How to film action portraits

Step 1: Create a story

Dancers are great subjects for action portraits due to the variation of movements they can create, so I knew I wanted my subject for this project to be a dancer. But athletes of any kind and performers where there’s movement involved, can work just as well.

I found an idyllic lakeside location, which inspired the idea of calling the project ‘Swan Dance’, as I decided I wanted the dancer to be reminiscent of a swan. My subject, Kene’h, wore a white, flowy outfit and looked visually striking against the green background. The fabric was loose, so it could flow freely with her movement and in the wind.

Top tip: When choosing clothes for an action portrait, make sure your subject can move freely and is not restricted by the outfit in any way.

Step 2: Pick the right lens

For these action portraits, I used the NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/2.8 VR, which is equivalent to 24-75mm in 35mm full-frame format. It really impressed me with what it could do. The quality and sharpness of the image were perfect. I really can’t fault it!

When filming outdoors, you can never fully rely on the weather. Using a lens with a constant f/2.8 aperture means you can keep the image bright and correctly exposed, even when the light changes, while also keeping the look of your footage consistent across the zoom range. I also opted for f/2.8 because I wanted a shallow depth of field to help create a cinematic look, which made the central focus of the scene pop even more.

In terms of focal length, I typically used 16mm to get fantastic wider scenes that added context and environment, without having to stand really far away. The 50mm ensured I could get beautiful closeups while still leaving the dancer enough space to dance without me getting in the way.

Top tip: Try framing your subject using objects in the foreground and background to make the footage feel more dynamic.

Step 3: Select your settings

I absolutely loved the camera I used: the Nikon Z50II. The autofocus was incredible, very quickly adapting and moving to track the dancer as she moved through the frame. I used continuous autofocus mode set to track people, as this mode automatically tracks movement and focuses on the person in the frame, instead of the background. It’s perfect for action portraits.

The Z50II can film 60p, which I would recommend if you want to really slow down your footage and create smooth slow-motion action portraits, but I used 30fps throughout, as I didn’t want to slow down the clips too much afterwards.

Keep your ISO as low as possible to avoid grain. Even though it was slightly overcast on the day, luckily the sky was quite bright, so I was able to keep the ISO low while still getting a bright, clean image.

Top tip: When filming action portraits, set your autofocus to 3D tracking to accurately keep your subject sharp as they move through the frame.

Step 4: Use White Balance to shape mood

As we were filming outside on location, I didn’t use any additional lighting, as I wanted to work with natural light. A cloudy day can actually be really useful, and for this project it worked well because I didn’t have to constantly readjust the exposure. I also purposefully chose an open space with no cover to get maximum visibility and brightness, and we filmed in the early evening as I wanted to avoid the midday sun directly above the subject.

I’d recommend thinking about the mood you want before choosing your White Balance, as it can really affect the overall feel of the footage. The White Balance settings on the Nikon Z50II were superb, allowing me to get a great colour balance while I was filming. I used the ‘shade’ option, as this created a warmer, more vintage-looking tone within the videos.

The original footage looked amazing, but I did some minor editing and colour grading afterwards, as I wanted the trees and greenery to appear a darker green, and the dancer’s skin to look rich and vibrant.

Top tip: It’s worth taking the time to choose the right White Balance setting before you start, as it can really help create the tone and atmosphere you want in camera.

Step 5: Move with your subject

For action portraits, I feel it’s important that the movement looks realistic and natural, rather than overly directed or choreographed. Kene’h is an incredibly talented freestyle and contemporary dancer, and I gave her a rough brief, but asked her to improvise, act like the camera wasn’t there and immerse herself in the idea of being surrounded by nature, so her dance and movement were completely inspired by what she saw around her. I brought a speaker so she could move to music, but this is a good idea with any subject.

I asked Kene’h to be expressive with her face while she was freestyling. Then, when she created a move that looked great as a portrait, I would ask her to repeat it several times to make sure it was framed and captured perfectly.

I find moving with the subject is the best way to authentically capture the action. I always take static videos, too, but typically I prefer the action portraits where the camera is moving, as they feel more immersive and less like a still portrait. If you’re working with another subject, such as a footballer or parkour athlete, for example, static scenes might work better to show the wider action. Here, though, with a dancer, I like using pans, tracking scenes, push-ins and pull-backs.

Top tip: Use camera techniques based on the movement of your subject, so, for example, if your subject raises their arms as part of a move, tilt up and push in to follow the movement through. This pulls the viewer into the clip and makes the action feel much more natural.

Step 6: Keep it steady

To create action portraits that look professional, you need to keep the footage steady. But that doesn’t mean you have to use a gimbal. You can keep a camera steady by using both hands to hold it, then holding it slightly away from your body with the camera strap taut at the back of your neck. This helps to eliminate shakiness and gives you more control.

Top tip: Absolutely use the camera’s electronic Vibration Reduction (VR) for video. It really helps when you’re filming handheld or following the subject’s movement.