Ballet Dancer

Yesterday was a team effort. My beginning digital photography class worked with the wonderful Folsom photographer Gino Creglia and with my class of 35 students we took several local ballet dancers to a grassy, oak-rimmed field on the outskirts of town. The model in this case was Megan Harrell, a former student of mine. She gamely posed and pirouetted in a rock-strewn, sticker-filled field. There were lots of nervous jokes about rattlesnakes.

This photo was shot in bright, contrasty sunshine, so Camera Raw saved the day by reducing contrast. Since this sort of photo is iconic (anyone recognizes a ballet dancer), it responds well to special effects. This is the Topaz Simplify program, oil painting filter, with the effect applied to a second layer, then a layer mask used to bring back the details of her face. Finally I added a new layer and used the Gradient tool in Photoshop (foreground color to transparent) to darken the edges, then lowering opacity for a more natural effect.