Posts Tagged ‘photography’

Viennese Waltz Professional Show – Tech Thursday

Photographing professional dancers on the floor is a privilege! Being an amateur ballroom dancer, I appreciate the work that is put into these shows. From a strictly technical standpoint, I admire the ease with which dancers can move so quickly across the floor together not missing a step especially with EVERYONE at the event watching. This is also a targeted audience – they all have an interest and knowledge in dancing, and many are colleagues and mentors that coach and cheer on each other.

Sheraton Tysons

This post focuses on the Viennese Waltz show performed by the Arthur Murray studio of Silver Spring, MD. There was someone that made a great video of the performance. At this time, I am following all of these with my eye to the viewfinder. Due to the nature of photography I miss parts of these because of the job I am there to do. I am grateful to those that take the time to create and post these so I can see them later. I can compare how the photos represent the same scene very differently. The photos create more dimension with lighting, and colors can be saturated with the flash. With the video, you see the movement of the dancers, the music echoing in the room, the audience reaction to the performance. Here are some of my favorites from the show along with the time markers on the video where the images were captured. Thanks to K Vidal for posting!

©TimeLine Media - Arthur Murray Silver Spring
0:12 on the video – Arthur Murray Silver Spring Viennese Waltz ©TimeLine Media
©TimeLine Media - Arthur Murray Silver Spring
1:35 on the video – Arthur Murray Silver Spring ©TimeLine Media
©TimeLine Media - Arthur Murray Silver Spring
2:41 on the video – Arthur Murray Silver Spring ©TimeLine Media

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

Fashion NoVA – Springfield Golf and Country Club

©TimeLine Media - Fashion show at SGCCVA

This last Fashion NoVA show held by Northern Virginia Magazine was the most intimate and low key of the shows I covered for them. The understated and classic setting provided by the Springfield Golf and Country Club was a nice backdrop to present these designs. A grand ballroom with large windows was where the runway was setup for the models to walk. This is a beautiful space to hold any large reception be it for corporate events, or weddings.

Springfield Golf and Country Club

©TimeLine Media - Fashion show at SGCCVA
©TimeLine Media – Fashion show at SGCCVA

From a photography standpoint, I needed to add a lot of light from this position to balance out the light from outside. Luckily, it was overcast outside, so the light coming in was even. Very bright sun would have come in directly through the windows making it even harder, but at least the clouds helped out there. I used one large strobe in a softbox to fill in the light of the room. I used the softbox to soften the shadows as they fell on the model’s faces and clothes. Hard shadows is a look that could have worked here especially since the models were very well made up by stylists before the start of the show, but I think the clothes may not have been represented as well.

©TimeLine Media - Fashion show at SGCCVA
©TimeLine Media – Fashion show at SGCCVA
©TimeLine Media - Fashion show at SGCCVA
©TimeLine Media – Fashion show at SGCCVA

The light was flattering for their faces with a nice light coming from the side, and falling to a nice shadow away from the strobe. It was also balanced well against the sun coming in from behind the runway. I will post more on the blog in future posts, but I wanted to thank Truly Gil and Crystan Blanco from Northern Virginia Magazine for having me cover these shows for them. They worked really hard to put these diverse shows together!

©TimeLine Media - Fashion show at SGCCVA
©TimeLine Media – Fashion show at SGCCVA

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

Arthur Murray Gaithersburg – Professional Show

©TimeLine Media - Viennese Waltz by Arthur Murray Gaithersburg, MD

Another beautiful professional show on the blog today. This time, a Viennese Waltz by the Arthur Murray Gaithersburg, MD studio. the Viennese Waltz is one of the most challenging dances involving speed and precision with the footwork while keeping everything smooth and flowing across the floor. It is an awesome dance to photograph when done by experienced dancers. In this performance, the dancers moved easily and added some holds with beautiful lines towards the audience.

©TimeLine Media - Viennese Waltz by Arthur Murray Gaithersburg, MD
©TimeLine Media – Viennese Waltz by Arthur Murray Gaithersburg, MD

The strength to life the lady off the floor – make it look effortless, and for her to make it look like she is floating effortlessly adds to the mood of this dance. It changes from patterns on the floor to more of a story told in movement.

©TimeLine Media - Viennese Waltz by Arthur Murray Gaithersburg, MD
©TimeLine Media – Viennese Waltz by Arthur Murray Gaithersburg, MD

It may seem lucky that I catch the dancers with the best angle for these lines, but it is on purpose that find myself there. I try to be in the best spot to capture performances. Professionals are mindful of the audience position so I try to stay straight along the longest side of the floor. From many previous shows, I have seen how I have missed so many opportunities just by having my camera along the wrong side. I can still make images, but they do not have the same impact. The background are messier, and many times, I can only get one half of the couple on the floor if they are not lined up to me correctly. Now, I use this as a guide to set my lights and camera in the best position to get these! A little pre-planning goes a long way.

©TimeLine Media - Viennese Waltz by Arthur Murray Gaithersburg, MD
©TimeLine Media – Viennese Waltz by Arthur Murray Gaithersburg, MD
©TimeLine Media - Viennese Waltz by Arthur Murray Gaithersburg, MD
©TimeLine Media – Viennese Waltz by Arthur Murray Gaithersburg, MD

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

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