YFJ: Catching Dance

Eric Lee is here weekly to write to you about DIY photography and cinematography. Straight out of high school, Eric is sharing his ways hoping to learn from his readers as well, only hoping to get better every day.

How do you capture moments that can happen in less than 1 second? A camera can shoot 3.7 frames per second to 10 frames per second, even my Canon Film SLR can shoot 10fps with the power grip locked on; but a camera is only a tool. A tool is only as good as the person using it. Today’s post is about shooting sports and action scenes. I started dancing at my high school freshman year. It wasn’t something I thought I would be recognized for, nor would it be something I loved. You would be amazed at the number of hours I watch of dance and the hours I spend choreographing or just dancing. Just last year, my junior year of high school, I got this camera, a Nikon. It was my first one with an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 VR and a 55-200mm f/4.-5.6 . It was for my musical tour of Italy in Florence and Rome. Fast forwarding to my senior year, dance concert was coming around the corner for me. It’s an annual show which choreographers, juniors and seniors in the “advanced dance class,” create pieces to be shown later. With minimal guidance, they are left to create a masterpiece that lasts 4 minutes. Every year there are photos of the dances taken to remember the journey of “Dance Concert.”

Just this today, it will be specifically about dance, next week will probably be about other sports and action clips. Dance stands in an awkward position; its physical education, but also art. It’s also sometimes awkward to photograph. Sometimes the crop is too wide, or just too darn close to even focus. Sometimes the motion is blurred and not sharp at all. Well here are a few tips when shooting dance (tips that can also carry over to other sports!):

1) Shoot at a high shutter speed. This way you can make sure you capture the moment flawlessly.

2) If you’re going to shoot a group, shoot at a lower f stop, so everything get’s into focus. To compensate for lighting, just up your ISO!

3) Timing, timing, timing. Not every movement is necessary to be caught. Only the exciting bits. Jumps, pirouettes, leaps, freezes, tuts, flips, etc. Go catch those. Also if a jump is happening, you don’t want to be too early! Sure a camera can capture X frames per second, but you need to be the only to hold the shutter at the right time!

4) Shooting straight at or slightly below a dancer is better than shooting above. Dancers tend to look straight out compared to actors who look up at a balcony. Their body positions are also not the same. Shooting straight at a dancer has more connection to it.

5) You can use a flash, but a majority of the time you are not allowed to. Flash is good for staged shooting; this will cause your camera to catch the brightened subject at a higher shutter speed.

6) You can pre focus where someone is about to be so that way, when the action happens your auto focus doesn’t need to fumble to find the subject. If you’re using pro gear that has 39+ focusing points; good for you never mind this tip.

These are a few of my shots of dance. If you want to see me dance, I don’t have a video, but check out MY choreography. Dance, to me, was something to fill my time between soccer season and baseball season; or I thought so in my freshman year. I got picked into Shanaye’s dance. A hip hop/modern piece with an ill beat. My only part in the dance was to come on stage and do a 16-24beat combination. From then on, my passion for dance blossomed. I signed up for the school’s course, signed up for more roles, and even started taking outside classes. It’s something that let me express myself in a way that was vigorous, but yet so suave. Next year at Gettysburg College, I plan to keep dancing. I can’t wait to dance. I’m actually working on a short film/dance piece with my friend Corina, who happens to be this week’s artist of the week. She’s short, but can move like a bird. She also draws and paints so well, I thought it was the work of Monet (not Manet! I took art history I know the difference now). I wish she had a flickr so I could show you her work; I’ll ask her and I’ll edit the post then. I’m also making a music video with my friend Henry, HMillie. This summer is filled with art and I can’t wait to keep pursuing.

Don’t for get to go to itselee.tumblr.com for updates of my photo blog.

Check out the New York Times article on shooting a dance performance.

Photography by Eric Lee

This is a move I proposed to my dancers. They looked at me like I was crazy. I took this shot in our dance studio during a rehearsal. Adam G, on top, does a butterfly kick, while Kevon, in the middle, jumps from a plank position, as Adam M slides across towards Adam G’s starting position.

Secret Assignment #4

When you watch a show, or walk around the city, photograph or film dance from an interesting perspective. It would be great to see what your city or town has to offer. I also want to see how you view dance through your lens.

Eric Lee is a young Brooklyn based artist. Fresh from high school and moving on to college, Eric is writing about his experiences as the young cinematographer and photographer he is today.