Evolution
I recently discovered a photographer named Dan Winters. I am embarrassed that I did not know of him earlier. I consider myself reasonably well educated about the history of photography and I try to keep up with standout photographers. Yet somehow, I had never heard of Winters. I came across him in a YouTube video on The Photographic Eye channel. I bought his book, Road to Seeing, on Kindle, and consumed it in a few days. I found him to be a kindred spirit. We were both raised in southern California in an era when love was rumored to be free and ambition included satori, the Zen term for enlightenment. Reading Winters, I saw what might have been had I ignored my father’s advice to choose print journalism over photojournalism in graduate school. I am glad I have lived long enough to explore both print and photography.
I recently returned from the Paragon Open DanceSport Championships in Stamford, Connecticut. I went as a dancer, not as a photographer. But I brought along a small photo kit and amused myself in the down times by shooting keepsakes for a few fellow pro-am dancers and shooting some random images of the professional competitors. The results were pleasing, and helped to prepare me for a paid gig shooting theatrical dance upon my return to Minnesota.
Live performances demand good timing and technical skills. The lighting changes constantly, both in color and intensity. So it’s impossible to pick a white balance that will work across all scenes. Fortunately, the “average white balance” setting on modern cameras can serve as a good starting point. And if you shoot in the raw format, as I do, you will be able to readjust the color to suit your vision.
With ballroom competitions, I found it best to set the camera’s electronic sensor sensitivity, called ISO, to between 1600-3200. For theatrical dance productions, I set my camera to “auto-ISO” with a maximum sensitivity of 8,000. I used the higher setting because theatrical dance often involves several characters on stage in different distances from the lens, so a smaller aperture is required to keep the performers within the depth of field (i.e., in focus). In live performances, one must remember to expose for the highlights. The intense white stage lights can easily get blown out, making it impossible to pull out any details, whereas shadows generally can be raised a bit in post-production. Doing so will increase the electronic “noise,” or graininess, however, which can ruin a photograph. One way to deal with this is to render the image in high-contrast black and white, possibly even adding “grain” to simulate film photography. This is appropriate — even desirable — for dramatic scenes. But it can feel misplaced for scenes like romantic interludes. What all of this means is a lot of time in post-production. The results are worth the extra work, however.
As I head into winter I am looking forward to shooting more environmental and studio portraits and headshots, where I can precisely control the lighting. I am drawing on insights from master craftsmen and craftswomen who have generously shared their experience and vision. In February, I will fly to Austin, Texas for the Pas de Deux dance photography conference, which is bringing together some of the best in the business. I want to try my hand at ballet photography. If you’re an aspiring dancer, please give me a call. Maybe we can swap some posing time for photographs. I also look forward to shooting more dance competitions next year as I prepare for my own entry in the U.S. Dance Championship next September in Florida before my knees give out.
And I am proud to say I will be the official photographer for the American Judo & Jujitsu Federation’s annual convention in Charlotte, N.C. April 8-10.
Perhaps I’ll see you in the viewfinder.
