[wendym]

Good Day Everyone

My name is Wendy. I use a Nikon D7100. I am looking for any tips that someone can give on shooting Ballroom Dancing in a dimly lit ballroom. I don't like to raise the ISO too much for obvious reasons. My lens is a 28-300mm 3.5-5.6 VR. I like to shoot in Manual Mode, but have on occasion shot in A or S. If anyone has had success at this could you please share your settings or if you have some good ideas for settings I am open to that also. Thanks in advance.

[EdMak]

Is flash a no no. Ed.

[wendym]

Is flash a no no. Ed.

We try not to use flash as it's distracting for dancers.

[EdMak]

Are you doing this hobby, or asked/getting paid. Ed.

[a2zidxdotcom]

Hi Wendy,

Everything is a bit of a compromise.

Without using flash I would do the following.

1) Use a slightly higher ISO. 200-800
2) Use the largest aperture you can.
3) Look for a location where there is the brightest light on the dancers if possible.
4) Use a shorter focal length to help with DOF
5) Timing your shots with the dancers can help to reduce motion blur. Take your shot if possible when the major motion is towards or away from the camera and not across the shot. If they are doing lifts take you shot at the top of the lift when for a short period the speed of the dancers is almost zero.

Mike

[wendym]

I don't get paid for the dance shots. These are good friends of mine who are professional. I do get paid for Landscape shots by an artists group. I would like to expand on to a more business like format at some point.

Thanks for the responses. Really great.

[EdMak]

Get a couple of dance friend's to do the dances you want, not in a room necessarily, outside would do. By trial and error determine the slowest shutter speed that gives you what you want, Slow Foxtrot, or Slow Waltz, would perhaps need slower speeds, and could be the ones to concentrate more on. Once you have established the needed Speed/s, then use as a starting point.

In the Ballroom proper, Shutter Priority, set speed of your choice, assume your Viewfinder would indicate, by aperture flashing, or similar indication, that you are outside the Parameters, Increase the ISO, by stages, until the indicator, disappears. Go from there, and assess your results. Noise will come into this, but have to live with. There are Progs, that will "Suppress" some noise, P/S has this facility.

Love to see some of your results?? Success. Ed.

[Barbara G.]

Wendy,

Welcome to the digital photography forums! Nice to have you here!

[wendym]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I will try them.