Catching The Motions

When photographing dance recitals, I take a large number of images for the schools, capturing each dancer’s movement as cleanly as possible. Because these photos are often used by the schools, dancers, and parents on social media, it’s essential to freeze every moment sharply. To achieve that level of clarity, I use a minimum shutter speed of 1/200s, which helps ensure crisp, usable images even during fast choreography.

Another style of dance photography focuses on capturing the motion itself rather than freezing a single moment. Using a slow shutter speed allows the movement to stretch across the frame, revealing the flow of the choreography. Instead of isolating one pose, the image shows the dancer’s path, letting viewers feel the energy, emotion, and atmosphere of the performance.

Recently, I photographed a production by the Beijing Dance Theater at Houston’s Miller Outdoor Theatre and experimented with shutter speeds of 2–3 seconds. The results were exactly what I hoped for—beautiful trails of motion that conveyed the dancers’ mood and the expressive quality of the piece.

If you have any comments on both styles of dance photos, please let me know. I will continue to work on dance photography. My next assignment is to take photos for the BHS dance team's annual recital. I am looking forward to doing it.