As I have been processing the shots from the last two dance events, I’ve noticed a few things about my tendencies and motivations. Something that makes dance photography very satisfying to me is that parts of it are very easy for me, but there is still a technical and creative challenge in every dance. Something that stood out among all the lyrical pictures I was just processing, is that I photograph the dancer in a box. The box is a boundary that I see the dance in. It is defined by the music and the intentions of the dancer. The moment that I look for while shooting is the one with the most drama - the peak of movement or a graceful fleeting pause. Lyrical dancing has a lot of that and as with all dance, it is intrinsically tied to the music. When I can get it right, I can see the box the dancer is in, so when they push up on an imaginary wall, I knew where it was going to be. When they back away from or lean toward something, I know where it is. Usually. I suppose that’s where the performance of the dance is very enjoyable to me. When I can follow the movements, but still be surprised at their style or execution, I have a perfect subject.

Dance season has started and I’ve shot two events in two weeks. The first event also included the debut solo performance of my oldest child and the second, my youngest. This is a busy period in the household.

The images from both events were very good. Much better I believe than most of my shooting last year. The second event had incredibly generous lighting and I tried to exploit it as best I could. The performances were all very good and better dancing makes it much easier to photograph.

This is also an example of how equipment can really make a difference. The performance of the 5D in dynamic range and high iso noise is amazing. I shot thousands of ISO 1600 frames with the 30D last year and I know what they look like. And I’ve been very happy with them. The 5D changes all that. It gives me so much more detail. I have to sacrifice in reach, but can often make up with it by cropping and still having a better image. It’s also a slower camera, but that hasn’t been a problem. I shoot dance very deliberately, I try and only shoot the right moment, not everything else around it, so 3 fps was not a limitation.

The combination of great performances and wonderful lighting conditions resulted in some very nice images. I’m very proud of them. I enjoy watching (or hearing about) people enjoy them. So I was pleased to discover that many of my images became the myspace profile pics of many of the girls who were featured, overnight. The images on my site are watermarked with my abbreviated logo in the lower right corner. I like it because it is obvious, but mostly unobtrusive. The only downside is that it doesn’t show my name or website. I do want the exposure of these images to increase the awareness of their value. So I made a little-bigger watermark, this time with my name on it. It’s is larger than before, but it somehow turns the better images into little ads - they sometimes look cinematic even. Odd.