I’ve used my iPhone 6’s slow motion superpowers to capture waves crashing on the beach, bicycle wheels spinning by in a race, and to turn a dog’s adorable yaps into a ferocious 240 fps growl. But plenty of people have started using slow motion to more practical ends. Including dancers.
Before the advent of high-quality smartphone shooters, slow-motion was largely left to movie montages, pro-sports instant replays, or pricey camera rigs. The idea that dancers, particularly freelancers and students, would have access to that sort of technology was unthinkable. When you’re making under $30k a year, that money is going towards food and rent, not a high-end DSLR.
But now that a smartphone has become practically standard issue, previously high-end camera technology is accessible to almost everyone. And slow motion, while initially more of a gimmick, has slowly matured into a mainstay for some people.
For dancers, it’s become an incredibly useful tool for honing their craft. The newfound affordability of slow motion has enabled them to improve their technique, spruce up their audition reel, and isolate aspects of their performance that were once intangible. Read more
Photo: Tristan Pope