Never before have so many of the nation’s top dance photographers come together for a professional conference. Join us for the 2020 inaugural Pas de Deux Photo conference in Phoenix, Arizona. We want this to a conference where you can interact with the speakers, so we are limiting attendance to the conference to just 350 people.
The conference features amazing classes on topics ranging from editing, lighting, and posing to marketing, studio management, and branding. Dancers will be available to go out on shoots with you on the resort's grounds. There will be two rooms set up with a backdrop and lighting -- with dancers! -- giving you lots of opportunities for hands-on learning.
We have around 200 free 20-minute sessions that attendees can sign up for. Once they're taken, that's it for our studio setups. In addition, there is space in the Exhibitor Hall where walk-ins can test out lighting equipment & use backdrops with a dancer posing for them.
We are beyond excited by the chance to learn together about the art and the business of dance photography!
The Conference fee is $495. It includes programming Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday until 6 pm.
photo by Rachel Neville
Featured Speakers
A big thank you to our studio setup sponsors and our exhibitors:
Who is this conference for?
Aspiring and established photographers whose work includes dance photography or those who want to learn about dance photography. Our workshop leaders will help photographers take their work to the next level, teaching about how to develop strong relationships with dancers and improving your lighting, posing and composition. The Pas de Deux conference is also a great way to get insider tips for growing your own photo studio using dance photography.
Pas de Deux Dance Conference INCLUDES:
- presentations from top dance photographers - photo shoots with dancers from sunrise to sunset and beyond!
- topics on building your business - panel discussions & breakouts
- swag bag of goodies from our sponsors & exhibitors
- professional exhibitor show - evening networking
- professional demonstrations - dancer models
- hands on learning - evening educational and networking events
- optional add-on evening tutorials with industry pros
Where is this conference?
The 2020 Pas de Deux conference will be held from Friday, January 31 through Sunday, February 2 . We are hosting the conference at the gorgeous Arizona Grand Resort in Phoenix. The lighted palms, red rocks and spacious grounds will provide amazing opportunities to work with professional dancers in the evenings. We chose this resort largely because of the desert landscape and how much space we have outdoors to accommodate photographers and dancers doing photo shoots.
Events at the conference begin at 4 pm on Friday and extend through 6 pm on Sunday. There will be a secure space for you to leave your luggage on Sunday after checking out of your room and while you are attending classes. Please plan your flights accordingly.
The luxurious Arizona Grand near South Mountain offers beautiful meeting space and even more beautiful grounds for photography.
Offering stunning perspectives from the panoramic city views of our Vista Terrace to The Island with a picturesque backdrop of South Mountain Preserve to our South Mountain Patio offering breathtaking sights of the Sonoran sunset, our versatile outdoor venues provide an unparalleled event environment.
This resort was chosen for its scenic beauty and easy access to do photo shoots with dancers right outside the door of the resort.
A block of rooms has been reserved at a reduced cost for guest of the conference. To make a reservation, call the on-site reservations department at 877.800.4888. Use Pas de Deux Dance Photography as the event name.
You can also use this link to make an online reservation: Pas De Deux Dance Photography
Interested in exhibiting with us?
We offer vendors an exciting opportunity to share their products with dance photographers and dancers from across the continent. Our exhibit hall will be open during several breaks, giving photographers time to explore.
We are also accepting applications for sponsors. Sponsorships engage photographers with products through integrated placement in the program.
About the conference
Over the last decade, the art of dance photography has flourished. Artists like Jordan Matter have taken dance photography to the top of the NY Times Bestseller List. Rachel Neville and her team have taken the experience of the studio experience to a completely new level. David Hofmann, known as "sharkcookie" on social media, has acquired a prodigious following on social media with both dancers and photographers due to his extraordinary work on location and in the studio, particularly with artistic, edgy lighting.
Canadians Eric Pare and Kim Henry have worked together to create brilliant light-painting portraits using Eric's colorful light tubes. Taylor-Ferne Morris might still have her pointe shoes, but her focus these days is behind the camera in Australia photographing dancers from the Australian Ballet, the Melbourne Ballet and the New Zealand Ballet. Jonathan Givens of EPS Photo published a book titled Dance Across the USA and creates impeccably beautiful artistic portraits in his studio in south Florida and on location everywhere.