Archive of ‘Photography’ category

Wedding photos – Ruth & Don – part 1

Wedding photo - Rassi Borneo - www.timelinedc.com

Palmyra, PA – This was a crisp, beautiful day in December for wedding photos. I have known Ruth for a long time – she attended my 2nd birthday party. (This was proven by film in fact, not by my recollection.) Her parents have been friends with my parents for long before we were around. So, it was quite an honor that she asked me to photograph her wedding to Don. We met earlier in the Fall, and we looked through weddings albums. Some that I had made, and some of her family’s wedding albums. This overall helped to plan what we wanted to shoot on her wedding day. I think we were able to get a lot of nice images.

Wedding photos – Portraits

Wedding photo - Rassi Borneo - www.timelinedc.com

Portraits of the bride and groom are some of my favorite images from the wedding day. There is so much going on, so many people around that it’s nice way for photographers to give them a chance to breathe. We can say, “Sorry – I need to get a few shots without any distracting things in the background.” The groom never seems to have as many “getting ready” shots – I wonder why?

After finishing the shots of Ruth adjusting her dress, and veil, I went over to the church to see how the guys were doing. The room where the groom and groomsmen were getting ready had a strip window on the door to the outside. I used this like a strip-light, a long rectangular softbox that creates a beautiful light for the groom. It was just luck that behind the groom in the background was a sign “God is Love.”

The ceremony in their church with friends and family attending was one of the most personal I have attended. They were blessed to have all their parents there to witness the ceremony, and Ruth’s brother sang during the ceremony. I always consider it a privilege to photograph weddings. But this in particular was special for me since I knew one of the families. They treated me as a guest, not just a vendor, and I think it pushed me to get the best images of their day.

Wedding photo - Rassi Borneo - www.timelinedc.com

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Arthur Murray Fall Freestyles

Arthur Murray ballroom dance photo - www.timelinedc.com

Arthur Murray Fall Freestyles – Professional Showcases

Just a quick post today! These were from the showcase dances that capped off the DC Area Arthur Murray Fall Freestyles last September. The dancers represented the Alexandria, Ashburn, Columbia, and Tysons Corner studios. After 2 days of dancing, and a highly contested team match pitting Maryland vs. Virginia, these dances kept everyone on the edge of their seats until the end.

This is the highlight for the photographers as well! The action is the focus of the entire room. The dancers plan to perform to the crowd, so I position myself in the best spot to get the photos, and just follow the dancers around the floor. It’s a nice way to end an event – to capture great action photos of professionals doing their best to excite the audience, and propel them to continue to better their own dancing. So many of these I save for my portfolio, and I enjoy sharing them with the studios after the event. The dancers put so much effort into these showcases, and I hope to capture in stills what they are conveying in motion long after they have performed.

Arthur Murray ballroom dance photo - www.timelinedc.com
Arthur Murray ballroom dance photo - www.timelinedc.com

Portfolio Image

The following photo was one of my favorites for the year. When I first started taking ballroom dance photos, one my favorite moments to capture was just before the start of the dance. You may catch confidence nerves, preparedness, but in smooth dances, you almost always catch quiet. The entire room awaited the start of the dance. The previous rhythm dance got the crowd off their feet in applause, so the room was still buzzing with energy when these two walked out on the floor. They took their time to get into position, then waited for the quiet before starting, and I took one photo.

The lights were setup so that there would be some falloff from the flash before it hit the back wall opposite from my shooting position. This helps to emphasize the dancers, separating them from the background. When I got this image into the computer, I pushed the exposure on the dancer just a tick in Photoshop leaving the background where it was. Her dress is made by “Designs to Shine” and I think the little boost helps to emphasize the shine!

Arthur Murray ballroom dance photo - www.timelinedc.com

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DC Dance Challenge

DC Dance Challenge – Spanish Ballroom

These photos are from last Fall’s event held at the Spanish Ballroom in Glen Echo Park in Glen Echo, MD. This historic venue has a feel that is unique in the Washington DC area. The restored Mediterranean Art Deco building has a floor perfectly made for dancing. The long ballroom, and light-colored walls makes for some great photos too! Throughout the day, I used the color of the walls and the sunlight to my advantage. Ballroom dance events usually don’t have natural light available for me to use. In the evening, though, I changed the setups because the sun had already set. Moreover I wanted to give the photos from the evening a different look than the ones during the day.

Ballroom Dance Photo - www.timelinedc.com - TimeLine Media

Professional Shows

This first photo from the professional showcase shows the harder shadows on the faces. This also lets the subjects pop out from the background by having a larger contrast between them and the background. The lights were moved to make a more cross light pattern across the front of the camera. This is opposed to having the light come from behind the camera. You cannot help but get more contrasty shadows when objects project them. However, it is much easier to separate the elements for emphasis. This is something I have tried at a few events, and I really like how it works both for faces, and for the dresses that the dancers wear.

Ballroom Dance Photo - www.timelinedc.com - TimeLine Media

Colors are more saturated in this setup, and the white balance it easier to manage since you are no longer putting the wall-color into play. The directness of the flash means you can set your white balance to Flash, and have skin tones perfectly dialed in making post processing much easier as well. The drama is also heightened as the focus on the action subjects is really funneled down to the dancers in the sweet spot of the flashes of light. I really like this look, and will continue to refine this at other events this year. If you are interested in the DC Dance Challenge, this year’s event stay tuned to their website as details become available.

Ballroom Dance Photo - www.timelinedc.com - TimeLine Media

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