Ballet portrait photographed by California editorial, advertising, healthcare, annual report and fitness photographer Robert Houser.
So what about the view from below. How do I photograph a dancer from the perspective of the floor? And, can she twirl? This half was harder. I ended up building a glass table shooting platform with a 4'x6' sheet of 1" plexiglass that weighs almost 150 pounds. The platform has a 2'x6' deck on either side of the glass for the dancer to stand on, a space to prep herself and to catch herself. The whole thing is elevated 4' in the air, so I needed room post point so she wouldn't fall. Inside (which now doubles as my solar kiln for drying my wood sculptures), I shoot through a small hole in black duvetene. Everything is covered in black duvetene inside; otherwise, I'd see myself in the reflection from the underside of the glass. So yes, it's hot in there, and not easy to be heard from above. But twirling possible? Besides being too slippery to spin safely, the plexiglass scratches very easily when a foot rotates. Static en pointe, with no footprints!