Movement, lines and jumps caught sharp, for auditions, companies and shows.
Pricing
Shooting and retouching are both £95 an hour, so you know the cost before you book.
Unretouched images the same day. Retouched images within three working days, by WeTransfer.
Studio A is about 700 sq ft, and the lights hang from a ceiling rail, so the floor stays clear. It suits jumps, leaps and turns; for a long travelling sequence we can shoot on location instead.
Your performance shoes, two or three costumes, including something plain that shows your lines, and anything you need to warm up. Arrive ready to dance.
Yes. Tell me how many dancers and what the pictures are for, and I’ll suggest whether the studio or a location works better.
£95 an hour, with the studio and every image included.
More about
Dance pictures are judged on line, so the job is to catch the exact moment a position is complete. I photograph dancers at Studio A in Kentish Town, for audition and agency submissions, company publicity, show posters and dancers’ own portfolios.
Before the day, tell me what the pictures are for. An audition panel wants clear, honest technique; a show poster wants drama and space for text. That decides the backdrop, the light and the framing.
To stop a jump in mid-air I use studio flash, which freezes the body far more cleanly than daylight can. We usually repeat each jump several times, and I watch the timing with you between takes so we can adjust the run-up, the arms or the point of the feet.
The ceiling rail system keeps the lights off the floor, which gives you clear space to move. Bring the shoes you perform in, and warm up properly before you arrive, because the best jumps tend to come in the first half of the session rather than the end.
Not every dance photograph needs to be pin sharp. For a year I photographed more than 15 dancers in the studio for my own project, which ended in an exhibition in Shoreditch. The aim was to show what dancing feels like from the inside, so I worked close to each dancer and sometimes kept the blur in on purpose.
If that kind of picture suits you better than a crisp audition shot, we can do both in one session: sharp frames first, then a looser, more expressive set.
Tutus, leotards and flowing skirts read very differently against light and dark grounds. A pale costume on black looks graphic; a dark one against a coloured backdrop shows the shape of the body. I can also light you as a silhouette, so only the outline of a pose shows.
Bring two or three costumes if you can, including one that shows your lines clearly, such as a plain leotard.
Tell me what you need, and I’ll come back with a quote.
Thanks. Speak soon.
I’ll reply within 24 hours with availability and a quote. — Paul
