Photojournalist Marty Katz offers tips for tricky tango photos

Marty Katz, a photojournalist whose work appears in The New York Times, The Washington Post and publications worldwide, spoke Wednesday, June 26 to the Photo Committee.

Using pictures from a weekly Sunday tango dance at Freedom Plaza on Pennsylvania Avenue, Katz explained the challenges of dance photography with tricky lighting conditions. Describing the venue as the "ultimate camera challenge", he outlined the difficulties of capturing moving dancers as the sun sets on them, while still illuminating the brightly lit Capitol in the distance.

Most amateurs wish to get the dancers in the foreground with the almost intensely white Capitol building in the background; however, because there is such discrepancy in lighting and distance, such a shot becomes almost impossible without the right skills and equipment, Katz said. Katz explained that photographers could use a long zoom from a distance to capture both, but only in the few minutes after the dance starts and before the sun sets on them. Or, they can give up the Capitol vision and shoot from a different direction without stress, he said.

Katz's work can be seen here.

Katz showed a lot of pictures of very unhappy amateurs at Freedom Plaza who were stymied by the distant bright Capitol and close dark moving dancers. Katz invited attendees to try their hand at photography, even with smart phone cameras, at upcoming dances Sunday nights from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Katz discussed with committee members how the explosion of amateur photo by smart phone and pocket cameras led to mass popularity but wide spread confusion how to make a good picture. He asked whether committee members thought they should offer their help to unhappy looking amateurs on the street. Members thought amateur photographers on the street would appreciate the helping hand.

Al Teich, committee co-chairman, recounted how he was glad to help a family trying to photograph themselves in front of the White House who had positioned their camera too far away.


Editor's Note: David Barnisin, the author of this article, is a summer intern in the Broadcast Operations Center.