You can check out the rest of the performance photos at my gallery here: http://photos.minwye.com/Dance/2010-Doudoule-Latin-Dance-Camp/

Also, the videos are up on Brisbane Salsa here: http://www.brisbanesalsa.com.au/Video

Heres a sneak peak of a shot I got on Saturday night of the Latin Steps Salsa Divas(Latin Step’s women only shines team) led by the beautiful Miss Elli Torres =)

Im still going through my photos and figuring out the best place to upload them. In time, Ill get all 100+ performance photos out.

ps – can you tell they are mid-air?

pps – You can view the girls divas in action at Brisbane Salsa

Not entirely sure how hectic this week will be; I doubt it will be anything like the past couple of weeks: Sydney Salsa Congress, Haiti Dance Fund Raiser drama, moving house plus an engagement photo-shoot almost every other weekend.

Speaking of engagement shoots, I shot the very lovely couple, David and Lisa at the Mt Cootha Botanical Gardens last weekend before their engagement party and what fun that was. Coincidentally, just a couple weeks before, I had the oppurtunity to shoot Ronald and Melissa’s engagement there too. Here is a sneak peak at one of David and Lisa’s photos =D

David and Lisa

From Katherine and Lloyd

I love quirky notes =)

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.

1. Alex Bryan and Ebony Berrel performed a contemporary routine.

2. Ulysses MacLaren and Jasmin Addison with a Salsa.

3. Giancarlo and Masha on a cha-cha.

Tell me, which is your favourite?

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!

About 2 months ago, Canon announced their Canon 5d Mark II, my dream camera and now have just started shipping. When the 5d Mark II was announced, I wrote about Vincent Laforet who got hold of one of the prototypes and made Reverie using the 5d Mark II’s video functions and wide range of lenses.

Suffice to say, he did an amazing job and with the release/sales of the Canon 5d Mark II, Vincent Laforet has released another video shot over 7days. Video below:

I think it was a beautiful piece and it simply amazes me at the capabilities of the 5d Mark II. However, I personally preferred the Reverie partly because Reverie had more of a hidden story line/agenda and 7days, 7shoots is more of a mix and match of story lines to try to display the potential of the 5d Mark II. In which regard, it served its purpose.

Here is Reverie the video, part 1 of the Vincent Laforet Canon 5d mark II video saga. Let me know which you prefer?

Jump over to Vincent Laforet’s SmugMug for the HD sized version.

Wow, Smugmug is abit lame, it doesnt allow you to share 2 different videos on the same page!

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