Booking & Sessions
- How do I book a dance photoshoot? Studios or individuals: please email us at: thedanceshot@gmail.com
- Do you photograph individual dancers, duets, trios, and groups? Yes, to all!
- Do you offer studio, competition, and outdoor sessions? We primarily focus on indoor events
- How far in advance should I book? We book out about 2 months or more in advance on average. However, for smaller jobs feel free to reach out via email at: thedanceshot@gmail.com
- Can I request a specific date or time? Yes
- Do you travel for photoshoots? Yes: within about 70 miles of Sarasota, FL. Other locations require a small travel fee.
- Do you photograph dancers of all ages and skill levels? Yes
- Can you accommodate dancers with disabilities or special needs? Yes
- How long does a typical session take? For dance schools, we run sessions very quickly with about 3-5 minutes per individual dancer per costume. How do we do this?! We have extra staff on hand for posing support and flow. We also have additional lighting and gear to move more quickly between photos. For smaller scale shoots, the time frame is 20-40 minutes per dancer.
- How many costumes/outfits can my dancer photograph? For dance school shoots, you purchase additional time for each costume as you like in your registration. For individual shoots, we recommend no more than 2 costumes per 20 minute time slot.
What to Expect at the Shoot
- Does my dancer need to know how to pose? No, we can provide ideas and guidance.
- What if my child isn't comfortable posing? That's ok! We often have them do some moves and poses from dances they are currently working on to ease them in. We like to play some fun music of their choice as well, and often recommend dancing their piece as we capture some moves!
- Will you help my dancer with poses and expressions? Yes!
- Can you photograph difficult tricks, leaps, turns, and flexibility skills? Absolutely!
- Do you photograph pointe work? Yes
- Can you photograph pole, aerial, acro, or other specialty dance styles? Yes
- Can we bring multiple costumes? Yes, according to what you have signed up for.
- Should hair and makeup be competition-ready? Yes. For dance schools, please go with what your school has instructed. For private individual shoots, it is your choice. We highly recommend using hair products to tame fly-away hairs, but this can be edited.
- Can parents watch the photoshoot? Yes. For dance schools, this is more limited and may be only via a viewing window or screen, or a view may not be available depending on the studio. If there are dancers changing costumes in a studio setting, there will be a private changing area arranged. For private individual shoots, yes, always.
- Can siblings/friends be photographed together? Yes. There will be a form to fill out where you can request this.
Editing & Image Style
- How are the images edited? For dance schools, images are batch edited for brightness, contrast, and touch-up of the background (hair and shoes are not edited, for example). For individual private sessions, images are individually edited with additional edits to tame fly away hairs if needed, and shoe scuff marks, for example.
- Do you retouch skin and imperfections? For dance schools, this is available for an additional fee. For individual private sessions, this is included.
- Will you remove bruises, blemishes, or temporary marks? Yes, see above
- Can you edit flexibility/lines or enhance a trick? No, we do not reshape bodies.
- Do you alter body shape? No, we do not reshape bodies.
- Can I request additional edits? Yes. You may email us at: thedanceshot@gmail.com
- What happens if I don't like an image? We love our customers, so please email us!
- Do you provide both color and black-and-white images? We can provide black and white upon request.
- Are images delivered in high resolution? Yes. The files are large enough to print beautiful large wall prints.
- Are images optimized for social media? No. They are large files that will be compressed when posting to social media.
- "Do you digitally alter a dancer's body or technique?" No.
Images & Galleries
- How many images will I receive? You may choose the number of images you like from your proof gallery, and pay per-image or purchase a gallery buy-all at a flat rate.
- How long does it take to receive my gallery? This varies, and you will receive information on what to expect based on your shoot. Most commonly, proofs are delivered to you within about 5 days of the event.
- How are images delivered? Images are delivered via email via a private gallery that you can access with a passcode.
- How long will my gallery remain available? 2-3 weeks
- Can I download the images to my phone? Yes!
- Can I print my images? Yes! We do not offer printed images, but we give instruction on how to do this. We recommend Nation Photo or Bay Photo companies online. DO NOT print at drugstores such as CVS as the quality will be poor.
- Do you offer prints or albums? No. See above
- Can I purchase additional images after receiving my gallery? Yes!
- Can I share my images on social media? Yes. Feel free to tag us @the.danceshot
- Do I receive a print release? Yes, you may use the images you receive to print your own photo books, physical prints, and more at your discretion. The only thing you can not do is sell your images to someone else or a business.
- Can I use my images for a dance résumé, competition submission, or audition? Yes!
Pricing & Payments
- How much does a dance photoshoot cost? For individual private shoots, this varies based on the complexity of the shoot, studio rental time, and equipment needed. For dance schools, registrations vary in cost from about $30-$60 for the first costume, and then on average around $20 per each additional costume that you would like photographed. The registration fees act as a credit you can use to buy photos.
- Are digital images included? Yes, we only provide digital images and no physical product. [see above for more]
- Do you offer packages? We offer purchasing individual images or a gallery buy-all package (you can purchase all of the images in your individual dancer's gallery). If you have more than one child, and you want all of the images, this means you must purchase a gallery buy all for each dancer.
- Are there additional fees for extra dancers/costumes? Yes [see above].
- Do you require a deposit? Yes. For dance schools, there is a registration fee that acts as a credit. This allows us to be organized and run on-time. For individual private shoots, yes and this varies ($75-$250).
- What forms of payment do you accept? All major credit cards only.
- Are travel fees charged outside your local area? Yes, if 70+ miles outside of Sarasota, FL.
- Are there discounts for booking multiple dancers? No, unless you are organizing a larger shoot with multiple dancers, then there may be a slightly reduced fee.
- Do you offer studio/group booking rates? Yes, this is calculated based on the time, resources, and complexity of the shoot.
Rescheduling & Cancellations
- What happens if my dancer is sick or injured? Please notify us and your dance studio (if applicable) immediately, and we can issue a refund of your reservation for dance school photoshoots ONLY. If your dancer has an injury and they are still able to attend the group photo, please attend (please contact your dance studio regardless). Thank you!
- What happens if the studio cancels? You will receive a refund of your reservation fee.
- Can I reschedule my session? This varies based on how much lead time we have. Please email with any requests. Thank you.
- Is my deposit refundable? Typically, no [see above and below].
- What happens if my dancer is injured before the shoot? Please notify us immediately and coordinate with your dance school for dance school sessions.
- What happens if we are running late? You will lose some of your allocated time from your time slot to ensure we run on time. We will try our best to fit you in where we have time, but we can not guarantee this.
Parents & Minors
- Does a parent/guardian need to be present? Only for individual private sessions.
- Do you require a model release for minors? No, we have a terms and conditions for everyone to agree to when they sign-up instead. If we need a model release, we will contact you individually. We use a model release for private individual sessions. [see more below]
- How do you protect children's privacy? For dance schools, we coordinate with the school/studio to ensure they have a private changing area for dancers that is separate from the photo space. For private sessions, we also have a designated private changing area separate from the photo room. We DO NOT photograph any suggestive poses for anyone under 18. If we see this happening, we will encourage other poses and may choose to NOT deliver a photo to that seems too suggestive (the photo will be deleted at our discretion). We prefer ALL DANCERS to wear tights and no bare legs please.
- Will my child's images be posted on social media? No, unless explicitly asked by The Dance Shot. Or, your studio may have policies that allow them to post your child's image to the dance studio's social media or email marketing. If you tag The Dance Shot on social media, that acts as permission for us to then re-share or post the same image to our channels. All of the dance studios we work with will get the rights to share photos we take on photo day. This is often in a contract you have signed with your dance studio already. If you do not want your dance studio to post your dancer on social media, please contact your dance school/studio. Thank you!
- Can I opt out of having my child's images used for marketing? Yes, always. Either this should be cleared ahead of time with your dance school/studio, and/or you are welcome to let us know ahead of time as well for us to take extra precaution. However, we do not post your images publicly unless we have permission.
- Can you photograph a dancer who doesn't have permission to appear online? Yes. Many families use the images for their own private keepsakes. The key is to make sure you coordinate with your dance school and let them know if you do not want your child online in their marketing. We take your privacy very seriously. So, if you have any concerns, please let us know via email. Thank you!
Competition/Stage Show Photography
- Do you offer competition/stage show photography? Yes
- Can I book photos even if my studio isn't a participating studio? Yes, but this highly depends on if professional photo/video is allowed at the event. If your stage show does not have a photographer, please feel free to recommend us to your event organizer!
- Do you offer same-day or expedited images? The earliest we can deliver proofs is usually the next day. This depends on how many photos were taken and the initial quality out of the camera.
Studio Owners & Dance Teachers
- Can studios book The Dance Shot for picture day? Yes!
- Do you offer studio-wide photo days? Yes!
- How does a studio photo day work? We come to the dance studio to set up for the photo sessions. We need one dedicated studio that is close to/at least 20 feet wide in one dimension. We provide a pre-registration link where families can sign up for individual photos. We coordinate with dance studios on group images and what they would like to receive.
- Do you photograph recital costumes? Yes!
- Can you photograph every dancer in the studio? Yes!
- Do you offer special pricing for studios? Yes, we offer a revenue share.
- Can teachers receive promotional images? Yes
- Can you photograph the studio's choreography/teams? Yes! If you would like a specific dance routine filmed, please reach out as well. We are available for individual filming of specific routines in-studio.
- How much studio space is required? 20 feet+ wide in one direction is preferred
- What equipment do you bring? A lot! We bring a vinyl or cloth backdrop, Marley flooring, multiple lights, a TV monitor to view images, a separate headshot station, a poster of sample posing ideas, at least 2 photographers in studio, and more!
- How much time does setup take? 90 minutes if we are new to your space, and 45 minutes for breakdown.
Privacy, Copyright & Usage
- Who owns the copyright to my images? The Dance Shot
- Can I share my photos on Instagram and Facebook? Yes
- Can my dancer use the images for auditions? Yes
- Can I crop or edit the images myself? Yes
- Can I submit the images to competitions or magazines? Yes, but you can not sell the image to a magazine.
- Can the photographer use my dancer's images for advertising? No, unless a release is signed.
- Can I opt out of promotional use? Yes (see above)
- Can dance studios use the images? Yes (see above