#TBT - Dance Photos with a Classic, Timeless Appeal

With our daughter starting dance class this week at Center Stage School of the Arts, we thought it might be a good time to revisit some photos we captured for them back in early 2006….

The vision was to represent the young dancer and their goal in reaching for the skills of the older, experienced dancer…an attempt to create a visual representation of the dream. So, in the cold of February we interrupted a dress rehearsal at the John Elliot Theatre and set about to capture the magic!

Utilizing one of the owner’s very young daughter, we pitched our lights around the theatre and set up our tripod on stage. Our young dancer was very operative, and very mesmerized by the ballerina in front of her! We got a bunch of great shots relatively quickly - which was good, because we were surrounded by dancers who wanted to keep rehearsing! - but we took a bit more time away from their practice to get a different look.

Studio lighting is the professional photographers tool for ensuring that you are able to get a proper exposure of all elements of the final image - to create a 2D image you need to be aware of all the light in the three dimensional world. On four of the examples below, there’s a light specifically for the red seats, and another light on the stage (to the side) to light up the dancers. The positioning of the lights is critical to highlight features of the environment, create the shape of the shadows and the overall feel of the photograph. The image changes when the direction of the light changes - for example, a “direct” light source like a flash mounted on the camera will light up the subject in front of the lens but darken down the background!

After getting some great shots, we just weren’t satisfied the we got “the” shot…so we made some adjustments. We turned off our lights and adjusted the camera exposure settings to the spot light provided. It accentuated the shadows on the stage and provided a lovely glowing effect around the subjects that the powerful studio lights had minimized. By that point, our tiny model was providing some awesome expressions that captured the joy and wonderment of a youngster entranced by dance!

We did use one little trick though…to help keep the little one focused on reaching for the ballerina’s leg, we placed a tiny piece of duct tape on the tights! Kids just can’t resist grabbing that sticky tape!!!

Although they are almost 14 years old, these images still stand up to the test of time…and they are still proudly displayed in the ballet studio at Center Stage for the next set of tiny dancers to be inspired to reach for their dreams!

Check out some other Dance stuff we’ve done in the past by clicking here. Let us know what you think! We’d love to hear from you!

Amy & Jeff

Our First Experience Photographing Twins

The conventional wisdom on having more of any one thing could be positive or negative, depending on your perspective.

And this is certainly true when contemplating Twin Children!

The details are a bit foggy, but I recall the first time we took photos of these twin boys in Milton. It was the first time that I went to the Town Hall courtyard; it felt like I’d stumbled upon a secret garden oasis! We’ve done photos there a few times since, but it has been a while.

What we’ve come to appreciate over the years is that toddlers are busy - and when there’s two of them, it can feel like more than double! The last family photo of the slideshow below proves that - on the run the moment the feet hit the ground!

I’m not sure how we managed to get these two to look at the camera, while sitting still, AND having a pleasant expression all in one moment…but there have been times that we can use a little trick, and I suspect that may have been the case…

When photographing a very active toddler, we’ll let them tootle around a bit to see if we can get them positioned where we want them. More times than not, they won’t stop moving - who can blame them when there’s soooo much to do! - but sometimes, if you pick them up and place them on a stool or chair, or bench, like the photo above, they will stop completely and look right at the camera! It’s usually most successful when there’s a bit of danger involved - if the object they sit on is just a bit taller than they’re used to, a bit of fear kicks in and they don’t move!!!

(a bit of a disclaimer on the above - they will move eventually, so photos need to be taken quickly, and an adult needs to be close by to step in and catch them if they start to fall!)

The above photo was a very large sample for years in our office…we just loved it! What do you think? Leave us a comment below, or reach out on social media!

Jeff

Our First Georgetown Session

I need to be a little specific about something…and it may seem a little bit A-type, which I am certainly not described as usually.

Peggy was not our first Georgetown client, technically, but she was the first session we photographed in town. Someone did book a session date with us first - for the life of me, I can’t remember who - but the date she chose came before whoever gave us our first booking.

She asked us to come to her place on 17th Side road and photograph her family…which turned out to be her with her dogs!

With most children, sometimes they don’t do exactly what you’d wish they would do on picture day…and Peggy’s dogs were no exception. If memory serves, she had three at the time, but there was no way we were getting all of them together in one photograph! We did get a few of her with two of them together who cooperated - I’ve always loved the photo with the doggie kisses above.

We came to find out that Peggy raised these animals to be service dogs. She would (usually) take them as pups and live with them through the process of being trained. I don’t recall specifically the name of the organization (update - one of the photos has a “Dog Guides” coffee mug in it!), but we would often see her around town with one of her “kids” wearing a green vest, identifying them as being trained for future service.

I haven’t seen her in a while; I do know from a neighbour that she recently sold her property on 17th Side Road…but I still find myself glancing towards that house when I pass by!

Enjoy some of the shots in the slideshow below from the session…it’s a trip looking back at them for me! I forgot she had a little pond on the property; the last pic below is framed in our dining room! Let us know what you think by commenting below, or reaching out on our social media channels!

Jeff

#TBT #locpstories