Dance School Photography
We photograph full dance schools quite regularly and we have found that we get asked the same questions quite frequently. So, here’s a guide to how it works, what we do and how much it costs.
How it works!
After the initial enquiry… feel free to send me an email, voice mail, text message, FB message, snap, DM, voice note, smoke signal or whatever, I will ask you to fill in my online booking form. This puts all of the information into my super clever system that will then confirm the booking and add it to my diary and then send you a confirmation email with all the relevant info. All you need to do is advertise the photo day to your dancers, and let us know how many we have booked.
What we do!
After your booking is confirmed, we will send you some information to pass to your parents about what dancers should wear, hair and makeup and what the cost of the images will be. We can also send you a time slot template to print off and use to help organise your day.
We show up at your confirmed location, normally your dance studio, with our backdrop, lighting and print station an hour before the first dancer is booked and we set up.
Each dancer is given a slot of ten to twenty minutes, dependent on number of dancers booked. We need a 30 min lunch break and a morning and afternoon tea break. We are happy to work up to 8pm and if you have more dancers than we can fit into one day we will arrange an overnight stay and run the shoot over two days. Images are available to view and purchase, by the dance parents, immediately. And will be printed out on the day.
We do not run a ‘pay per shot’ system. Each dancer is given the time and encouragement to try different moves and poses. Not everything works first time! Parents and dancers are then able to go through the images and select their favourites from the images taken. We will take a range of standing poses and action shots. If any of your dancers are getting ready to apply for dance college, we will add a complimentary headshot in addition to the images already taken.
How much does it cost?
Prints are priced at £10 for one or £20 for three. The prints we supply are lab quality, 9”x6” images in a mount.
If they wish, Schools can add a small charge to their dancers as a way of fundraising.
Further Questions…
Can parents buy digitals instead of/as well as prints? – Yes, of course. Digital files are available at £12 each or three for £30. Digital images will be available on the day, dependent on Wi-Fi signal, if we cannot get a stable connection, digital images will be sent within 24 to 48 hours.
Will you direct the dancers? – We will work with the dancer and their teacher to make sure we achieve a set of images that highlights their individuality and unique skills and strengths. Dancers are creatives and are encouraged to input their own ideas and suggestions.
Can you suggest poses? – Absolutely! We bring with us a banner that has photos of over 100 poses and moves from all styles of dance, at all abilities. We also suggest that dancers take a look on Instagram, Pinterest and my website for inspiration. It often helps for the dancer to run through their routine and we select poses and moves that will translate well into photographs.
Are images available to buy after photo day? – Yes, we have often found that after the shoot parents, grandparents or other relatives want to see all the images again or buy extra copies. We put all of the images into a password protected online gallery that parents can access and buy directly from.
Can dancers be photographed in pairs and groups? – Yes, very often there are duo’s, trio’s, friends, groups and siblings that want to be photographed together. We encourage this, these memories with our dance families are special.
Is the ‘three for £20’ offer only for three of the same image? – No! You can mix and match across all images that have been taken so if your dancer has had individuals and group images taken, they can all be mixed together.
Best days to book the shoot
The busiest times for dance schools (and dance photographers) are weekends. We are often all busy with classes, competitions and shows and in the run up to both the summer and winter show seasons, there are often extra rehearsals going on. With this in mind, we offer shoot days during the school holidays too, so you can have your photo day, without it impacting on anything else going on.
Other options
We also offer show photography, and have found that the dress rehearsal is a fab time to have a school shoot. We can set up in your chosen venue and as each number comes off stage, they come directly to us, in groups, to have a photo taken in costume. Parents are then able to view the images in an online gallery 24 hours after the show. This is a really popular option. Parents are rarely able to get images of their child in full costume and make up while they’re still neat and tidy and they are fantastic keepsakes.
Images are also available as large canvas’, acrylic prints or poster sized images. These are available to pre order either on the day of the shoot, or they can be ordered from the online gallery. We also have a unique offering of an A1 sized poster collage of the whole school. These are designed by us and look fab on the walls of the studio.
What if we want something different – Brilliant, we welcome ideas and we love a good challenge. We have done a full dance school shoot on one of our local beaches, which was complete chaos but loads of fun. We can also shoot against mirrors or a feature wall for example. Images incorporating the studio are particularly good for use on social media and your website.
Testimonials
Emily Wilson – Sparkles Dance School
Positive: Professionalism
“I booked Helen for a photo shoot of my dancing school and it was superb. The price was really reasonable and we had lots of time to get the images we wanted.”
Hayley Louise – Hays Dance School
“Without a doubt the loveliest most helpful photographer you will find. At our first photo shoot in 2021 Helen (& Mike) were incredible. They put the dancers at ease and guided them to produce wonderful pictures. All of dancers thoroughly enjoyed the day and we cannot wait for our next shoot!!”