It was a special day down in Phoenix, AZ, this past September when I had the privilege of photographing a young dancer who had never experienced a professional photoshoot. We started by getting a team of professionals to work their magic on her hair and makeup.
During the photoshoot, I had some talented assistants helping me manipulate the dress fabric to create a sense of movement and grace in the shots. It was a team effort to capture the essence of her performance.
I used my Nikon Z6 with a 50mm lens to capture this moment. I love the result of this image, that tells the story of this young dancer’s journey and her passion for her craft. It also reflects the dedication and talent of our team. It’s a testament to the power of photography to capture the beauty of a fleeting moment and transform it into a timeless work of art.
I took this photo at Heartland Ballet’s Spring production, “The Grant Sisters and the Griffin’s Riddle”. I used a Sony a6500 camera with an 18–200mm lens. The settings were f/6.3, 1/320 second, ISO 6400. I did minimal processing in Lightroom. Ballet is one of my favorite subjects to photograph, even though the lighting can be very tricky. I look for strong compositions in the dancers’ poses. Our assigned subject this month was “leading lines”, so I titled my photograph “Leading Ladies”.
I’ve been a member of the Wild Rivers Photography Club for about nine years, and really appreciate the support, camaraderie, and opportunities the club provides.
Congratulations, Judy, on such a beautiful image! Judy’s winning image will soon be in the Daily Courier.
