Photographing Ballet

[tirediron]

Gee, that's too bad. I think you need to turn on some charm or begin to sound like a professional photographer, and get some strobes over there. I think the school will welcome some good shots especially at a rehearsal.

You don't shoot many dance events do you?

No

Still, I have offspring in dance, and perhaps I will try to get some shots. Using flash.

My point being that very rarely are organizers going to let you festoon the area with strobes because, as mentioned, it will be a huge distraction to the dancers. I do most of my work with a single on-camera bounced speedlight and a flashbender.

 

[PlanetStarbucks]

Yeah I was thinking of trying that lens as well. It's also cheaper to rent than the 200/2. So I will end up with one of the 2. I like the idea of being able to have the lower ISO though, and get some REALLY super sharp shots.

I'd say bump the ISO up. The most important thing in this type of shooting is to get the moment. In the environment you'll be shooting expect to be at a high ISO. Having grain in the picture won't matter if you catch the perfect shot. Plus, grain and noise can be fixed in post if needed...a fuzzy picture can't.

 

[12sndsgood]

As said earlier, try to watch a practice or run thru before hand, this really helps for knowing where you should be looking so your ready for certain move or jump etc.

 

[supraman215]

Yeah fast shutter will be required to freeze the motion, (meaning no fuzz.) So even with f/2 I'll still need the ISO at 1600 or higher. I'll probably even shoot a stop darker if I have to and pull it up after so that I can get the motion frozen. Even at 50ft the DOf is only 1.5' on the 200@f2 so focus will be crucial as well.

 

[Patrice]

Both my wife and daughter dance with amateur studios (contemporary, ballet, highland), and I would be lynched at the gatepost if ever I didn't photograph their performances. It's a challenge. I have gravitated to a D700, Nikon 70-200 2.8 and Nikon 85 1.4, monopod. Flash is never allowed, either in practice or performance. Familiarity with the routine helps immensely as you need to anticipate the moment in order to capture the feeling and to reduce motion blur. There is often a fraction of a second pause at the 'end' of an action.

Edit: DOF is a continuing concern. Shallow DOF to isolate one dancer, deep DOF to capture a groupe. High ISO is your friend but don't underexpose. Shutter speeds of 1/125 and lower can be used with care and at the right moment.

 

[supraman215]

I was going to try to get a monopod for the event so it will be a little easier moving around than with my tripod. I really have no use for a monopod so I was just going to pick up an el-cheapo one at Target for $15. Anyone had any experience with cheap monopods? I only need it to hold up for that one gig to hold up the 70-200+D90.

 

[Patrice]

In which case just get a broom stick of suitable length and put a 1/4" - 20 bolt on the end of it to hold your camera. It will serve for the purpose at hand. If you are into hiking at all some walking sticks have a removable knob at the top of the handle under which is a camera retaining bolt.

 

[ceeboy14]

I don't know for what it's worth but for years I shot the local production of the Nutcracker for a friend's ballet troupe. Flash was never an option, but for shooting the rehearsals I was always able to get the lighting crew to kick up the lights 25-35% which (this was pre-digital) really made a significant difference in how much grain I ended up with by night's end. With a decent digital camera and an increase of 25% in light, you should be able to shoot between 800-1200 ISO and get good results.

 

[supraman215]

I don't know for what it's worth but for years I shot the local production of the Nutcracker for a friend's ballet troupe. Flash was never an option, but for shooting the rehearsals I was always able to get the lighting crew to kick up the lights 25-35% which (this was pre-digital) really made a significant difference in how much grain I ended up with by night's end. With a decent digital camera and an increase of 25% in light, you should be able to shoot between 800-1200 ISO and get good results.

I love this idea. I love these outside of the box ideas and thinking.