Stay on Your Toes
A fun dance collaboration with Poppyseed Dancer
A fun dance collaboration with Poppyseed Dancer
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Canon EOS 7D Mark II
Aperture f/4 ISO 160 Shutter 1/160 Focal Length 21/1 
Toronto, Ontario, CA
Nov, 2019Views
1481
Likes
Awards
Curator's Selection
Contest Finalist in Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 51
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Genius
Superior Skill
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 2Top 10 rank week 1
Categories
robiecagle
November 27, 2019
Beautiful model, exceptional pose, wonderful symmetry. This must have been a difficult shot to obtain, excellent job!
Platinum
NJGilles
January 07, 2020
You have totally captured the grace, amazing extension, advanced technique, talent, and natural beauty of your subject! Masterful job!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at Studio By House in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. I had booked Poppyseed Dancer for this shoot to capture some of her stunning ballet skillsTime
We shot in the afternoon on the day of a snow storm, which made travel to and from the studio a bit of a challenge. Once inside and setup the weather ceased to matter and we got right down to business.Lighting
This is a standard edge lighting setup with 2 strobes, both with a bare reflector. Camera left is at about 7' high, camera right is at 5'. The strobe camera right is 2 stops lower than left so as to get the stronger highlights on her musculature while not being as harsh and blown out on her face.Equipment
This is shot on a Canon 7Dii with a Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8. Lighting is 2 Bowens strobes with bare 7" reflectors and a wireless trigger.Inspiration
When I saw Poppyseed was coming through my area on her tour, I knew I had to book her for a shoot. Her ballet skills are incredible, and I wanted to capture some special moments. As a theatre lighting designer I knew how I wanted her lit and the sort of pose I wanted. She provided the lovely corset and the unbelievable skill needed to hit this pose.Editing
The photo needed very little post processing. I did a crop, some colour and contrast correction, and had to clone out an outlet on the textured wall. Otherwise this is straight out of camera.In my camera bag
I typically travel light for my shoots. My bag has my 7Dii, Tamron 17-50mm f2.8, and Helios 44M 58mm f2. I will often have a Yongnuo 685 speedlight and trigger as a backup for lighting. Outside of technical gear, I always have a small sewing kit, some safety pins, bulldog clips, tylenol, tissues, wet wipes, hair ties, etc. Take care of your models and they'll go the extra mile for you.Feedback
Keys to getting a shot like this start with the talent. Without a model that can hit a pose like this -SAFELY- this shot is impossible. Poppyseed's talent was indispensable. After that, the rest comes down to timing and lighting. The edge lighting helps the athleticism and contours of her body pop out. Back button focus, have your model count down to the pose, let them hit it, give it half a second to settle, then hit the trigger. Using strobes is essential to freeze the action, the duration of the strobe will help eliminate any motion blur.
