Our Process:
Partnership in Motion
Our mission at 530 Dance Photography is to better connect dancers to their audience by telling stories through collaborative photography. In our studio, both dancer and photographer work together to perform their craft. From start to finish, we build trust through our in-depth creative process. Beginning with an introductory meeting where we set clear expectations and goals together to our post-shoot proof gallery review of final edits of images, we work with you every step of the way. Our mission is to provide a safe, collaborative space for you to do what you do best.
For us, the process is about first understanding your goals as a dancer and then translating your skills on the stage into stand-out images on the page. By understanding the technicality and mechanics of movement, we guide and coach you through the details that result in a masterful image. By creating an environment where you feel comfortable, supported, and understood, you can fully express yourself for the camera.
What to expect with 530 Dance Photography
- A pre-shoot meeting to discuss your shoot goals, brainstorm ideas, and develop creative direction. This is where we get a sense of your experience, abilities, and expectations going into the shoot. We focus these meetings on discussing what image you hope to portray for yourself as an artist and how you plan to use these photos for your career. Defining your aesthetic helps us capture your art’s essence and represent you as an artist in the most authentic way possible. From choosing favorite colors, capturing certain tones and moods through lighting, and even discussing details about editing preferences, we generate images that fully and authentically encapsulate who you are.
- A full day of creating with us at our studio.We don’t watch the clock with our dancers. Booking a shoot means both parties come to the table with open schedules and imaginations. We don’t believe in setting boundaries or limiting our creative exploration with you. By allowing the time it takes to experiment, sometimes to the point of failure, we succeed in capturing outstanding images.
- Detailed pose workflow and movement direction to translate dance for the camera —many times, this is different from how you approach movement on stage. To keep our shoot on track and your goals in mind, we have movement coaches on set instructing you through refined poses and meaningful tweaks that help bridge the gap between our two art forms. As a result, we are able to capture technically excellent and deeply expressive movement that accurately translates your 3D dancing into 2D images.
- A Proof with a gallery of images to discuss, select, and approve which shots move on to the editing phase. We discuss editing preferences and aesthetics so your final images authentically represent your artistic identity.
- Our ego checked at the door. We begin and end with respect—always.
These core values are part of everything we do at 530 Dance Photography.
Quality — We dedicate the appropriate time and space to create the highest caliber of work, and we’ve cultivated specialization around dance photography to produce images that reflect who you are as a performer and artist.
Creativity — We’re here to capture each dancer’s essence. Whatever the vision, we are thrilled to match your passion and ability with our creativity and technique.
Safety — Our sprung floor means safety stays a priority while you perform.
Inclusivity — At our studio, we celebrate diversity, vulnerability, and authenticity. Come as you are.
A Journey of Discovery
We know the right poses and positions are etched into your limbs after years of training, commitment, and dedication. During shoot sessions, our dancers, photographers, and movement coaches work together, making subtle adjustments and refinements to each pose. The camera “sees” differently than our eyes do, and sometimes modifications are needed to technically correct poses so that they actually look correct when photographed. Both dancer and photographer go on a journey of experimentation, exploration, and discovery by combining our knowledge of dancing for the camera and photography specifically catered to dancers. That’s what elevates a good photo to great dance photography.
The right questions—Which shape are you creating? Are you lifting then bending into the cambré, or are you leaning then releasing into a fall?—affect the end result, but our job is to find that magic moment where we capture your most exceptional ability.
