Dance School Photography (1)

So I finally got another print order on the way, after it took two futile attempts yesterday late afternoon to get those dance rehearsal photos ordered as prints. Back in June, I had been invited to photograph in the dance school of the place north of here, while all during May and June I had this commission to photograph the rehearsals in the dance school in the neighbouring place southwest of here - or only west?

Anyhow - after I had taken those photos of the rehearsal on that fairy tale interpretation (to be performed next year in February), and after I had taken a first glance at the outcome, I was appalled and thought I'd best throw my camera away for good and never take any more photos. I was deeply frustrated, told the dance instructor they were all rubbish, and forgot about them. Or, much rather, had to take so many others after that (hence no camera-into-the-bin action possible) that I never even had the time to think about them.

With the summer holidays over and all the dance schools resuming work, too, I went back to the one "north", and the instructor asked about the photos, and whether she'd ever get to see them, maybe? So I had to make myself look at them again, and hey. Time heals. I still think they could have been better, but with a little help from PS nothing's ever all lost (unless it is, of course). So she will get some pics, after all, and her students will get to see themselves dancing and acting in their rehearsal.

The light situation in that studio is a nightmare for a photographer, and despite the ceiling lights and two work lights set up (first giving off a greenish sort of light, second two having a definite yellow cast), the two little windows letting in daylight (blue-ish of sorts) never offered enough, so sometimes I even felt forced to add the on-camera flash - yet another light colour! - to the equation. And this while I HATE on-camera flash. No wonder I was appalled at the outcome at first.

But this one has some nice "layers" in so far as you see my work light on the left, lighting up that corner there, then the main actress/dancer (one of the two), and herself mirrored from the mirror on the opposite side of the studio in the mirror window behind her, and the dance instructor, and even myself taking this photo.