Dance Studio Shoot

The other day I was asked by a friend of I would be interested in doing a Dance Studio Shoot. It was for Center Stage Productions Studio, in Escondido, CA. Now, normally I do not photograph children, but since she was a friend and liked my work; I was happy to oblige. 

She had requested that I use a white seamless background, for small groups of three or four. Of course my current background was a tad on the small side, for small groups, so it was off to Amazon. I had emailed the model release forms to the school and they used them to check each student in, which came in handy. Here are a few additional tips

Try to email the model release forms to your contact person, before hand to avoid any delays.

You know this one. My favorite phrase: Be prepared.

Have someone from studio act as an assistant. Since this person is known to the children, they will feel more comfortable and are able to assist with poses.

If it’s a long shoot, bring snacks and liquids. Most clients will have water.

Be patient; if the child is not quite perfect take another shot. Remember film is free.

I know it’s a white background and it will get dirty; but you can minimize this, by having people wipe his or her feet; before stepping on.

Controlling a group of kids is like herding kittens; enough said.

Try not to be too serious, you will get better shots.

Be sure to clean up, after yourself. Leave the location better than you found it.

I was really surprised. I thought that I would have a couple of hundred shots, after all was said and done. After dialing in the lighting, I was able to focus on the student and only took a couple of shots per student; not the 10 or 12 shots. This definitely cut down on post-production, which gave me a faster turnaround time.

I hope I have not bored you too much. I had a lot of fun writing this one like all of my blogs. I trust I have given you some valuable tips to think about, before planning your next shoot. It’s not all bad, just be clear and informative, it will save you a lot of headaches. Remember nothing is set in stone and there is not a perfect formula, so go out and have some fun.