IanDavidson Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 There is an international Latin and Ballroom dancing competition near where I live. I have had agreement from the organisers to take photographs. I have never undertaken dance photography before. I have a couple of questions. Having checked on Alamy these type of images do not seem to sell well, if at all, so the first question: is it worth my time (although I am assuming the experience will be worth it). Second, the lighting in the hall is poor and flash is not allowed. My camera (a Nikon D5) is good at low light but some noise is inevitable; does this mean that I will not be able to use them for stock in any case? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vpics Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 How do you know these images are not selling well? Dance photography is mainly sports photography in total darkness. Use high ISO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeCee Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 4 minutes ago, IanDavidson said: There is an international Latin and Ballroom dancing competition near where I live. I have had agreement from the organisers to take photographs. I have never undertaken dance photography before. I have a couple of questions. Having checked on Alamy these type of images do not seem to sell well, if at all, so the first question: is it worth my time (although I am assuming the experience will be worth it). Second, the lighting in the hall is poor and flash is not allowed. My camera (a Nikon D5) is good at low light but some noise is inevitable; does this mean that I will not be able to use them for stock in any case? I've a fair bit of stuff on here at high iso ratings - needs must now and then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanDavidson Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share Posted October 1, 2017 Thank you for your comments. I will be using a 70-200mm F2.8 and a prime 50mm F1.8 Interestingly, I was just looking at the DxO OpticsPro 11 Elite which is highly rated for noise removal but seems to be quite expensive as I already rent Lightroom and Photoshop. I know that ballroom photos do not appear to sell well by undertaking an image search inside AIM. I know this is not conclusive but it is indicative. I thought given how popular Strictly is and in general the popularity of ballroom there would be a market - but, not for the first time, I appear to be wrong. I will give the event photography issue a try to see if that works. Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vpics Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Just one more hint. If you're using high ISO eg 3200, don't underexpose your images. Any underexposure in high ISO will create lots of grain. So, if you overexpose slightly, you should be fine. Start off setting your minimum speed at 250th as Gerard has mentioned. I've done lots of dance photography in the past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedSnapper Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 A D5 and ƒ2.8 and ƒ1.8 lenses? No problem....I use that combination daily... punt them in as Live News (within an hour of the event) if you can find a good hook for the story. km Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brasilnut Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Get creative and try some silhouettes if the subjects are back lit: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njene Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 40 minutes ago, Brasilnut said: Get creative and try some silhouettes if the subjects are back lit: Those people are standing around, hes shooting dancers in constant motion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vpics Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 50 minutes ago, Brasilnut said: Get creative and try some silhouettes if the subjects are back lit: 8 minutes ago, njene said: Those people are standing around, hes shooting dancers in constant motion Maybe something like this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brasilnut Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 ^^ yes, just to illustrate the effect. Unfortunately I don't have any dancer pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedSnapper Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Shame you can't use off-camera flash..it's a god-send in dark venues..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kuta Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 One of our sons shoots a lot of ice skating by his daughters and their club. Lighting is generally poor (usually basically the house lights for hockey), and the skaters are moving fast. He's used a 70-200mm f2.8, a 50mm f1.8 and other lenses on his full-frame Nikon, but now his go-to lens for that is a Sigma 135mm f1.8 (one of their ART lenses). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 14 hours ago, vpics said: Maybe something like this? Solar orbit is a bit out of the budget range probably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanDavidson Posted June 1, 2018 Author Share Posted June 1, 2018 It was a successful shoot, thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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