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Archive of ‘Photography’ category

Ballroom Dance, Event, Photography | 0 comment

American Star Ball Photo Sale Ending

2014 American Star Ball Championships - ©TimeLine Media
2014 American Star Ball Championships – ©TimeLine Media

Atlantic City, NJ

The early-bird sale on all orders from the 2014 American Star Ball ends tonight! Right now, all prices on prints, albums, and digital downloads are all discounted at the TimeLine Media proofing site from this event. After Monday June 9, 2014, the sale prices will expire, and prices will go to their normal rates. The photos will still be viewable on the website until September 15, 2014. Be on the look out here on the email list for any other special pricing that may be offered over the summer. Here is a directly link to the photos:

http://proofs.timelinedc.com

2014 American Star Ball Championships - ©TimeLine Media
2014 American Star Ball Championships – ©TimeLine Media 

There were so many great images from this event. I really enjoyed the variety of dance categories on display. In addition to the competitive amateur and pro-am heats, there were lots of solo showcases, dance formations, and even some live singing!

2014 American Star Ball Championships - ©TimeLine Media
2014 American Star Ball Championships – ©TimeLine Media

We are so thankful to everyone that have visited the website and picked up some of their favorite images. The dancers came to the competition so prepared with their dancing, and woke up early each morning to get their hair and makeup ready. I had to make sure I was ready to capture all of their hard work in photos. It was nice to see familiar people on the dance floor and at the booth during breaks. You gave us such nice compliments on our photos, and am happy that we can provide you prints for you to share. Online, we have seen lots of our images being passed along in Facebook which is always a thrill. Thanks again to Amanda and Ilya Reyzin, the organizers, for having us cover their event. We hope to be back again next year!

2014 American Star Ball Championships - ©TimeLine Media
2014 American Star Ball Championships – ©TimeLine Media

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

Event, Personal, Photography, Travel | 0 comment

Smithsonian Buildings Tilt Shift

Washington, DC

The blog has been very ballroom dance heavy the last week. The dancing photos have just been a big part of my computer time, so I had them at the top of mind lately. I’ll start switching the subject out today. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to walk around some Smithsonian museum buildings in Washington, DC.

Kryptos statue - Washington, DC - ©TimeLine Media
Kryptos statue – Washington, DC – ©TimeLine Media

During the summertime months, the area is filled with groups of tourists, school groups, and other visitors to the city. Mixed with all the government workers going about their business, it is a busy time for this area. I blended in much more with the tourists pointing their cameras at all the recognizable buildings.

Lens Practice

For this walk, I just had one lens on my camera – the 24mm PC-E tilt shift. I wanted to make more comparisons with some larger buildings than the ones in my neighborhood. The Hirshhorn Museum was one that I wanted to try. There are usually not as many pedestrians or large buses parked by the Jefferson Street side, so I went there for my test. Here are the two images, the first uncorrected with the camera pointing up towards the building, the second shifted to straighten the lines of the facade.

Hirshhorn Musem - Washington, DC - perspective uncorrected - ©TimeLine Media
Hirshhorn Musem – Washington, DC – perspective uncorrected – ©TimeLine Media
Hirshhorn Musem - Washington, DC - perspective corrected - ©TimeLine Media
Hirshhorn Musem – Washington, DC – perspective corrected – ©TimeLine Media

The second is really a different view than what you see as you drive by. The main circular section looks to be suspended in mid air one story above street level. As you take photos of the building when you walk by, the “leaning back” perspective is what you normally see from close below the structure. The corrected version seems so straight, that it does not look right to my eyes! When drawing straight lines, though, everything lines up as it would on a sheet of paper if you were making a blueprint of the building. This was my first try, and it will probably not be the last time that I go back to a familiar place that I am accustomed to seeing with distorted vision due to perspective.

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

Ballroom Dance, Event, Photography, Technology | 2 Comments

Follow Subjects for Better Photos – Tech Thursday

Technique

It has been a very busy ballroom dance photography time! We have had a lot of amazing events to cover in the last month. I am finally completely through all of them and have them available to view online. We do have a little break here until we have another dance event. With this in mind I am taking a step back to review the images. With a few new photographers helping us at events, I have been asked about how I take photos. This is probably the most I have reflected on this process in a while. Usually I am just worried about getting to the location, and getting setup. Finally I make sure we have everything to do the job successfully without losing any images.

American Star Ball Championships - ©TimeLine Media
American Star Ball Championships – ©TimeLine Media

My best piece of advice for photographing ballroom dance or any sporting event, is to follow your subjects with your eye in the viewfinder. Some of the dancers are moving so fast that you would not be able to catch that moment in a frame. By the time you see the moment, then put your eye to the camera, the dancers may already be passed you, or their position may have changed where now the angle is not quite right. If you always have your eye in the camera, and follow the action, you will have a much better chance of catching that perfect frame of very fast action.

Dance Photography

Baltimore Dancesport Challenge - ©TimeLine Media
Baltimore Dancesport Challenge – ©TimeLine Media

This lesson is applicable on both a crowded dance floor or on a showcase of only one couple on the floor at once. If you try to photograph at Professional Standard competition, there are only a few moments where you can catch both dancer’s faces in the light. Their constant closed hold makes it easy to get either one of the dancers, but getting both can be tough unless you are tracking their movements. If there is only one couple on the floor, the job is easier as the distractions are much less. But all the same, you cannot just watch them with your eye out of the viewfinder, then see them start a line, and expect to get it framed up and captured well. This is the challenge, and the fun of photographing dancers on the floor! I am sure as I go through more of these photos, I will come up with more tips. I hope you enjoy all the photos currently on the website, and I will be back to making more soon!

Arthur Murray Spring Freestyles - ©TimeLine Media
Arthur Murray Spring Freestyles – ©TimeLine Media
USA Dance Mid-Atlantic Championships - ©TimeLine Media
USA Dance Mid-Atlantic Championships – follow dancers on the floor ©TimeLine Media

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

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