Why have belly dance photos? Promotional belly dance shots are one of the best forms of marketing. Changing and updating your website and/or blogs is crucial to generate good traffic.
How many of us dread at the thought of doing a photo shoot? We hate how we look in our photos. Here are some tips and tricks to help make your photo shoot be a happy, productive experience resulting in stunning, beautiful photos of you. The key is being prepared.
Outdoor Belly Dance Photo Shoot
Costume Plan which costume(s) and accessories you want to wear. Consider which of your costume/accessories will look good with that outdoor location backdrop. Some costume colors look great indoor but not so great outdoors. Select/check to make sure your costume is well fitted.
Think about what props to use. Veil gives great visual effect particularly for outdoor photo shoots. You can use single veil, double veils and/or fan veils.
Makeup
The all important makeup! Most important makeup tool to use, false eyelashes! They open and frame your eyes, the mirror of your soul. If you feel very insecure about doing your own makeup for a photo shoot and have the money to invest, consider having a professional makeup artist do your make up for the photo shoot. Let the makeup artist see the colors your wearing and inform her/him it’s an outdoor photo shoot.
Now if you are doing your own makeup, start off with a good primer to help makeup stay in place and not crease. Stick with matt makeup, avoid dewy foundation when doing a photo shoot. Your skin will appear to shiny in photos. Try to stick with more matt eye shadow, also no heavy lip-gloss. Apply your makeup more heavily than you would for everyday wear. Makeup may appear washed out in photographs.
Here’s a link that gives great advice and YouTube examples on applying makeup for belly dance and photo shoots.
http://www.bhuz.com/belly-dance-beauty-costuming/56976-belly-dance-makeup-newbies.html
http://cyntheaspavt.blogspot.com/2009/07/tips-for-photo-shoot-make-up.html
Trim and tone
Avoid excess carbs, salt and sugar that will bloat up your body. Drink plenty of water to detoxify and hydrate your skin…
Location
Give thought on a good location and find the right location ahead of time. If you are working with a photographer, he/she might have some good places in mind.
Choosing Photographer
Choose a photographer who is experience in photographing dancers, one who can not only capture still poses but also the movement of you as a dancer. A great photographer will help you with you poses, facial expressions, body angles, lighting. That photographer should make the most your good attributes. How do you find one? If you see great photos of a dancer, ask that dancer, who was her/his photographer? I have also found through facebook many dancers websites and great photos posted by the dancer. That dancer will usually give credit to the photographer.
Time of Day
When it comes to outdoor photo shoots, time of the day matters. Usually around dawn or dusk is best. Midday when sun is at highest is usually considered the worse time of day for outdoor photos. Direct sunlight is harsh, makes your eyes squint, and creates hard shadows.
Poses
Outdoor Belly Dance Photo Shoot
Now most people are intimated with having photo shoot sessions because manyof us are just lost for how to pose, right? Prepare by looking over many photos not just of by belly dancers poses but of other dancers and models as well. Print these out and bring them with you. Practice these poses ahead of time so poses start to feel natural. I also find that bringing music with me helps with photo shoot. Play music that will set the mood for you and hopefully allow you to feel more relaxed. You can have your music vary from soft, sultry music for portraits or languid poses then have energetic, upbeat music for more playful, spinning, movement poses. Check the position of your feet, make sure your toe is pointed when needs to be pointed, great posture, no slouching. Poses look best, more slimming when they are angled a bit instead of facing head on towards camera. You can try also turning your hips side to the camera but have your shoulders straight-on. This helps your waist look tinier. Most people’s faces are not perfectly symmetrical. Being that, it’s usually best to have your face angled or tilted slightly.
Here’s some more links on posing for camera:
http://prom.about.com/od/formalfaq/ss/Model-Poses-For-Dresses.htm
http://digital-photography-school.com/21-sample-poses-photographing-female-models
Test Run
Do a test run at home or outdoors, maybe a local park or your yard in full costume, makeup, hair style. Ask a friend or family member to take sample photo shoots in close range and full body. This will help you get a feel on how much makeup to apply.
What to pack for photo shoot?
Pack costumes, jewelry, music, make-up, hairspray, props, towels to blot face and body as necessary. Consider packing folder of pictures of poses for you to refer to just in case your mind blanks out on what poses to do next.
Most of all have fun and relax. Have a wonderful photo shoot!
Love to hear any more advice from dancers out there….
Credits
http://photo.net/portraits-and-fashion-photography-forum/00T9sp
Leilani Dance 