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Jan, 2018Views
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Awards
Zenith Award
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
Top Shot Award 21
Legendary Award
Judge Favorite
Community Choice Award
Contest Finalist in People At Work Photo Contest
Peer Award
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
Absolute Masterpiece
Superior Skill
Genius
All Star
Virtuoso
Emotions
Impressed
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on a family vacation to Branson, Missouri at a local theater. The talent of all the dancers was awe-inspiring. I had taken along my camera even though I wasn't very familiar with shooting in an unlit room. Thankfully, the show lasted about 3 hours so I had plenty of time to play with my settings and was able to capture a few really great images of these guys. I just loved the detail I was able to capture on his body against the starry backdrop.Time
This photo was taken at the end of the day on one of our last days of vacation. We hadn't been to very many of the shows in Branson, choosing to instead take in the phenomenal views. We were driving by this theater and they just happened to have a few empty seats. One of the best shows that I have attended there.Lighting
The theater was pitch black. By being careful and being aware of my settings, I was able to catch their movements under the stage lights and really make their bodies pop out from the backgrounds. Lowering my aperture allowed me to capture the backdrops smooth as butter. The theater did not allow any flash photography so I really had to have the timing down for when they were headed into certain poses and under the right lighting areas of the stage.Equipment
This was shot with a Nikon D7200 and an 85mm lens.Inspiration
I had never really shot in dark settings before and the theater was the perfect time to get in some practice. As the show progressed into darker more moody themes, I was really moved to capture the feeling of the whole experience. I think this shot really captures not only how amazing this dancer was, but the highlights and shadows across his muscles really highlights the hard work that goes into making these performances happen. I wanted to capture not just a pretty dance but to capture the raw emotion and background ideas in my head.Editing
I didn't do a lot of processing on this photo. I applied a light matte to give it the dreamy effect that I was going for. I deepened shadows and contrast to accentuate the moodiness I felt in the photo.In my camera bag
For vacation, I try to pack a little lighter than normal. My go to lens for that purpose would be my fabulous Nikon nifty 50 for the everyday shots. I also carry my Nikon 70-300mm to really have a lot of options in one lens. I find that normally for vacation that is all I really need along with the D7200 body. It is a great cam to take along. I don't feel as panicked about using it out and about. It is durable and a great workhorse.Feedback
Be patient and don't be afraid to adjust your settings if you aren't getting the look you are going for. I begin by exposing correctly and then adjusting things from there to get the emotion I want out of a setting. Think fast and don't be afraid to change it up. Theater is great for playing around with new ideas. You are there long enough to try lots of different things without feeling pressured to move on.
