Since it’s still summer break for the Shelley School, I’ve been reminiscing over how much fun I’ve had dancing and taking photos of Irish dancers in the past year. So I thought I’d share a few of the best Irish dance moments I was able to catch on camera this year.

I snapped this shot at Feile Denver last April. I was so excited to see the result! I often love to tilt the camera to show a bit more of the surrounding area and add excitement to the photo. The tilted effect plus the difficult move Amelia pulls off gracefully makes this photo one of my absolute favorites.

Sierra is a very beautiful, dedicated and hardworking dancer and this photo shows that without even seeing her dance. If you look closely at her left ghillie you can see how worn out the bottom of the shoe is.

It’s hard enough to freeze the motion of a single dancer, let alone capture the synchronized movement of a group. Add the difficulty to actually get all the dancers to match perfectly in the first place and an impressive display of bright, colorful practice clothing and the result is probably the best Irish dance photo I’ve ever taken!

It took over 30 trys to get this leap frozen just right. Normally it wouldn’t take so long, but this is a photo I took of myself by setting the camera on a timer. It was worth it, even though I ended up more sore than usual the next day.

This is another photo I took at Feile Denver. All the dancers were lined up and waiting for the Double Reel competition to begin. It’s a great capture of the beautiful array of colors you get to see Irish dancers wearing when you attend a Feis.

For more Irish dance photography by Shelly, go to http://shellyhathaway.com.

What’s the best Irish dance moment you’ve ever caught in a photo?

Related posts:

1. Funny Irish Dance Photo Moments
2. Do Irish Dance Solo Dresses & Wigs Distract The Audience From A Great Performance?
3. Feile Denver 2010
4. Perpetual Trophies
5. Freezing An Irish Dance Leap