Photos Can't put my camera down...

Well, I have been at it some more today. I know I have been posting a lot of pictures, but I just can't put my new camera down.

So, I have some more stuff to show.

Two abstracts. Same subject.





And quickly snapped during a performance. (I am a dancer in the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.) Neither are exactly what I wanted, but I was shooting with an manual focus at f/2 into light and I had to be on stage in a minute....






Thanks for looking!

 

Shooting dance is a passion of mine. The 3rd one you posted has potential. The 4th one even more so. The comments I have are that you should have raised the shutter speed to black out the for ground and keep the stage well exposed-creating a silhouette; and that you should have avoided getting lights shining directly into the lens-hence the washed out look. Oh, and correct the white balance-that cyan color cast is....soooo '60s. The second one has more contrast to it and makes me wish you had focused the shot on the dancer to the right. See her dress and figure, how there is a highlight that shows off her contour (aka, a rim light)? That separates her from the black curtain in the back round giving the shot depth. I really wish you had taken a shot of just her. I would have upped the shutter there as well, and let the dark areas lose detail, letting her body pose tell the story of aticipation of waiting to go on stage. Focusing on her would also have brought out the fine detail of her dress, where the light played through-again giving her a sense of finesse that such costumes have.

And that equipment rack really detracts from the grace that dancers carry. Really try and avoid that.

Edit, I tried to show you what I ment with a quick edit:



Although, tbh, at this resolution there isn't a whole lot to work with. Did you shoot RAW?

 

The third picture really wonderful, and you are to be commended for seeing the opportunity. The way the pillar divides the scene into 2 and then the waiting dancer fills the middle 3rd is spot on, especially with her head seen against the pillar and the rim lighting giving a wonderful outline and glow.

I think the exposure is just right - the sepia tone and soft lighting are just right for the occasion and I think its being able to see some detail in the waiting dancers clothes that help make the picture.

Thanks for sharing

 

Thanks for the comments guys.

Jumeira_Johnny: Glad to here that there is someone out there with a passion for shooting dance. Very exciting. First, yes I shot RAW, I just chopped it down for posting. There is a big difference between us that I find interesting. I think that because I am a dancer myself, I prefer showing the contrast between the grace of the dancers and the utilitarian environment. I think that it shows the true quality of dancers. Dancers are actually very tough and rugged, but always must appear to be graceful. However, I can appreciate what you are saying as well. Also, I would have loved to shot the dancer on the right, but she was leaning on a set piece that is just cut off in the 4th photo. If you had been there it would have made sense.

cosmic: thanks, my only problem with the third is that the dancer in the background is somewhat in between positions but I think it still has potential.

 

I agree with JJ's comments about the second dancer shot. I like the way the dancer on the left is leaning over to get a better look around the curtain. It adds a sense of anticipation to the scene. Also, while I agree that increasing the shutter speed would have helped give the stage better exposure, I do like the very subtle detail in the dancers backstage. If you do this shot again, you might try exposing for the stage, then seeing if you can pull up a little detail in processing.

Having said that, I actually prefer the first shot. I like the fact that the lights are shining right into the camera, because it helps give us an idea of what it's like to be on stage looking out into the crowd - I think that's part of what sets the mood here. The inclusion of the dancer on stage gives us a secondary subject, and helps reinforce the primary subject. The equipment rack (or whatever it is) provides an interesting tertiary subject, and adds to the overall setting. Also, it provides a natural border for the left-hand side.

Both are great photos that give us a peek into the backstage world of the ballet. Good job spotting this moment!

-monkey

 

I must say I'm intreaged by the first abstract one. What is it and how did you shoot it?

 

OleJ: Well, its actually a decoration. Well 2. Its an orange glass vase with blue painted sticks: both from ikea. I lit it from the side with a single white LED and shot straight down into them. Its my 35mm AI lens as well. They were both 1/60 sec @ f/2 ISO 1000 on my D200. I just held the camera. I couldn't have gotten the tripod in without sacrificing something. Thanks, the shots from the stage got more attention than I expected, but glad you saw these...I was happy with them.

 

I suppose from an expert dance point of view, being in-between positions might be a no no. From an Artistic point of view, it breaks several composition rules to produce what I think is a great photo. The dancer is perfectly framed in her third of the image, as is the large light on the left and the dancer in the foreground. So the eye in that third picture goes straight to the dancer, then the light and then the figure in the foreground and back to the dancer. Its a picture with a lot of tension that makes it come alive.

In the RAW converter, you might try increasing the black level slider a notch or 2 to increase the black level slightly, Also when sharpening you might try a bit of global contrast enhancement with say USM Amount = 18, Radius = 36, Threshold = 0 to bring out a bit more detail.

 

I see that you like to take pictures of IKEA stuff

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50094586


Anyway. Nice pictures

 

They are amazingly clean considering you're shooting at ISO1000! Looks like the D200 knows some magic. Or perhaps the small versions of the pictures just hide it well?

 

The D200 is wonderful even at 1000. I have pushed it to 3200 equiv (HI-1 on D200) and it surprisingly good. I find though that if the image is lacking in color range the pictures seem noisier. Maybe it is just more noticeable??