Salome's Daughters Photo

Photographer’s Note

The previous posting "Isis Rising" was actually part of the same choreography that this one is. The actual dance is "Salome's Daughters" choreographed by Nejla Y. Yatkin. I incorrectly attributed this piece to Rosangela Silvestre. My apologies to both you and to Rosangela. I will have to make this correction to the "Isis Rising" photo. This is a live performance by Denver's Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble.

I have heard that dance photos always need to be blurry. This is true to some extent but when I shoot dance performances indoors I always leave the aperture wide open and try to get the sharpest images possible. Unless the lighting is just right, or I have the rare opportunity to use fill-flash, the blurry photos more often than not tend to be muddy and dull looking. There simply isn't enough light to do this effectively on a consistent basis. This photo is an exception to the rule. The shutter speed was real slow at 1/10 of a second but the highlights were perfect for the motion blur. If it would have been low contrast lighting the photo would have been tossed into the recycle bin. The fabric on the dancer on the far right is not underexposed white fabric but a dark yellow-white fabric. So please don't jump the gun, so to speak, by bringing up the "underexposed whites" issue. Thank you. I need to correct the note for the previous post now.

jjcordier, danielswalsh, thea0211, Standa, Floydian, JorgeCK, delic, emjleclercq, japiey, enedimd, Photo65Net, WepWaWet, plimrn has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

jjcordier (25468) 2007-05-31 1:38

L'aspect "fantômes" de ces danseurs est très bien vu. Le choix du flou sur les personnages est particulièrement judicieux et les couleurs sont splendides.superbe travail, Stan!
Amicalement
JJ

[2]

danielswalsh (13330) 2007-05-31 1:40

I really like this one Stan!

I'm not sure if you did it intentionally or not- but the 1/10 shutter speed was perfect! With photography- you're always trying to capture the essence of a moment, and what better way to photograph dance then to capture its movement.

Great colors and tonal levels as well...
Cheers!
- Dan

[2]

InasiaJones (20729) 2007-05-31 1:45

Hi Stan,

I’ve just had a visit on your previous shot and actually, I think you have done a great job on both, while they are totally different.

So reading your note, I have no idea if there is such a rule of blurring every photo from a dance performance, but I would never applied such a dictating law that have no points to my humble opinion. I think it’s a case-by-case scenario, that both your photos offer a perfect demonstration.

On the previous one, I think the sharpness and static position was in full advantage of the choregraphy, where the position of the dancers creates a statuesque presentation. And on this one, the fluidity of the movement, the gracious blur is highly desirable to complete the movement, the costumes, the synchonicity. So you did the right thing by listening to your instinct, which is surely more valuable than these so called rules...

Colours are excellent again and so his the composition.

I like it!

André

[2]

greg64g (11193) 2007-05-31 1:59

hi Stan

amazing sho to me i love the blur move and the foreground.
great works
greg

thea0211 (1355) 2007-05-31 2:14

stan, rules are good but they are made (or sometimes even meant) to be broken :)! anyhow, i believe you should mainly do what you feel and approach each situation that way ... just as you did here - the blur effect and the overall mood are good - well done!
dora

[2]

anes_lc (14778) 2007-05-31 3:11

there are dancing just in front of me...this is the feeling that i have seeing this one.
great job.the colors are making even stronger the capture .
regards,anes

Standa (1861) 2007-05-31 4:34

Hi Stan,
first I have to write that colours and sharpness are excellent, the same composition. It is good experiment and the blur effect is well made.
If you have another shots with other shutter speed it would be interesting to compare.
Best regards,
Stanislav

[2]

scalerman (25787) 2007-05-31 4:37

Stan: a refreshing splash of color and blur - and it got an Arabesque and Orientalist buzz about it as well, exotic. Here your lengthy exposure had a surprise waiting. best, c

Floydian (30970) 2007-05-31 5:09

Hi Stan,
It all depends on what kind of dance it is to get a blurred picture. If it is an elegant dance like a ballet, the expression of the body in elegance is more important then a more dancing scene as you got here. Form that kind of view you have the right on your side in this one. Great blur in the waving hands, with a perfect amount of colour in the blue and red, good contrast.
Regards, Henk

[2]

melmcree (2261) 2007-05-31 9:58

This is really a unique picture with all of their arms being blurred but with the bodies all being sharp. Having one body in focus would be expected at least from my end and for you to have all of them in this manner is exceptional. Just a great picture to look at.

[2]

ben4321 (9809) 2007-05-31 13:50

This is my favourite of your dance series, and the D200 seems to have done a good job. Maybe with the S5 you would have been able to lift the dark shadows a bit without over-exposing the highlights.
I like the movement blur here, it gives the image a real dynamism. The saturated colours and high contrast lighting add to the impact.
By the way, I don't think you should listen to people who say that a subject must 'always' be photographed in a certain way. Sounds a bit dogmatic to me; surely it's up to the individual photographer to interpret things in their own way. Imagine how boring photography would be if all photographers followed the same formulae.

Cheers,
Ben

[3]

JorgeCK (2602) 2007-05-31 16:15

Hi Stan,
Great capture of the Denver's Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Group. Good Shot.... In my opinion the dancer with the red veil in the center makes this picture more spectacular. The blur is an excellent way to show the dance movement.
well done
joRge

mesutilgim (37597) 2007-05-31 16:20

Hello Stan,
This one is also great ! I wonder how long you are going to enjoy us with this wonderfull theme !
TFS
and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

[2]

danyy (69963) 2007-05-31 17:17

Bonjour Stan,
on joue ici avec les couleurs et les fantômes, un genre de situation interessantes pour essayer diverses combinaisons d'exposition.
Très spécial.
Regards.
Daniel.

emjleclercq (14652) 2007-05-31 17:58

I am personnaly more interested in sharp view than in blurred ones - even if the dance specialists say diffrently - but I do not mind the blur here since it is suggesting the movement and not confusing the image. Nice contrast again between the blue background (an excellent neutral color for backgrounds) and the dresses of the dancers.

All the best,

Emmanuel

AROBN54 (10799) 2007-05-31 19:24

It's beautiful, Stan.
The color, the feeling of movement, lighting, backgound. It's interesting to see the two hands that aren't moving and how nice and clear they are. Great job!! Take care,
Shelly

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japiey (9531) 2007-06-01 2:20

Hi Stan.

THE SPONTANEITY OF THE MOMENT HAS BEEN CAPTURED WITH SKILL AND QUICK REACTIONS.

jean paul

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enedimd (1528) 2007-06-01 5:00

Hi Stan,
Excellent frame. Motion effect, colors and composition are wonderful. Great POV.
As usual, your note is so good and useful.
TFS,
Have a nice day with my best wishes.
Emir Nedim

[2]

delic (6735) 2007-06-01 11:22

Hi Stan,
I would disregard any set rules in photography. This one is the best of the series so far. It also demonstrates what I was trying to say in the previous one. If there's going to be a blur, I'd like it to be like in this photo. Somewhat "extended" with a slow shutter speed accentuating motion, rather a blur that just signals "unsharp". Still not sure if I'm clear. Color and contrast are lovely here. How come you don't shoot with S5? Regards,
Hakan

[2]

Photo65Net (43106) 2007-06-01 13:38

Bonsoir Stan,
Very nice dynamics in this one, provided by the blur of the dancers.
I like a lot the colors too, and your framing of 4 dancers in the row.
Nice job,
Regards,
JB.

WepWaWet (4000) 2007-06-01 16:29

Hello Sta,
Fantastic shot. Unbelievable colors and excellent colors. Great timing. I like this photos. Perfect blur effect.
Regards,
Seref

Bruno40 (6442) 2007-06-18 6:40

Stan,
Fantastic one. I didn't know about such rule for dance pictures, but I would apply iy on case basis. It worked perfectly in here. Nothing to fix.
Good job. You moved a lot between shots he?
What software do you use for framing?
cheers
Jorge
(updated critique)

ayansadhu (1499) 2008-02-26 19:15

nice action caught with slow-shutter option
the ghostly effect is superb
well presumed composition
you are too good at this type of shoot
very well done :)

plimrn (19892) 2008-03-14 21:34

Hi Stan,
This series really helps in appreciating the complexity of the dance. Each photo is different and together they are beginning to form a coherent whole for me. You are right, you simply could not do justice to this extraordinary performance with only one or two photos.
HLJ, Pat