I lately have been gifted the opportunity to be the photographer of very talented high school senior dancers here in Los angeles, specifically Pasadena CA. I can’t tell you how much fun it is to shoot and capture such talented dancers whom are young and in high school. These high school seniors are so confident and truly love to dance and perform.
I realize that not only am I a high school senior portrait photographer, but the love I have for dance has given me the eye and precision timing of a action shot such as a dancer leaping in the air as a “one time shot / take”. My timing is perfect 99.99% of the time Ha Ha ! Shooting a dance studio in Los Angeles LADC has given me the ability to know angles, dance names and I recognize if a foot is sickle in ballet for instance. The little small simple details matter to a dance instructor and shooting along side one gives me the tools to recognize such details.
Dance has become so popular with TV shows like “So you think you can dance”. They are my favorite type of dancers who give it their all and leave it on stage. You need to have athleticism as a dancer. You need to be versatile and know different styles of dance. I feel the combination of a high school senior dancer is not as know as the cheerleader and football player around school. A senior dancer is on their way to college and choose dance as a major. I really applaud them for following their dreams and putting themselves out there. It is not easy to be in that position at that age. But I think that is why I admire their strength and drive. I think how much it has taken me to put myself out their to be judged by my piers and audience as a Los angeles based photographer. It’s tough out there. But we must do it. Either for earning a living selling portrait photography, or you do it because it is your passion and you’ll do anything to do what you do best in front of everyone.
It is my role as a photographer to capture the dancer at their peak and at their best for that millisecond in time. This millisecond needs to convey or speak almost as much as the entire dance. The impact should or needs to be there. I feel that it is really important to capture the talented dancer in such a way that you immediately see their soul through the dance, the dancer, and the image. They all need to dance together to get the picture.