This is another photo from the “2013 Yes, Women Can!” convention in Vankleek Hill*. I was asked by the local paper to shoot the event, which included a local group of women who use ‘belly dancing’ for a social activity… and, I guess, for fitness reasons.

When they (the Grace Haven Dance Studio) came out, the staff photographer for The Review, who was standing right behind me in front of the stage, started shooting as well. I’m not sure if she’s using an SLR or DSLR, it’s a better setup than I have for shooting movement in bad light. Especially with her external flash.

So I had the idea to shoot the dancers from backstage. So took off through the crowd, as fast as I could, which wasn’t very fast, to be honest — the place was packed, so it was like trying to beat my way through a thick jungle using a Nerf bat, except the jungle would fight back if I actually touched it.

When I got there, in order to shoot, I had to push my arm through the curtain. It was pretty much at that point — hiding backstage, behind a curtain, taking discreet shots of women dancing in their silk — when I started to feel like a pervert. But I fought through those feelings and managed to get a kind-of-cool shot.

I also got one of this dancer when she was facing me that’s nothing but boobs and underwire… which was when I decided I had pushed my luck about as far as I could go.

Anyway… I like the guy in the background, nearly breaking his neck to get a better view. He was a Vegas-style crooner / impersonator who was on before the dancers.

*Here’s another one: [Watching the girl in orange: link]