Low light, high energy: capturing the energy of dancers with the Canon EOS R

Given her penchant for shooting with available light, French-Brazilian photojournalist Carolina Arantes is adept at working in challenging lighting conditions. So she knew exactly how to test out the Canon EOS R, acclaimed for its exceptional low-light performance. To put the full-frame mirrorless camera through its paces, the Paris-based former Canon Ambassador took it to photograph the swing dance scene in Paris, where people from all walks of life come together to dance.

Carolina always chooses to use Canon cameras and lenses "because they guarantee quality, even in low light," she says, and she had photographed swing dancers before with her Canon EOS 5D Mark IV.

"I became interested in swing dance after going to a dance workshop with a friend," Carolina explains. She was drawn to the energy, passion and intimacy of this popular pastime, and her aim was to tap into swing's spirit. There is something very cinematic about the subject matter, she adds, and the picture-making opportunities that the swing dance scene affords are irresistible. "Swing dancing is the perfect subject because it's mostly done in very low light and there is so much movement all the time."

"The music is amazing. It's jazz, which I like, so I wanted to start dancing as well!" she says. "I was trying to show the fun, romance and closeness between dancing partners. There is a kind of connection that happens. There are moments where a couple are laughing or bright-eyed – that's what I was after."

To achieve the shots she wanted, it was a case of getting close enough to the dancers but not getting in their way. "Being there as a photographer was sometimes hard because I wanted to be close to the dancers but they use a lot of space to dance," Carolina says. "As they dance, they are very focused, and if you're in the middle when they're making turns it can be difficult."

Chasing shadows and highlights with the Canon EOS R

Carolina used the Canon EOS R mainly with the Canon RF 50mm F1.2L USM lens, and she was blown away by the camera's low-light performance. She didn't have to use very high ISOs – ISO6400 was more than adequate, "although the camera goes much higher without too much noise," she observes.

She also appreciated being able to exploit the lens's large aperture to throw the background out on occasion and thus focus attention on details or gestures. "I like to help the viewer to concentrate on observing something and to be intrigued by the details," she explains. Life moves so quickly these days, she says, that she likes to freeze a moment or "help the viewer see something that's not seen everyday."

Especially impressive was the Canon EOS R's ability to keep up with moving subjects and capture them quickly and accurately, says Carolina, thanks to Dual Pixel CMOS autofocus. "With swing dancing, you're trying to focus on people who are constantly moving fast and doing turns. Normally it's difficult, and until now it would take too long to focus in low light.

"To freeze moments – a smile for example – in this environment is very difficult," she says. "But with this system you can. The focusing is just perfect. It's super fast and pin-sharp. In the low light it was amazing.

"Suddenly you have all the possibilities to shoot in the moment. You have freedom. You can rely on the camera to respond quickly when you're focusing, so you can concentrate on the subject and the composition – on being creative."

Carolina also found that the Canon EOS R's 5,655 selectable autofocus points, covering almost all areas (88% of the screen horizontally and 100% vertically), gave her even more control over focusing than she was used to and made it easier to track fast-moving subjects. Selecting the AF points using the touchscreen also benefitted her on this shoot. "Being able to select the AF positions on the screen really helped when people were dancing because I could kind of dance with them and follow the path of my subjects," Carolina says.

The Canon EOS R is a camera that "allows you to really immerse yourself in the subject," she continues. "It is customisable, so you can alter many of the functions. The buttons are very intuitive, and you don't have to take your eyes off what you're photographing to make adjustments. You can make the ISO higher or lower without taking your eyes off the screen or the EVF, which is fantastic."

The swing dance project is different from her usual social documentary work in that it is a story about texture and light, says Carolina. Ultimately, whether it was the swish of a skirt or the highlights on a dancer's legs, the camera got it, she says. From close-ups to images that capture the mood of a scene and the group dynamic, the EOS R delivered.

Most of all this is a system that gives photographers freedom to shoot how they want, she says. "It is a camera that really has all the qualities for shooting inside or outside, in low light or bright light, with fast movement. In the EOS R you have a camera you can trust.

"It is a new system of shooting," she adds. "That's what the EOS R is about. It's not only a full-frame mirrorless camera, it is a different way of thinking about how you take pictures."

Since Carolina worked with the EOS R on this shoot, firmware updates have added additional features that could benefit photographers capturing dancers in action. These include eye-detection AF that supports Servo AF, to help ensure that subjects’ eyes are clearly in focus even when they’re moving; the ability to use a small AF frame size that supports Servo AF; and the ability to use continuous shooting mode even when you've chosen to use a silent shutter.