PITTSBURGH DANCE PHOTOGRAPHY
PITTSBURGH DANCE PHOTOGRAPHY
If you’re looking for a dance photographer who has navigated the dance world, look no further. I danced from the age of 2 through 19 years old, so I know just how hard you work to perfect your craft and how much dedication the dance industry requires. Your hard work deserves to be seen and captured for years to come, in the form of dance portraits! Whether you continue to dance professionally, as a hobby, or just around your kitchen while you’re waiting for the microwave to finish, you’ll love being able to look back on your beautiful dance portraits forever.
PITTSBURGH DANCE PORTRAIT PACKAGES
THE DANCE PHOTOGRAPHY PROCESS
INQUIRE
Shoot me an inquiry using the link below, and I’ll get back to you with details about how we can create the most stunning dance portraits.
BOOK
Once we’ve hashed out all the details for your dance portraits, you’ll be able to book your session date and time!
PREPARE
Leading up to your dance portrait session date, you’ll want to prepare everything you’ll need – your outfits, hair and makeup plans, a list of any must-have poses, a parent or friend to bring along, and anything else you want to have to get the most out of your session!
shoot
Throughout your dance portrait session, I’ll point you to the best backgrounds, lighting, and poses. As a dancer myself for 17 years, I am able to assist with technique adjustments and can find the angles that highlight your dance poses best so that you love the end result!
VIEW
Your final edited dance portraits will be delivered to you via an online gallery. You’ll be able to download and share them with your family and friends, share your favorites on social media, and print out your final products! All that’s left is to dream up your next perfect shoot!
Stunning DANCE portrait location IDEAS
You deserve to have a background just as beautiful as you for your dance portraits. Luckily, we have no shortage of stunning locations here in the Pittsburgh area to choose from. Whether your vision is striking nature shots, a bold urban setting, or a blend of both, MKB Photography is here for it! Look through some of my favorite and most popular locations below. If you don’t find one you love, let’s talk, and we’ll find one that suits you!
Nature
Urban
Other
The cost of dance portraits depends on the length of your shoot, how many locations and outfits you envision, and how many final photos you desire. For this reason, I’ve listed each of my four most popular packages at the top of this page!
The best way to book a session with MKB Photography is to contact me using the form on this page. If you send me an email, social media DM, or any other method of contact, it may not be received!
Choosing a location that you love for your dance portraits is very important. That’s why I compiled a list of my favorite and some of the most popular Pittsburgh dance portrait locations above! If you’re unsure about which location will work best for your session, simply let me know and we can chat about your exact vision so I can help you choose!
The best season for dance portraits is the season that you love and feel comfortable in. Your comfort and safety during your session is always my priority. Particularly, winter weather in Pittsburgh can be hard on the body when you’re in a leotard or trying to keep your body warmed up for dance poses. However, if you love the cold and are prepared for what it brings, then I’m more than excited to capture some surreal winter dance portraits with you!
The best time of day for dance portraits is golden hour! This means that we’ll want to aim to have your shoot in either the first hour after sunrise or the last hour before sunset. The exact sunrise and sunset times will depend on the season and date of your session.
Rain, snow, and other inclement weather can pose an especially big risk for dance portraits. The last thing I want is for you to slip getting into or out of a pose and hurt yourself. Therefore, if I deem the weather a risk, one free reschedule due to weather is allowed!
Your dance portraits are about one thing – YOU! So you should wear what makes you feel your best. Oftentimes, more fitted clothing photographs better for dance portraits because it helps to capture your lines.
Unless you’re specifically shooting for an “opposite” look, your outfits should also reflect the style of dance you’ll be doing. For example, many ballerinas choose to wear tutus or skirts for their dance portraits, while hip-hop dancers often choose to wear baggier everyday clothing for their portraits.
If your package includes multiple outfits, then I would be happy to photograph you doing more than one style of dance in your different outfits, if you so choose! No matter how many outfits your package includes, I am here to provide guidance when you’re picking out your dance portrait outfits in advance.
The number of outfits included in your session depends on the package you choose to book. The Basics package includes 2 outfits; The Classic and The Deluxe packages include 3 outfits, and The Elite package includes 4 outfits.
These amounts are curated based on the amount of time in your session package and the amount of photos being delivered to you. I always want to make sure we have enough time for you to comfortably change into each outfit and for us to capture the best possible portraits in them.
Both! Your dance portrait session will be comprised primarily of posed dance moves including still shots, jumps and leaps, and more, but I always take candid shots as well. Some of the best photos come from the in-between moments – the ones where you’re psyching yourself up for a leap, coming out of a jump, or laughing because a pose didn’t go as planned. You’ll be surprised at how you cherish these candids just as much as your posed photos!
The best poses for your dance portraits are ones that suit your body and ability the best, ones that work well with the environment and weather you’re in, and ones that align with the style of dance you’ve chosen. Because I was a dancer for 17 years, I have a knack for helping you find creative poses that suit each one of these.
Prior to your session, you are more than welcome to get inspired online – Pinterest is a go-to for some amazing dance pose ideas! During your session, we’ll work together to find what works best for you. As always, your safety and comfort is my first priority, so you will never be forced to do a pose you’re not comfortable with or that might hurt you.
Being in front of the camera can feel like a lot of pressure. But the last thing I want is for you to feel shy or embarrassed during your session; you should feel every bit like the talented and hard-working dancer you are!
A huge part of feeling your best in your dance portraits is what you choose for your outfits, hair, and makeup. These three elements can be the difference between you feeling down about yourself and you feeling like a boss. So, if wearing makeup makes you feel great, then wear makeup for your shoot! If wearing your hair down instead of in a tight bun makes you feel more free for your dance portraits, then wear your hair down! When deciding on your outfits, hair, and makeup for your session, I’m always happy to hear your ideas and offer advice.
During your session, we’re just going to have fun! There’s never any pressure to try poses or tricks you aren’t comfortable with. If there’s a certain part of your body that you hate or if you have a “better side”, then let me know in advance and I’ll do my very best to avoid photographing anything that you don’t want seen.
And don’t forget, the saying “dance like nobody’s watching” applies to your time in front of the camera, too!
I lightly retouch every photo delivered to you using Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop.
Your dance portrait package specifies the amount of edited photos you will receive. The Basics package includes up to 20 edited photos, The Classic Package includes up to 30 edited photos, and The Deluxe and Elite packages each include up to 40 edited photos.
made me feel comfortable
Morgan took my professional headshots that I use to this day! She gave great direction and made sure that I had plenty of options in the short amount of time we had. Also, she’s super personable and made me feel comfortable in front of the camera. She was very timely with editing and sending the photos as well! Highly recommend!!
– Anel M.
I CAN'T WAIT TO TALK TO YOU!
