Tips for Capturing Quality Dance Photos with photographer Shoccara Marcus
Dance is a visual art, but that doesn’t mean it always needs a stage to shine. Whether it be to enhance your portfolio or to update your social media profile, having some nicely shot dance photos taken are always a great idea.
While it’s best to hire a professional photographer to capture your dance moves on camera, your budget or other restrictions might require you to try to take your own professional-looking dance photographs at home. If you’re up for the challenge, we chatted with professional dancer and photographer Shoccara Marcus to gather tips for shooting quality photos at home!
Keep reading for Shoccara’s Pro-Tips. You’ll also find a few Dancer Tips from our followers on Instagram, who provided some great pointers for fellow do-it-yourselfers.
Related: A Quick Guide to Revamping your Dance Social Media Profile
Setting the Scene
Before you begin your photo shoot, you’ll need to do a bit of brainstorming and preparation. Think about what image you are trying to capture and how you can best capture it. Consider your background or environment, your lighting, and your wardrobe.
Vibe
What do you want the viewer to see, feel, and walk away with after seeing your photos? Think of this as you brainstorm the vibe of your shoot.
Pro Tip: Are the photos for your portfolio, an audition, your website, a brochure, advertising for dance classes, or a studio website? Use the purpose of the shoot to determine what you need to capture in the photos. “You have to be clear of your intent prior to the shoot so that you can check off all of those boxes,” Shoccara says.
Background
Your background could make or break your photo. Since you are going for a professional look, make sure you don’t have any junk or unwanted distractions in your photo.
Pro Tip: “Get in front of a solid wall. Don’t fight with a backdrop,” Shoccara says. Trying to set up and control a backdrop while shooting self-portraits can be complicated and frustrating, especially for an amateur photographer.
Dancer Tip: If you want to try to create a uniform color from floor to ceiling, try this tip from @theniafaith on Instagram: “Put a solid coloured sheet on the floor as a backdrop - it can be edited to look like any color.”
Lighting
Discovering the perfect lighting is the best way to ensure your photos look crisp, clean, and as professional as possible.
Pro Tip: “My suggestion would be natural light because if you get a lamp or you get some other type of lighting source, you’re not going to have a modifier to soften the light, and you’ll see all these harsh shadows, so you don’t want to see those. Natural light will be the best. It’s beautiful and it’ll be even,” Shoccara says.
Dancer Tips:
“The best lighting is typically in your backyard right before sunset!” - @felizianay
“Take advantage of natural morning light by posing near windows in the early morning” - @charlottefelicityblake
“When we got a ring light it made our photos and videos wayyy better!” - @quincythomas_
Environment
Perhaps you would like to shoot some pictures in the street or another public location. If so, you’ll need to make sure the environment isn’t taking away from you as the subject of your photo. The following tips may help you as you try this at home.
Pro Tips:
“If you are outside, you want to get something that’s less distracting because the focus is on your body. You want to make sure that you’re not in front of too many things that are blocking the viewer’s attention,” Shoccara suggests. A good example of shooting in a public location is the photoshoot at The Fox Theatre in Atlanta, GA that Shoccara directed and shot for the Dance Atlanta! Project.
Photo: @shocphoto on Instagram
“I had to do that shoot twice because the first time I did it, I noticed the dancers were too far away from me and they looked small like little ants. The attention was on the Fox banner rather than the dancers. I didn’t want that, so I went back and had the dancers move forward towards me so they looked a bit larger, but you could still see the Fox,” Shoccara explained, “So you want to be conscious of your scaling and the environment so that we are aware that the attention is presented on you.”
Pro Tips (cont):
Research first. “You have to go around and research spaces and take little shots on your phone so you can have that reference. And figure out how you’re going to interact with that space. And then that can correspond with your vibe. Like if you have a vision for something, you can say ‘Oh, that works perfectly,’” Shoccara says.
Paint your scene creatively, but make sure it makes sense. “ If it doesn’t make sense it’s not going to make sense to the audience,” Shoccara advises. What’s the “why” behind every scene? Make clear connections between your talent and the space surrounding it.
Dancer Tip:
“Pay attention to things in the background - don’t be afraid to rearrange the furniture.” - @charlottefelicityblake
Wardrobe
In every photo shoot, your wardrobe will also play a role in completing the scene. Check out the following tips on making sure you’re making the right outfit choices.
Pro Tips:
“Ask yourself, ‘What are these pictures being used for?’ I always ask my clients that,” says Shoccara. “Are these audition pictures? Are these pictures that are going on portfolios, and do you want different looks to show your personality?” If the photos are for auditions, follow the outlines given.
“You want to make sure you have a leotard that compliments your skin tone, makes you pop, and then a leotard that works well with your body,” Shoccara says. She encourages dancers to research what styles work best for their body type.
“Think about your wardrobe in comparison to your environment,” Shoccara says, reflecting on the photos she took at Woodruff Park in the Dance Atlanta! Project. Since the environment was brown and the dancers had brown skin-tones, she chose leotards that popped in color.
“What is the hair doing? How does the hair connect? If she’s doing a layout and she has braids, and her braids are flying so you can see that there’s motion that’s being frozen,” Shoccara says, “Make sense of what her hair is doing in that particular space, with that wardrobe, and with that location.”
Related: Purchase limited edition postcards from the Dance Atlanta! Project.
On Set
Now that you’ve done all the prep work, the time has come for you to actually take your photos. If you are struggling with capturing the right angle, or you find yourself shy in front of the camera, the following tips will help you get the best out of your photoshoot.
Capturing Angles and Poses
Pro Tips:
“You want to shoot at an angle that’s realistic to what your body is, so you want to be at eye-level,” Shoccara explains. If you shoot down from above, for example, your legs will look shorter. “I always have to tell dancers to keep their chin down,” Shoccara says. Treat the camera like the audience - except look into the camera, not over it.
When it comes to posing, “Usually you want the movement to continue to move,” Shoccara says. “Some people stop living in a picture, and that’s one thing I do to challenge my dancers to keep living, keep moving. I’m constantly talking with them and I’m taking pictures up to the last moment.”
If you’re paying for professional photos, book a photographer who specializes in dance photography, or bring a fellow dancer to the shoot. You will need someone to help you perfect your poses in front of the camera, and someone who understands dance counts. This can be helpful at home as well. Based on what you want to capture, your friend can snap the photo on the count of your choice, thus capturing the pose you desire.
Get your dance teacher involved. “I always tell my clients to come to the shoot with like 5 poses you do amazingly well and have your dance teacher look at them, critique them, and perfect them, so that when you come you’re not trying anything new,” Shoccara suggests, “Have your dance teacher critique what you’re doing, and then step to the shoot and do it.”
Dancer Tip:
Once you are sure of your best angles, make sure you’re engaging with the lighting to help accentuate the best parts of your pose. On Instagram, @isio.maya says: “Get into them angles and find your light!”
Confidence & Personality
Along with your talent for dance, you want to allow your personality to show in your photos. Expressing yourself in a unique way will help you stand out in photos, on stage, and in auditions. Channeling your confidence on set is crucial to making your dance photos pop.
Pro Tips:
“You want to make sure you shine. You come with your own personality. Whoever you are, you need that to be shown in front of the camera. Don’t back down. The more comfortable you are, the greater of a shoot you’ll have. Your style is going to be recognized,” Shoccara says.
Camera shy dancers can be loosened up by making the photo shoot a fun occasion. Turn on music and allow the energy of the shoot to naturally flow. “Once you get them all warmed up, their favorite song on, or you're dancing or you guys are jamming, then it starts to flow. Then they forget they’re behind the camera,” Shoccara says. “I have a great time at my shoots. I always say, I never work because photography doesn’t feel like work. It’s like a party! You come in here, you’re jamming, and I just got my camera out taking pictures.”
Photo: provided by Shoccara Marcus
“My goal is to just get them as comfortable as possible; make them feel like they’re on stage,” Shoccara says, “You know, when we’re on the stage we feel like we’re in a trance and we forget where we are? I try to make them forget where they are and to bring their funk, bring their style, and let me capture it.”
Pro Tips (cont):
“My goal is to just get them as comfortable as possible, make them feel like they’re on stage, you know when we’re on the stage we feel like we’re in a trance and we forget where we are. And I try to make them forget where they are and to bring their funk. Bring their style and let me capture it.”
Map out your poses to match the energy of the shoot. For example, a good photographer will wait until you’re fully warmed up before expecting more extreme, high energy poses. Keep that in mind when you direct your own shoots at home.
Dancer Tip:
“Make it fun!! Don’t hold back. Explore!” @tkeyaaah
Tools
Using the right equipment is almost as important as the poses themselves. In order to capture quality photos, you’ll need to ensure you have a quality camera. Once you’ve shot your dance photographs, do you feel the need to add anything to them? Perhaps the lighting seems off, or you think it’d be better in black and white. If you are considering editing or adding filters to your photos, check out the tips below.
Pro Tips:
Using a smartphone with a good camera is good for social media photos, Shoccara says, but if you are serious about your craft you have to invest in a professional camera or professional photographer. “If you need to print out business cards, pictures for a portfolio to submit, sometimes that’s not going to work. Sometimes you have to get a professional camera.”
When capturing movement, Shoccara says, “Timing is important. This is where having a professional camera would help. You can increase the shutter speed to ensure you are capturing the right moment.”
When it comes to adding effects or filters, Shoccara says, “It all depends on your vibe and your intention, but here’s the thing: You don’t want to make it too crazy.” The goal is to make your photos make sense. Don’t overdo it.
Dancer Tips:
“If you are doing jumps take a video in slow motion! For poses take videos and screenshot the moment you want for the picture.” - @aria.schneider
“Put the camera in burst mode.” - @monkaabi
Are you planning a photoshoot to upgrade your dance portfolio or social media? Share your tips in the comments below!
We are sending a big shoutout to the dancers who submitted their photoshoot tips via Instagram! Follow us for inspiring dance photos from Brown Ballerinas all over the world. Check out our blog for more ballet tips, interesting stories, and inspiration for dancers.
Related: Marketing Yourself as a Professional Dancer
About Shoccara Marcus
Shoccara Marcus is a professional photographer based in Atlanta, Georgia. This year, she will be teaching dance photography workshops for photographers who want to enhance their skill in shooting dancers. If you live in the Atlanta area and are interested in joining the class or posing for the workshop as a dancer, sign up today.
Shoccara is able to travel for clients and works with companies, schools, studios, and individual dancers. To book a photoshoot with Shoccara, visit her website. Be sure to follow Shoccara on Instagram to see more of her amazing work.