. We worked on about eight or so different looks, most in the air, but some on the floor. Thankfully, I could keep her within the constraints of 9' grey seamless paper, as my 12' paper was getting kinda funky. Three lights altogether, all Elinchrom ELB 400's with Action heads. The first used all three, with strip lights placed slightly behind, with a large Recta as key. The key light on the second shot is a simple 7" reflector fitted with a 50-degree grid, boomed directly overhead, about eight feet up, and a barely perceptual strip light held horizontally just above floor level to open up the shadows behind the dancer.
Steve, you have graced us with your dance photos! I always enjoy seeing them on your FB page, and so nice that you share some here as well. Finally!
The first one is just killer! So much energy, you caught her at the right moment, love the lines of her legs, her hands are exquisite, and the final touch is her soft facial expression and her hair flying behind her. I hope she doesn't just use this for her grad announcement. This should be printed huge!!!
Love the second shot as well, and I love how different they look based on your lighting choices. The first one is all about energy, the second one all about drama.
Both are really good, but my strong preference is the first photo! The second is a nice photo, but the pose and lighting seem to fight each other. While she has great lines, etc, the light and shadows on her body are too hit and miss. Just personal preference.
Fantastic work Steve! Both are excellent, but for me the first one stands out more. The action and her great lines and the great balance between sculpting her with the light along soft gradation of gray in the background really goes together well. She has to be ecstatic with these and I’d love to see a couple more if possible.
