Taking dance recital pictures

[jillibee]

I took pictures at my niece's dance recital this weekend and I am wondering if I used the right settings. I used the auto settings on my Nikon D70s, but set the ISO to 800. The pictures turned out okay, but are not as sharp as I would have liked. Would using a tripod have helped? Or given the dim lighting and the fact that I was too far to use a flash mean the tripod would not have made a difference?

[Jim Bryant]

I believe the auto setting will mainly set your aperture. You need to get it off auto and set shutter speed. You were probably shooting at too low of a shutter speed and got camera blur or the shutter speed was too low to stop the action.

Post a photo so we can see and therefore it's no longer a mystery.

[ARKreations]

You don't mention what lens you are using, but under those conditions fast glass is an absolute must.

I shoot a LOT of dance photos (~1700 last Sat.) with my D80. In order to get decent shots w/o a flash (which is generally prohibited for the dancer's safety anyways), I use:
Full manual mode w/ tripod

• RAW format
• f/2.8 lens (24-70 or 80-200)
• ISO 800-1000
• Aperature: 2.8
• Shutter: 1/250 - 1/350
• EV: 0 - +2

The tripod helps reduce the blur from camera shake, but the max. aperature size and dependant shutter speed are probably the biggest factors in minimizing the blur from the moving subject.

[Jim Bryant]

It's never good to let your camera do your thinking for you.

[Jim Fox]

Kinda similar to Krossk here.

• RAW
  Aperture Priority
  f/2.8 (70-200)
  ISO: 1600-3200
  Monopod

Never tried it with a tripod, to me that would seem to be limiting. Competitions, if they let parents shoot, generally have better lighting than our general recitals. Atleast for us they are. Our recitals have different lighting setups for each dance, which can be fun. I never use a flash either. Competitions don't allow it and neither do our recitals, plus that would cause problems with the dancers.

[jillibee]

The pictures are on my computer at home, so I will post a few sample images tonight along w/ the details of the settings for the shots.

I can see the use of a tripod is critical, but should I also be using a cable release?

[jillibee]

I posted a few images (see http://digital-photography-school.co...p?albumid=2452). I am shooting in RAW+JPEG Basic full AUTO mode with the ISO set to 800 (exposure details are included w/ the photos). I would be interested in hearing what I could do to improve dance recital photos for next year.

[ARKreations]

Originally Posted by Jim Fox

Never tried it with a tripod, to me that would seem to be limiting. Competitions, if they let parents shoot, generally have better lighting than our general recitals. Atleast for us they are. Our recitals have different lighting setups for each dance, which can be fun. I never use a flash either. Competitions don't allow it and neither do our recitals, plus that would cause problems with the dancers.

Jim:
I'm using a pan/tilt head that allows me to lock the horizon level and still follow the action on stage. I actually find it more stable and flexible than a monopod (which my shooting partner actually prefers) - especially with heavier glass.

Lighting at our competitions varies greatly. Flash is absolutely forbidden (as is video) and can get your studio DQ'd at competition. However, I've yet to not be allowed to shoot as long as it's no flash.

jb:
As far as getting sharper pictures, I really think you need to get the shutter speed up to at least 1/125, but you're still going to get some motion blur. Totally eliminating it takes 1/500. At those speeds, you'll have to compensate with larger aperatures and higher ISO's unless you've got some really great lighting. But for what you're shooting with, I've certainly seen (and taken) much worse than what you have posted. Just keep shooting and learning manual control - there's no substitute for practice. If you want to look at the competition photos I have taken this year (our recitals are next week), PM me and I'll send you a gallery link.

[jillibee]

I would love to see the photos! Thanks for all the great advice