If you aren’t familiar with ballet dance photography just yet – this post is for you. Whether you are a ballet dance student searching for ideas and tips for your upcoming photoshoot, or a photographer looking for inspirations – we will do our best to give you helpful info throughout this article.
To get the most authentic portraits in a photoshoot, it’s crucial to take all the necessary steps in the pre-planning stages. Things such as location, time of day, outfit selection, and others – play an important role in the final result. The main goal is to create a photo session that is uniquely their own.
As Sacramento’s premier dance photographers, we find that dance photoshoots are as diverse as our clients. Every session seems to take on its character, guided by the personality, interests, and priorities of the dancer being photographed. Let’s dive into the details of what makes a successful ballet dance photoshoot!
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Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R | Lens: Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM
Natural Light | f/1.4, 1/8000s, ISO 800 | Photo by © Sergey Bidun
BALLET DANCE PHOTOGRAPHY LOCATION
Let me start by saying that the location we chose for this specific photoshoot was not an easy decision. I knew that we were going for an outdoor ballet dance photoshoot, and the location had to match this style.
There are many beautiful outdoor photography locations in Sacramento, but the idea was to produce interesting, somewhat-dreamy photos. We felt that this was the best way to show the individual’s personality and ballet dance talent.
What I love about William B Pond Park of American River Parkway is that it offers unlimited opportunities for a creative. Having photographed numerous senior, family, and children photo sessions at this location, I knew we can get amazing results in this place.
American River Parkway is very well maintained and provides miles of bike trails, beautiful greenery, and picnic spots, as well as multiple river access points. Parking is not an issue at this park and is at convenient distances. This location is an excellent choice for outdoor dance photoshoots.
Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R | Lens: Canon EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
Natural Light | f/2.8, 1/5000s, ISO 800 | Photo by © Sergey Bidun
HOW TO GET TO WILLIAM B POND PARK
William B Pond Park is one of the smaller parks that make up the American River Parkway along the American River. William B Pond recreation area is one of the more popular parks along the river and serves as a great photography spot in addition to recreation place.
Located off of Arden Way in Carmichael, Sacramento, it’s easy to get to from U.S. Highway 50. This park is located only 20 minutes away from Downtown Sacramento. The park is open from sunrise to sunset, with a small entrance fee collected at the entrance.
William B Pond park is a beautiful spot for any event during any time of the year. Providing access to both the American River and the Jedediah Smith bike trail, it is a go-to place for many Sacramento photographers. At any time of the year, you will find gorgeous sceneries and natural backdrops at this location.
Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R | Lens: Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM
Natural Light | f/1.4, 1/3200s, ISO 800 | Photo by © Sergey Bidun
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT WILLIAM B POND PARK
The nature and atmosphere at William B Pond is what I really like at this location. Even during the photoshoots, it feels as if I’m getting refreshed and re-energized just by being outdoors.
If photographing on a weekday, which I strongly suggest, you won’t see as many visitors and bikers at the park. Although people on the trails are not an issue for up-close portraits, but for more scenic pictures, you want to have as much clean area as possible.
Whenever I photograph in nature, I love shooting at tunnel-looking locations, and William B Pond park provides these areas. For example, when there is a beautiful bike trail and on both sides of it you have trees – this creates a gorgeous tunnel-looking scene. At the same time, the subject gets to be the focal point in the image.
Another essential factor for photographing here is that this location is excellent both for early morning sunrise photoshoots as well as sunset pictures. The nature setting at this park allows for creative photoshoots at sunrise and sunset with beautiful sunlight coming through the leaves of the trees.
Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R | Lens: Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM
Natural Light | f/1.4, 1/8000s, ISO 800 | Photo by © Sergey Bidun
PREPARING FOR BALLET DANCE PICTURES
For a successful portrait session, both the photographer and the client must spend enough time to prepare for it. It’s a good idea to create mood boards of reference images, outfits, and other little details that would help you during the photoshoot.
During our pre-planning stage, we have discussed ideas and inspirations for this ballet photoshoot. With this ballerina shoot, we wanted to capture the beauty and elegance of the talented dancer at a gorgeous location. The primary goal was to highlight the main subject of the photoshoot – the dancer.
I recommend you to check out our post on How to Prepare for a Portrait Photo Session, which goes more into detail of what the important steps for photoshoot preparation are.
BEST OUTFITS FOR BALLET PICTURES
The best type of outfits for a ballerina photoshoot are flowy dresses and pointe shoes. Dresses can be any length, but very flowy in style. This style works best for jumping shots to create movement.
Since the idea for this session was to create dreamy ballet pictures, we figured it would be best to photograph on a foggy day. And if we wanted to have natural fog in the pictures, the photoshoot had to take place in the early morning.
Now we had a dilemma of trying to predict when it might be foggy in the morning. After doing some research online and from our personal observations, we estimated that the biggest chance of having a foggy morning would be on the day after rain the day before. The photoshoot took place on one very early morning in November, right after having some rain the day before.
Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R | Lens: Canon EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
Natural Light | f/2.8, 1/5000s, ISO 200 | Photo by © Sergey Bidun
ABOUT THE BALLET PHOTOSHOOT
The day of the photoshoot came, and the weather turned out exactly as we had hoped for! This ballet dance photoshoot started just as the sun was rising in its morning glory with a dreamy fog on the ground.
The beautiful golden trees, grass with a little frost in it, the slightly crispy fall air, and the dreamy fog – it was the perfect setting for the beautiful ballerina portraits.
BALLET DANCE PHOTOSHOOT IDEAS
The first setting where we photographed was on a bike trail road with gorgeous gold leaf trees on the sides of the trail. What I love about this type of framing is how it creates a tunnel-looking space that is ideal for creative photography. Locations like this provide numerous backdrop options for any photo session.
I love using my Canon 85mm 1.2 lens for getting a beautiful bokeh on the background. If you leave some space between the subject and the background, you will be able to get great bokeh in the picture. The fog in the air and the blur in the background give the photo a unique feel. This type of effect can only be achieved with a high-quality lens.
However, you can get a completely different looking backdrop while using the same lens. Try positioning your subject closer to the trees, and you will get some of the golden leaves on the trees and the ground in focus. This type of setting is really unique since it captures a lot of details.
When photographing in the fall or wintertime, there is a big chance you will come across some rain puddles. These can help create super cool reflections. Reflections are great for capturing action shots, such as in dancing or ballet.
To get the best quality reflection image, try photographing from a lower angle. Don’t be afraid to lay down on the ground for getting a better perspective. This way, you can also eliminate some unwanted background view for a more clean shot.
DANCE PICTURE POSES
One of the best ways to photograph portraits on a foggy fall morning is by positioning your subject farther away from the woodsy background. I suggest approximately 200 feet or so. Having a clean open-field space between the subject and the background trees will help to show the fog in the air.
Don’t forget to always position your subject facing toward the light source – this will eliminate ugly shadows and save you time in post-processing. Even when there is no direct sunlight, and it’s an overcast day, pay attention to where most of the light is coming from. I recommend checking out our article Natural Light Photography for tips on how to better see the light.
I suggest you see our Posing Tips for Senior Photography, for ideas on how to create modern, magazine-quality portraits.
Another awesome way of getting creative ballet dancing shots is by using a wide lens. To get this image, I used my Canon 35mm lens, which helped give more dimension to this ballerina movement picture. Notice how shooting from below gives a great perspective and a much more interesting angle.
BALLET SENIOR PICTURES
Fall photoshoots are by far my favorite sessions. There are so many possibilities for creative portraits. I love utilizing the environment as much as possible for more natural-looking images. For example, you can use the fallen leaves by either throwing some up in the air or by positioning the subject closer or farther to the colorful trees.
The sunlight isn’t as harsh in the fall time, which offers much more beautiful color tones. High school senior girls love this time of year. Ballet dance shots can also be a great addition to a high school senior photoshoot.
Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R | Lens: Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM
Natural Light | f/1.4, 1/6400s, ISO 400 | Photo by © Sergey Bidun
CONCLUSION
During a ballet portrait photoshoot, it’s essential to show the personality of the subject. For this session, we also strived to highlight the artistry of movement and dance. Photographing against gorgeous natural fall backdrops, let us create amazing pictures in this Sacramento ballet dance photoshoot.
To get more creative portraits, I suggest for you to practice shooting and experimenting with different angles, perfecting posing, and using your surroundings. I hope you found these tips helpful and can implement them in your photography.
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Photographer: Sergey Bidun
Written by Maria Bidun
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