20 Science Fiction Movie Locations Every Nerd Photographer Should Visit

By: Tim Kok

Extraterrestrial planets and dystopic locations create a fascinating atmosphere in science fiction movies. Many of these backgrounds are the products of CGI, but some sci-fi movies are shot at locations you can actually visit. If you’re a photographer who likes sci-fi, then you should definitely visit these locations. Besides being beautiful to photograph, they will make you relive some of the classic (and not-so-classic) science fiction movies.

Even if you’re not into sci-fi, many of these locations are worth a visit. After all, they were selected as movie backgrounds for a reason.

Star Trek
Since its beginning in 1966, Star Trek has become the number one science fiction television franchise. There have been several Star Trek television series and also a large number of movies throughout the years. To get a sense of the impressive dedication of ‘Trekkies’ (Star Trek fans), you only have to look at the detail for Star Trek entries on Wikipedia. The following locations have undoubtedly been visited by a number of hardcore fans.

1. San Rafael Swell, Utah – Vulcan, Star Trek (2009)
The San Rafael Swell is a giant dome-shaped structure of sandstone, shale, and limestone that was pushed up millions of years ago. The erosion by flash floods has further molded the area into a beautiful landscape of canyons, gorges and buttes.

Afternoon Sun by Zach Dischner

In the most recent reboot of Star Trek, the San Rafael Swell was used as a background for the planet Vulcan, the planet of Spock and other Vulcans come from. In the movie, the planet is destroyed by Romulans to avenge the destruction of their own home planet. As added bonuses, Galaxy Quest (1999) has also been shot here, and part of the swell resembles the planet Mars.

San Rafael Reef, UT by Don Graham

2. Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park, Los Angeles, CA – Star Trek (several years)
Vasquez Rocks was named after the California bandit Tiburcio Vásquez, who used these rocks as a place to hide from the law enforcement. It’s located north of Los Angeles and its impressive rock formations are the result of rapid erosion and activity along the San Andreas Fault.

Vasquez Rocks by Rennett Stowe

Vasquez Rocks is important to science fiction history because it’s where Captain Kirk fought with a Gorn in the Arena episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. (Coincidentally, that fight has also been nominated as ‘The Worst Fight Scene Ever.’) Since then, the location has represented a large number of different planets in the Star Trek series. Most recently, Vasquez Rocks was used as the planet Vulcan in Star Trek (2009).

Vasquez Rocks by Konrad Summers

3. Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, CA – The Terminator (1984)
The Griffith Observatory is a beautiful building on top of Mount Hollywood, overlooking Downtown Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean. The Observatory is dedicated to make science, and specifically astronomy, accessible to the public.

Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles by Pedro Szekely

The Observatory is featured in many movies, but for Sci-Fi fans it’s most famous as the place where Arnold Schwarzenegger arrives as the first Terminator on a mission to assassinate Sarah Connor. Just as in the movie, the view from the Griffith Observatory at night is spectacular.

Griffith Observatory with the 5D by Graham

4. Lake Powell, Arizona – Planet of the Apes (1968)

Fast by photophilde

In Planet of the Apes a crew of astronauts crashes onto a planet that is dominated by a highly developed society of apes. The desert scenes in the movie were shot in and around Lake Powell, an awesome man-made reservoir on the Colorado river. The new version of Planet of the Apes (2001) also used Lake Powell as a filming location.

Lake Powell by Wolfgang Staudt

Star Wars
Star Wars—the other large science fiction franchise—has been shot in exotic locations all over the world. This is perhaps not so surprising when you consider the extreme differences between the planets in the Star Wars galaxy.

5. Chott el Jerid, Tunisia – Tatooine, Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)

Chott el-Jerid, Lars Homestead (Star Wars) by Stefan Krasowski

Tatooine, the home planet of Luke Skywalker and Anakin Skywalker, plays an important role in the entire Star Wars saga. The real world equivalent of Tatooine is Chott el Jerid, a dry salt lake in the south-west of Tunisia. This dry and destitute location perfectly resembles a desert planet. Other Tatooine locations in Tunisia are Djerba, Matmata and Tozeur.

Salt Mausoleum by Dennis Jarvis

6. Tikal National Park, Guatemala – Rebel Base, Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
In the middle of a tropical rainforest, this ancient temple complex was an important location of the Maya civilization. The buildings are over 2,500 years old, but you can still admire their splendor today.

Tikal Sunrise by Adam Baker

Tikal National Park also figured as the the Massassi Outpost on the fourth moon of Yavin, where the Rebel Alliance located their base. Here, the Alliance planned their successful attack of the Death Star.

Tikal, Guatemala by Pedro Szekely

7. Finse, Norway – Hoth, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
The opening sequence of The Empire Strikes Back—in which Luke Skywalker rides his Tauntaun, gets ambushed and stuck in a blizzard—takes place on the ice planet Hoth. On Hoth, the Rebel Alliance has stationed their Echo Base and it’s where a major battle between the Alliance and the Empire takes place. The filming location of Hoth was the Hardangerjøkulen Glacier at Finse, Norway. Finse is located about 2,5 hours away from Bergen by train.

Finse Norway by zen whisk

8. Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, California – Endor, Star Wars: Return of The Jedi (1983)
Who doesn’t remember the cute Ewoks that inhabit the forest moon Endor in the Return of the Jedi? In the movie, the second Death Star orbits Endor and the Empire has an outpost on the moon that holds a shield generator protecting the Death Star. The Rebel Alliance, with the help of the Ewoks, tries to dismantle this shield.

Hiker and redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) on Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park Boy Scout Tree Trail by Miguel Vieira

One of the characteristics of Endor are the large monster trees that make everything, not just the Ewoks, look small. In real life, these trees are the Redwood groves in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. The trees look great in photos and the park as a whole is an excellent place to hike.

Bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) on Jedediah Smith Redwoods Mill Creek Trail by Miguel Vieira

9. Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico – Contact (1997)
In the movie Contact, based on a Carl Sagan book, the scientist Eleanor Arroway is looking for extraterrestrial life at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. She’s part of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) program that scans for possible radio transmissions from outer space. Appropriately, the Arecibo Observatory is (also) used for this purpose by the SETI@home project.

Even if you’re not into the science, the Observatory still looks incredible.

10. Devils Tower, Wyoming – Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
The Devils Tower really stands out in every photo due to its incredible rise of 1,267 feet. In 1906, the Devils Tower was declared the first national monument by Theodore Roosevelt. The location became even more popular in 1977 when it featured in Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. In the movie, the Devils Tower plays an important role as the site for an encounter with aliens.

Devil’s Tower at sunrise by B D

Devil’s Tower by B D

11. Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia – 12 Monkeys (1995)
In 12 Monkeys, the convicted criminal James Cole (Bruce Willis) has to travel back in time to trace back the outbreak of a virus. For large parts of the movie, James Cole is in an insane asylum, shot at the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. This former, sinister-looking prison has a rich history——for example, Al Capone was incarcerated here and you can still visit his cell——and is the ideal setting for a chaotic, mental hospital.

Eastern State Penitentiary by Sakeeb Sabakka

Nowhere Fast by Justin Wolfe

12. Badlands, South Dakota – Starship Troopers (1997)
The Badlands in South Dakota figure as the home planet of the Arachnids, Klendathu, in Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers. The old Native American hunting grounds make for a beautiful background of an alien planet, to which infantry is deployed to take out the “Bugs”.

These are the Badlands, South Dakota by Joel Hernandez

Skies of Much Oblige by Seth Anderson

13. Kona, Hawaii – Waterworld (1995)
Technically, the main location of Kevin Kostner’s Waterworld is the ocean, as in the movie humanity has been forced to live on the water because of the rising sea level. When land is finally found, however, it’s Hawaii’s Big Island. Moreover, on Hawaii it’s easy to imagine what a world with only water would look like.

Sunset on New Earth by Steve Jurvetson

Swimming with Turtles by Steve Jurvetson

14. Johannesburg, South Africa – District 9 (2009)
In District 9, the classic aliens-arrive-on-earth story is given a twist, when the aliens, or “prawns” as they’re derogatorily called, are confined into a ghetto outside of Johannesburg by the government. The movie references back to South Africa’s past system of apartheid, but also could be seen as a metaphor for the treatment of other vulnerable minorities. The filming location of District 9 was an actual impoverished neighborhood in Soweto, Johannesburg.

East Johannesburg by Chris Eason

johannesburg by Nico Roets

15. Seaside, Florida – The Truman Show (1998)
In the Truman Show, Jim Carrey’s character lives, unbeknownst to him, in the constructed reality of a television show. Seahaven, the perfect town in the movie, is actually Seaside, Florida. Although Seaside is probably not nearly as immaculate as fictional Seahaven, it’s is still quite a picturesque town.

The future’s so white, I had to wear shades by Pat David

Braving Warm Waters at Seaside by Donncha O Caoimh

16. Toronto City Hall, Canada – Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
Although Toronto City Hall looks unique and impressive enough to feature as any type of building in a movie, in Resident Evil: Apocalypse the building also figures as a city hall (but this time for Raccoon City). In Resident Evil, the City Hall is nuked, along with the entire city. Fortunately, the actual City Hall is still there and is ideal for photos with an ominous atmosphere.

Toronto City Hall 2 by Robert Taylor

Toronto City Hall by Benson Kua

17. Frank Lloyd Wright Ennis House, Los Angeles, CA – Blade Runner (1982)
Blade Runner is a dark and futuristic science fiction movie in which Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) is tasked to eliminate cyborg “replicants.” The CEO of the corporation that fabricates the cyborgs lives in the Ennis House, designed by Frank Loyd Wright. Throughout the movie the motifs of the Ennis House return, for instance in Rick’s apartment. The building itself is incredibly photogenic, but so is its view.

FLW. by Sarah Le Clerc

Ennis House by Ennis House

Another famous LA landmark in Blade Runner is the Bradbury Building. The final fight scenes in the movie take place in the courtyard of this building.

Bradbury Building, Los Angeles Historic Core by Craig Dietrich

18. Battersea Power Station, London, UK – Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)
Battersea Power Station, on the river Thames, used to be a coal-fired power station and is the largest brick building in Europe. The Power Station, both impressive and menacing, has become a cultural icon over the years. It was pictured on the front of a Pink Floyd album, appeared in a Beatles’ movie, and many other movies and television shows since. In the sci-fi movie Nineteen Eighty-Four, the Battersea Power Station was used as the Victory Mansions, the apartment complex in which Winston Smith lives. The building is still a great subject to practice your distopic photography.

Battersea Power Station, London by Lies Thru a Lens

Battersea Power Station by William Warby

19. Samalayuca, Chihuahua, Mexico – Dune (1984)
Large parts of the movie Dune take place on the desert planet Arrakis, where the valuable “spice” melange can be found. The few inhabitants of this planet are the Fremen and giant sandworms. If you’d like to have a similar experience (without the Fremen, melange or worms), you can visit Dune’s filming location Samalayuca, Mexico with, unsurprisingly, plenty of dunes.

Dunas by Felix Garcia

20. North Carolina – The Hunger Games (2012)
If you’re wondering where the first Hunger Games movie was shot, the answer is pretty much all over the state of North Carolina. For instance, Charlotte was used as the Capitol of Panem; in Hildebran, an old (ghost) mill town, the scenes of District 12 where shot; and many scenes in the Arena took place in Pisgah National Forest in the Appalachian Mountains. As the movie shows, North Carolina has many beautiful locations.

Pisgah Ray by D B

IceSheathesRay by D B

Istanbul

The post and pictures below take me back to my military days as a young "Airman First Class" in the United States Air Force.  I was stationed at Incirlik Air Force in Adana Turkey.  Upon receiving my Honorable Discharge, I spent a week on vacation in Istanbul Turkey before returning to the States.  As I view the photos, the memories of outdoor markets, road side fresh fish shops, and street vendors comes flooding back like it was just yesterday.  Enjoy the post and pictures...

Istanbul Through Black & White Film Photography by JP Lemarchand

Lem is an amateur photographer leaving in Dijon, France. He has been taking pictures since he was 10 or 12 but more seriously in the last 15 years. "Curiously enough, digital photo brought me back to film! I love old cameras because I think they add something in what you shoot and I love traditional photography because it makes your brain work," he says. "I like the photography that takes time. I particularly enjoy medium format (especially the suare format) and black and white because it's already something else than what you see. My favorite topics are whatever man looks at everyday but doesn't see anymore."

Here's a black and white photo series that Lem did in Istanbul.

These Photographs Would Die Without Him

Levi Bettwieser buys old cameras not for the camera itself, but for what’s inside: undeveloped film. Now he’s archiving forgotten moments from the 1920s on.

Levi Bettwieser calls himself a camera addict. The 28-year-old full-time video producer and freelance portrait photographer shoots with any of the 14 cameras in his arsenal, all but one of them relying on film. They have names like Bender, Graflex, Hasselblad, Canon, Mamiya, and Globuscope. Bettwieser started collecting cameras from thrift shops and estate sales years ago, popping them open to discover spent rolls of film inside.

“When you buy old cameras, you see film inside all the time. But I didn’t honestly put that much thought into it. You get a camera and notice there’s a roll of film and then you open the camera and the film is worthless after being exposed to the light,” he said.

It was after Eric Bower—a friend and an audio engineer—told Bettwieser he’d been recovering old answering machine tapes from thrift stores in order to archive, that Bettwieser decided to be a little more careful with the undeveloped snapshots. At some point, his curiosity got the best of him and he decided to develop the lost images himself. To catalog the process, he started what he calls the Rescued Film Project, uncovering photographs taken by strangers, otherwise lost to time.

“I’d buy seven or eight cameras, take them home, and open them up in my darkroom,” he said. “I’d pull the film out, wind it up, and put it in batches. As soon as I got a batch big enough for my first one, I just developed it. And I just saw the range of film on there. I got a range of images. I got hooked.”

Bettwieser started buying lots of unexposed film off of eBay. He currently has around 100 rolls of “modern” film (standard 35mm color) from the 1970s to the present, processed and scanned, and another 60 or so older (1920s-60s) rolls of “vintage” film left to process and scan. He’s striking out to catalog every single image at the to-be-launched rescuedfilm.com.

“I find myself not so much looking at the people in the photo as I do the space around them, the rooms the people are in, what’s in that room, what’s sitting on the counter,” he said. “I think that tells a better story than someone just standing there smiling. I find a lot of these images fascinating for the context.”

The photos are ghostly and displaced and voyeuristic in a sense, in the way the splinter of any moment other than this one seems alien and of a time somewhat unfathomable, possessing an unfamiliar spirit.

“It meant something more because the photographers were the only ones who saw it. You get your roll of film, you take it to get developed, you’d be excited to get your prints back and then you put them in a photo album.”

“The more interesting stuff seems to be the last two or three frames on a roll. If you think about it, people are generally saying, ‘Oh I need to take the last couple images on this roll before I go get it processed,’” Bettwieser said. “Generally, those seem to be the more funny, intimate moments: a couple in bed smiling, trying to finish off a roll, a husband taking a photo of his wife coming out of the shower, some of those really intimate moments that you never assume that anyone is going to see.”

There’s something extrasensory to the images, given we’re seeing something that was perhaps purposefully lost or discarded, or something that possibly no one will recognize, ever. Pictures of pets, pictures of relatives in coffins, pictures of intimate moments otherwise discarded in the recesses of memory.

“Technology has changed the way people shoot,” Bettwieser said. “Think about back when you only had nine or 10 pictures per roll. You really had to think about those being the images you wanted. Now I’ll just take as many as I want, fix them up in post, whatever. Part of the reason I do the rescued photo project is that I feel like people just snap photos constantly, mindlessly taking photos. I like the idea that you have to take more time with it, taking it back to a time when we didn’t have digital photography. It meant something more because the photographers generally were the only ones who saw it. You get your roll of film, you take it to get developed, you’d be excited to get your prints back and then you put them in a photo album and then they would be just shared with you and your family.”

One of the most remarkable discoveries for Bettwieser has been that developing film doesn’t require a dark room. He’s eager to make the distinction between processing film and making prints: The former requires just a blacked-out kitchen and his lightproof tank, while the latter is the room used for making actual prints. Because all of the Rescued Film Project images are scanned to digital, the necessity of a darkroom is null.

“People don’t realize that you can develop their own film in black and white for between $150 and $200,” he said. “It doesn’t take much. If you can make an omelet, you can process film.”

While part of the project’s aim is to encourage people to develop film in order to keep the industry alive, another of the ultimate goals of the project is to perhaps get the images back to their rightful owners.


“These days, I feel like people just snap and share. Here’s my lunch, here’s this, here’s that. There isn’t as much thought put into the images people are making these days,” Bettwieser said. “That’s why I think it’s important to go back and find the images that people found so special, and are unique that have only ever been seen by the photographer and myself as I develop them. People rarely ever take pictures of something they want to forget.”

- See more at: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/31/these-photographs-would-die-without-him.html#sthash.WK2ge6zx.dpuf

Great Dance Recital Photographs in Nine Easy Steps

If you ever get a chance to photograph a dance recital, make sure you jump, pirouette or even two-step at the chance.  That’s because photographing a dance recital is a wonderful opportunity to enhance your photographic skills, and make a whole bunch of kids extremely happy at the same time.

The first time I was asked to photograph a dance recital, I thought “Who me?”  I shoot landscapes and steam engines and maybe an occasional bear or moose.  What in the heck do I know about shooting dozens of dancers in a dimly lit studio?    It turns out; I knew more than I thought.  That’s because many of the same principles apply to photographing a dance recital as they do to wildlife and trains and just about any other moving object.  If you can capture your favorite subject in a single, beautiful moment in time, with the emotion, tension and drama that comes along with it, you won’t have any problems photographing a dance recital.

Here’s what you need to do:

Step 1: Be Prepared

I’m sure you agree that the photographer is more important than the camera when it comes to producing great photographs.  But, choosing the right camera equipment is essential when we’re challenged with capturing action with very little available light.

While just about any DSLR is capable of capturing low-light dance performances, a full-frame camera has the advantage of producing high ISO images with a minimum amount of noise.  And a camera with advanced auto-focusing features will give you a better shot at capturing your subject in tack-sharp focus.

Even more important than the camera, your choice of a lens, or combination of lenses, will make a huge difference in the quality of your photographs.  It’s a simple rule of thumb – the lower the f/stop, the faster you can shoot.   For dance recitals, I prefer a zoom lens so I can capture the big dance numbers as well as the more intimate scenes, without switching lenses or bringing a second camera body.   I’ve found than an f/2.8 zoom lens which ranges from 24 to 70mm (full-frame) fits the bill perfectly.

Of course, none of us has an unlimited budget when it comes to camera equipment.  If you don’t have the most expensive gear on the planet, you can still make some great photographs, but you might have a few more “misses” than “hits” on your memory card when you get home.

Photo by Kevin Reilly

Step 2: Do Your Homework

Before I try anything new, I study the heck out of it.    For dance, the first thing I did was look at lots and lots of photographs of dancers.  And I suggest you do that as well.  But don’t look at them simply as samples to copy.  Look for the differences that make some of the photographs more memorable than others.   Look for the photographs that capture the beauty of dance, or the emotion of the dancers.  And look for the techniques that enhance the subject and add to the story.

I’d also suggest putting together a list of possible techniques you’d like to use when you shoot the recital.  Maybe you’d like to use motion blur to show movement and energy.  Or maybe you’d like to stitch multiple images together in Photoshop to show how a dancer crosses the stage.  Once you have your list, head to the Internet for advice on mastering your chosen techniques.

Of course, the photographs only show you the end results.   As good as they are, they can’t compete with actually viewing a live dance recital.  If you’ve attended dance recitals in the past, you know the action can change pace and direction faster than you can say “Grand Allegro!”  Knowing that your eyes can barely keep up with all of the action, imagine how your “camera eye” will fare with the exhilaration of the dance.  The only way you can figure out how to cope with a real, live dance performance, is to see one.  Or two.  Or three.  I think you get the point.

Photo by Kevin Reilly

Step 3: Set that Camera!

Here’s where we get down to the nuts and bolts of successfully shooting a dance recital.  First of all, I’d suggest either using full manual mode, or speed priority mode.  That’s because shutter speed is the most important variable in shooting moving objects in low light.  For your reference, you can shoot as slow as 1/60th of a second and capture a stationary object in pretty decent focus most of the time.  Unfortunately, dancers are seldom stationary, so even a slight movement will require you to speed up that shutter to 1/125th of a second.  A walking dancer (again, not often seen in the real world) requires a much faster 1/250th of a second.  And when dancers are doing what they are born to do – namely running and jumping all over the stage — you’re going to have to set that speed to 1/500th of a second.  

So, how do you get to 1/500th of a second?  It all depends on your camera and your lens.  A fast lens, f/2.8 or faster, helps a lot. But even with that, you’re probably going to have to increase your sensor’s sensitivity by bumping up your ISO.  How far?  Well, that also depends on the available light.  But you’ll probably be in the iso 800 range.   But there are so many variables, it’s impossible to come up with a rule of thumb.  Every theater and performance is unique, and your lighting can change dramatically, even in the middle of a recital.

To make sure the dancers are doing the movement, and not my camera, I like to bring along a monopod to these kinds of events.  Easier to use, and less cumbersome than a tripod, a good monopod really does keep your camera steady.

What do you do if you only have a slower lens?  Well, if the lens doesn’t have a constant aperture (meaning it’s faster when it’s zoomed out than when it’s zoomed in) make sure you get as close to the stage as possible and resist zooming in.  I know it’s hard to resist bringing in that great big telephoto lens, but please pay attention to this one piece of advice – don’t do it!  If you try to shoot a dance recital with an f/5.6 zoom you won’t be able to shoot fast enough to avoid blurry photographs without increasing your ISO to unacceptable levels.  And I should also mention that long lenses also come with a shallow depth of field, meaning you’ll have an even more difficult time keeping your subjects in focus.

Of course, the amount of light isn’t the only issue you’ll be facing.  The quality of light in a room full of artificial lights is a challenge as well.   I usually shoot events like this in RAW, so I can easily make adjustments to the white balance in editing.  But to save time, and to see a more representative sample shot in my LCD, I like to adjust my white balance at the event.   You can start by switching your camera’s white balance to Tungsten, but because of the wide variety of lighting and the lighting gels many theaters use, you might need to bring a white balance card and use your camera’s custom white balance settings.

To deal with some of those changes, make sure you set your camera to spot metering.  Those bright spotlights can really skew your evaluative metering.  And be sure to check your histogram as often as possible to make sure you’re not bumping up against the edges.

Photo by Kevin Reilly

Step 4: Be kind to others

If you want to be invited to photograph the next dance recital, make sure you are on your best behavior during the one you’re already photographing.  I have a simple way of remembering how to be a courteous photographer.  I just imagine myself as anyone else in the room.  Am I getting in the way of a parent who has been looking forward to this event for months?  Am I distracting the dancers by standing too close?  Did I make the cardinal mistake and use a flash?  (Just an aside — flashes and dance recitals don’t mix well at all.  In fact, firing a flash at a dancer who is in the middle of a difficult movement could actually put the dancer in danger.  So put that flash back in the bag.)

If you’re shooting from a seat in the audience, keep your equipment to a minimum, and be aware that the sound of your shutter is louder than you think.

Step 5: It’s all in the details

When you’re shooting a dance performance, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the big picture.  The action, the lights, the sets, the overall energy of the performance can have you slamming down on that high-speed shutter button from the opening curtain to the final curtain call.  But it’s the little details that makes a performance complete and you will do yourself and your viewers a big favor if you take a moment or two to capture some of those details.  Try to capture images that focus in on the dancers’ feet, the way they hold their hands, or ever the way two dancers connect through eye contact.  Remember that the best photographs do more than capture an event as it happens.  The best photographs tell a story.

Photo by Kevin Reilly

Step 6: Bring your own dance partner

I’m very lucky that my wife loves photography as much as I do.  We shoot nearly everything together and that means if I miss something, I’m sure she probably caught it.  And I’m always there to back her up too.  It gives us the freedom to move about without having to worry about missing something important.  If you have a spouse, a good friend or even an acquaintance who loves photography, bring them along.  You’ll find, at the end of the day, two photographers equal a lot more than just twice as many photographs.

Step 7: You’ve got all of these wonderful models, why not shoot some portraits?

You won’t be shooting with a flash during the performance, but there’s nothing stopping you from bringing in your lights before or after the show.  So why not find a space that’s out of the way and shoot some portraits?   The dancers are usually excited to have their portraits taken, and who could blame them?  After all, their hair is done, their makeup is perfect and they’re wearing wonderful costumes.

Step 8: Repeat

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been completely happy with the first set of photographs I’ve taken of, well, just about anything.   It’s just so much better the second or even third time around.  After you come home and review your photos, I’m sure you say to yourself “I could do better”.  It’s easy to be standing in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong camera settings.  It happens to us all.  But the next time, you know what you have to do to get the best shots.  Fortunately, there’s nothing stopping you from going again.  If you’re going to photograph a dance recital, and the performance is going to be held for several nights, make sure to go more than once.  And if the show is for one-night only, see if you can shot the dress rehearsal.

Actually, I think you should try to shoot the dress rehearsal even if you can attend multiple performances.  That’s because, in a rehearsal, you can often move around the venue without bothering an audience.  Trying out all of those possible locations can help you decide where to be during the actual performance.  And, if it’s a dress rehearsal, you’ll actually be getting shots you can include with your final portfolio for the event.

In fact, dance recitals don’t just appear on Saturday night from thin air, like a magician’s bunny rabbit.   They take weeks, or maybe even months of preparation and practice.  All of that practice can be tough on the dancers, but think what an opportunity it is for you.  While the dancers run through their exercises, you can be running through some exercises of your own.   And because the performers are apt to be practicing the same steps, time after time, you can work on your focusing skills as well as a variety of techniques to see which looks best.  By the time the performance rolls around, you’ll be a shooting like a pro.

Photo by Kevin Reilly

Step 9: Be Generous

We all know photographers who horde their work.  They worry so much about image theft; they lock away their precious photographs on external hard drives, which are, in turn, stashed away in dark closets and cluttered desk drawers.   I don’t get it.  Oh sure, we all have work that’s important to us, those shots that might reach a gallery wall, or win a contest or two.  But those photographs are the exception, not the rule.   I say “Share the Wealth”!  Make up some DVDs with the best shots you take from the performance and give them to the dancers, and the parents of the dancers and the choreographers, and the studio owners, and anybody else you can think of.  And make sure you include your card, and maybe some samples of your work.  It’s inexpensive marketing and besides, it’s just a nice thing to do.

by: Kevin Reilly