Passion? Softness? Energy? Nuance? Elegance? Fierceness? Crazy lines and shapes, bodies that can contort…
This has been a hot topic of conversation at my studio lately. What gives a picture the power to hold your attention? What makes you stop and look at it for more than the 1-2 seconds you normally give to the images you are inundated with every day?
The Wow Factor of course is largely dependent on the audience. A great example is the attention I’m paying to my Instagram account. Now I’m not the photographer who has a crazy number of followers, just a little over 2000 (yes, I was a little late to the party and joined up this past April), but I do want to provide content that my followers enjoy, and to connect with more people who want to see what I do. So I’m paying attention to what people like, what people want to share and comment on. Seeing what makes people stop in their tracks.
Interestingly, the images that I post that have a special place in my heart, those that happen to be more along the lines of my conceptual, more personal work, tend to gain fewer ‘likes’ than shots of individual dancers with either super great lines or with awesome props.
The scoring on this is purely based on the transient ‘like’ which is by no means a scientific analysis. There are many factors at play here, including day and time of day I post. However, the trend is fairly strong. And from there you can start to draw some conclusions about what kinds of dance photos resonate with audiences. And that is something that, as a dancer, you need to know. The same is true for fitness photos. What fitness photos make potential clients stop in their tracks and say “that’s what I want”?
So the larger question for all dancers, dance companies and fitness professionals to consider is what images make people stop, think and respond.
Consider what types of images will make your clients or your audience stop in their tracks and pay attention. Then work with your dance photographer to create them to deliver powerful dance audition photos or fitness marketing images.
If you’re not sure, before you consult with your dance and movement photographer, ask yourself these questions:
What do you want to see more of?
What images do you like most?
Do you feel like you need to present a certain look or style in your dance photos and at auditions?
Does this look connect to who you are, what you want to do, and what makes you stop and look?
Share your answers in the comments!
