Dancing Queen

Meet Ellaena. She’s 15 and has been dancing for at least ten years. It’s so much a part of her that she feels the need to dance every day, both for creative expression and physical exertion. It’s not a hobby or a sport or a passion. It’s just who she is. So, when I had the chance to photograph her, I not only wanted to capture her fluid motion but also the delicate beauty of her well practiced choreography. I get to meet the finest people with my camera. Thank you, Ellaena, for the chance to work with you.

For Photographers

The images above that show motion blur were created with a ‘drag and pop’ method. That is, the camera was set for a shutter speed of 1/2 to one second, on a tripod. The flashes were on rear curtain sync so that they fired at the end of the exposure. With Ellaena moving quickly across the set, the ambient light captured her motion blur while the flash froze her action at the end of the movement. Much trial and error was involved to get the exposures right, with helpful (and humorous) modelling provided by my friend and grandson as I practiced.

For Photographers

Related Posts

2 Comments

Add comment Cancel reply