Ballroom Dancing...

[ajbalazic]

Some good threads out there about Ballroom Dancing, but some are old and have lost the photo's.

I don't have the 'prefered' prime (85mm) for this so I'll likely use my 24-70 f/2.8 and maybe try a few with the wide angle 16-35 f/2.8 if I'm close enough. I'd like to try the 50mm f/1.8 but I believe the focus speed isn't the greatest. Any thought on lens choice?

Secondly, if you've photographed Ballroom, what kind of shutter speeds did you use? I'd imagine 1/200 to freeze the action enough but still keep some motion in the gowns? Is it more traditional to freeze the action completely (1/300 sec +)?

AI Servo - Yes?

I've Googled for Ballroom Dance photographic websites and haven't found anything very impressive (at least not with any exif attached).

I'm sure it won't take long to find out what works and what doesn't, but it's nice to have a reference for a starting point.

Cheers

[Crossfire]

I shoot a lot of ballroom dance and I generally use either my 24-70 or my 70-200 2.8. Most dance competitions I shoot are inside gymnasiums or indoor stadiums. If the light is ok, I can usually shoot around 1/200-1/250. If the light is exceptional, then I'm shooting at around 1/400-1/500. I don't mind some motion blur, but I like to keep the faces sharp. I'm not afraid to crank up the ISO to 1600 or beyond.

You don't always need a fast shutter speed to freeze the action, because with a lot of the ballroom dances, there are plenty of pauses and poses - if you anticipate, you can capture these at relatively low shutter speeds - e.g. 1/80.

I normally set my white balance to fluorescent. I try to avoid flash where possible, its just not that flattering

I always shoot in AI Servo and use single point AF.

I put some photos up on our local studio's website. They are small and low res, but I'm away at the moment, so can't post any other images. Here's the link anyway.

http://www.letsdancestudio.co.nz/pages/gallery.php

[ajbalazic]

Thank you very much. Very nice examples on the website too (exif intact!). Now if someone would trade my 70-200 f/4 for a f/2.8

[PhotosGuy]

I normally set my white balance to fluorescent. If you can, try Custom WB first.

[ajbalazic]

If you can, try Custom WB first.

Good call Frank.