Imagine, it’s that time of year where your dance company is finalizing preparations for this season’s performance. Your group has been working tirelessly learning choreography, internalizing notes, and finessing every last detail. Costumes are solidified, you’re working out lighting and tech details, and the dancers will be staging their pieces soon enough. It’s always such an exciting time seeing it all come together!

When it comes to photographing your performance, the question of whether you have the photographer come during a dress rehearsal or during a live performance is one that many directors have to consider.

Though there is no right or wrong answer to this, I’m here to give you a dance photographer’s perspective on which may be the better fit for your show.

From my experience as a professional dancer and as a dance photographer, here are some pros and cons to having your show photos taken during a dress rehearsal versus a live performance.

Pros to having your photo coverage during a dress rehearsal:

Your photographer can move around the space, capturing various perspectives and angles of your performance, rather than being stuck in one position for the duration of the show
You have the option to do staged shots of specific moments you’d like captured before or after the show run (depending on how long you’ve contracted your photographer for)
You don’t have to worry about audience members’ heads obstructing the view of photos
You have the option to add on another day of coverage (for during the live performance) for more versatility and images
You can have your photographer capture backstage shots for a fresh perspective “behind the curtain” to share with patrons
Turnaround time for photos can allow you to use your dress rehearsal images as promotional materials to market your show with actual footage from the show

Cons to having your photo coverage during a dress rehearsal:

Not everything may be completely “show ready” yet (which is why I advise having photography done on your final dress day, if possible)

Pros to having your photo coverage during a live performance:

By contracting your photographer to arrive before and stay after the performance, you can have them document audience members mingling, the opening remarks and announcements by the artistic director, and candids of patrons reactions after the show is complete
You will have audience reactions of your performance to use on your website or social media as “social proof” (pair it with a testimonial or quote from an audience member!)

Cons to having your photo coverage during a live performance:

The clicking of the shutter can sometimes be a distraction to audience members, especially if there is softer music or silence during the performance
Your photographer likely will be unable to move around to capture multiple perspectives and will be locked into a singular location throughout the performance

The verdict?

Ultimately, the decision is up to you on whether you want photos taken during your final dress rehearsal or during one of your live performances. What I recommend is to consider where your photographer would be located during the performance and consider if it would be a distraction to your audience if so.

Still unsure? Here are a few extra things to consider:

Is the performance in a traditional proscenium or is it untraditional (site-specific, in the round, choose your own adventure style, etc)?
Do you want multiple runs of the show photographed or want time before or after to stage key moments?
Do you want a turnaround of a few images to share for promotion of the show before you open?
Is it important to you to capture who was in your audience or your patrons who attended the show?