Tip For Dance Photos: Keep the Focus!

This is a very important tip for doing beautiful dance photos.  It’s the focus issue, when doing movement. It’s a big challenge to keep the focus when you’re doing movement. The way I deal with it is that I take the focus ahead of time (where the dancer is going to end up) and hold it until the instant I click the shutter, when the dancer is at their ultimate extension of the movement.   And I keep the focus in the center of the body.  I don’t follow the dancer.  I keep the camera still.

Another very important thing is to position one self on the same level as the dancer, otherwise their legs will appear short.  I sometimes even sit on a chair for that to happen, depending on the size of the model.

And then of course the most important part of this process is to be willing to do the movement over and over again until all the elements are in place.  The photo I’m posting was the fourth jump. Have fun!