Nighttime Shoot with a Dancer/Performer

[GeneralBenson]

Hey guys. Here's an image from a shoot I did a few weeks ago with a girl who is a performer of many talents. She's a belly dancer, hula hooper, acrobat and does various sorts of fire dancing. We shot these outside, from 11 at night to 3 in the morning. It's really fun working super late at night like that. sometimes it feels a little easier to get in the zone when you're really tired.

There are more shots over at the blog, if you want to see them. Thanks for looking!

 

[LuckySe7en]

wow really good shots

 

[Derrel]

Really solid stuff. Numbers 1 and 2 are very compelling...and 3's pretty good too.

 

[njw1224]

I love these. But I have to wonder why the people have to always be looking into the camera. It seems that the shots are intended to be performance shots, so the eye contact seems a little odd - especially in shot 3. I don't need them smiling at me to appreciate the shot or their abilities.

 

[mrsmacdeezy]

These are awesome!!! I absolutely love that first one!

 

[GeneralBenson]

Thanks, everyone!

@njw - With the first two, I want more of a strong/sultry/seductive connection with the viewer, and I feel like the direct eye contact draws you to her face first, then lets you explore around the busyness of the images. The third one, I agree wih you on, i's a bit more awkward than I would have liked. But we were planning this image to be a bio shot for the two of them, so again, eye contact is important. But their body positioning or my angle could have better to make the eye contact look more natural and less forced.

 

[kundalini]

With the first two, I want more of a strong/sultry/seductive connection with the viewer, and I feel like the direct eye contact draws you to her face first, then lets you explore around the busyness of the images.

SCORE!

Very nicely done. The camera right light might be a little strong and shows more so in #1 on the jawline.

 

[GeneralBenson]

With the first two, I want more of a strong/sultry/seductive connection with the viewer, and I feel like the direct eye contact draws you to her face first, then lets you explore around the busyness of the images.

SCORE!

Very nicely done. The camera right light might be a little strong and shows more so in #1 on the jawline.

Thanks. I totally agree. Could have backed the rim light off a stop or so. It was also just a bare speedlight. I would have loved to have modified it to get a little more wrap from it and a softer shadow/highlight transition. A scrim would have done the job on both accounts; knock it down a stop, and soften it up. But space was tight, and I don't think I could have gotten a scrim in place, without it cutting into the frame. I guess what you pick up in creative focus from working till 4 in the morning, you lose in problem solving skills...

 

[Corvphotography]

these are awesome! now that you mention it, the eye contact is a little weird but the colors immediately catch your eye. Great job, makes me wanna try that....taking the pics not belly dancing lol

 

[GeneralBenson]

these are awesome! now that you mention it, the eye contact is a little weird but the colors immediately catch your eye. Great job, makes me wanna try that....taking the pics not belly dancing lol

Why sell yourself short? Try both!

Thanks, btw!

 

[Einstein]

How did you get the frozen subject anf the time lapsed light painting in the same shot? I'm guessing the hula hoop lights where added in from a longer exposure?