Gear
The better your camera, the faster you shoot to capture those moments.

Good Eye
For better composition(avoids loosing a limb from the shot) getting as tight as possible to reduce post-production.

Quick Reflexes
Especially important for group performances, different couples/dancers might perform different moves. This is tough as it is with only 1 dancer/couple.

Good understanding of the dance style
Knowing the dance style gives you a good comprehension of what to look out for, catching the great lines and this ties in to the musicality when the music hits a stop, generally the dancers will have accentuated movement or pose.

Great Musicality
Knowing the music allows you to foresee photo opportunities. Dancers often take advantage of musical flow, highs and lows of the piece to accompany their movements on the stage.

Great Positioning
This is probably one of the most essential of the lot. No amount of gear, quick reflexes, understanding of dance style or musicality will save you if you have a seat that is facing the dancers back. In most cases, it will be difficult to move during a performance so choose your seat wisely or you could well write off that shoot.

Blast from the past:

Old Header

and into the future!

New Header

Tell me which you prefer and what you think =)

Here are the list of items:
-2 pairs of t-shirts. The congress tends to get very hot and having a spare shirt ensures that your partner doesnt dance with a wet towel.
-Mints for breath.
-Hand Sanitizer, you never know what you are passing around and you dont want to pass it on to your next partner, once every couple dances.
-Body spray, whenever you start stinking.
-Cologne, you want to smell good for the ladies, eh?
-Panadol for those headaches(you probably should stop dancing at this point)
-Berocca for that extra energy.
-Plasters for minor injuries(eg: stilettos grazing your feet; if more severe, go see a first aid volunteer, they have someone roaming around for that)
- Lip balm, Sydney can get dry.
-Towel to wipe off face/body sweat.

All this to ensure a fun-filled congress night and also to avoid getting rejected by a girl for smelling,being too sweaty or having bad breath =) ALSO, dont forget to bring your dance etiquette! all the mints, sprays and towels will not compensate the fact that you were rude!

Apart from dancing, I will be predominantly shooting the performances and manning the photography booth. Heres are the items Im bringing and possibly shooting you with if you are performing.

Basically, not to bore you with my boring photography stuff:
-Cleaning gear(blower to get rid of dust, cloth for lens smudges, oil etc)
-Extra storage(alway always have more space than you need)
-Utilities(chargers, extra batteries, flash units for social dancing shots)
-Spare Lenses
-Camera(which Im using to take the shot)

Leave a comment if I left anything out of the list or if you have any suggestions for it!

This is the first time I have seen Moro and Alegria perform and I was skeptical at first. I wasnt sure what style of dance they were doing and how I should line up my shots. Compared to the first 4 shows, I have either seen the routine before or seen them dance multiple times which made shooting easy.

Shooting Moro and Alegrio was ALOT of fun! Their performance factor is amazing to say the least with non-stop crowd teasers of increasingly insane moves. Suffice to say, shooting them was a breeze.

The last move of the routine, keeping the best for last…

It was certainly an eye opener to watch Moro and Alegria perform with their spot on musicality and crowd pleasers. I cant wait to see them again!

Thats the last set of photos from the October Salsa Fest. The next dance event post will feature the Brisbane Latin Christmas Party hosted by Smooth Latin Energy Steps. Follow these links to see the other posts during the October Salsa Fest:-

Friday Performances
1st performance -  Latin Energy
2nd performance – Fabia Santiago and Valeria Rodionov(New York Ballroom)
3rd performance – Duncan and Su Min(Latin Steps)
4th performance – Neil and Mary-Grace Brown(LDA)

and the other photos taken during the Salsa Fest that are not posted on my blog
my flickr – October Salsa Fest

I got the chance to dance with Mary on Friday and that had got to be one of the best dances I have ever had.

I am really looking forward to more dances with her in the future, particularly during the Sydney Salsa Congress in January!

Follow these links to see the other posts during the October Salsa Fest:-

Friday Performances
1st performance -  Latin Energy
2nd performance – Fabia Santiago and Valeria Rodionov(New York Ballroom)
3rd performance – Duncan and Su Min(Latin Steps)
5th performance – Moro and Alegria(Buena Vista Cuban Academy)

and the other photos taken during the Salsa Fest that are not posted on my blog
my flickr – October Salsa Fest

Valeria Rodionov

Fabia Santiago

Valeria Rodionov

Fabia Santiago

Fabia Santiago

You can see the other blog posts during the October Salsa Fest

Friday Performances
1st performance -  Latin Energy
3rd performance – Duncan and Su Min(Latin Steps)
4th performance – Neil and Mary-Grace Brown(LDA)
5th performance – Moro and Alegria(Buena Vista Cuban Academy)

and the other photos taken during the Salsa Fest that are not posted on my blog
my flickr – October Salsa Fest