As a Charlotte sports and dance photographer, I have the opportunity to work with some incredible athletes throughout the year. While many people know me for documenting high school seniors, one of my favorite experiences is creating custom media days for local sports and dance teams. Recently, I had the pleasure of working with the Cuthbertson High School Dance Team for a fun-filled Charlotte dance team media day, and it was the perfect combination of creativity, teamwork, and school spirit.
What Is a Charlotte Dance Team Media Day?
If you’ve never participated in a media day before, you’re missing out on one of the most exciting team experiences available.
A media day is much more than simply taking team photos. It’s an opportunity for athletes to come together, celebrate their season, and create images that showcase both their individual personalities and their team culture. While parents love receiving professional photos of their athletes, the dancers themselves often enjoy the experience just as much.
Throughout the session, team members get the chance to work together, encourage one another, and create memories that often become some of their favorite moments of the season.
What Happens During A Team Media Day?
One of the things I love most about a Charlotte dance team media day is that it gives athletes the opportunity to showcase every side of their sport. While parents receive amazing images of their dancers, the athletes themselves get an experience that feels more like a celebration than a photo session.
For the Cuthbertson High School Dance Team, we broke our media day into three distinct parts: action photos, individual athlete portraits, and everyone’s favorite—the fun small group media day photos.
Action Photos That Showcase Athleticism
We always begin with action images because they highlight the incredible athletic ability that dance requires.
For dance teams, this often means focusing on leaps, kicks, jumps, and other technical skills that athletes spend countless hours perfecting. These images capture power, precision, and movement while showcasing the strength and dedication that goes into being a competitive dancer.
Using the gym space and school branding as our backdrop, we created dynamic action images that celebrated both the athletic and artistic sides of dance.
Creative Individual Portraits
After the action portion of the session, we transitioned into individual athlete portraits.
This is where each dancer gets a chance to shine on their own. We created several different portrait setups using creative lighting, fun props, and dramatic effects to give every athlete a variety of looks. From bold and editorial-inspired images to more traditional athlete portraits, each setup was designed to showcase personality while creating images that feel elevated and unique.
To add even more visual impact, I incorporated specialty lighting and my smoke machine, transforming the gym into a custom studio environment and creating some truly eye-catching images.
The Team-Favorite Media Day Photos
While the action and individual portraits are always a hit, the part dancers usually look forward to most is the small group media day photos.
This is where teammates get to let loose, show their personalities, and create images that reflect the friendships they’ve built throughout the season. Using fun props, creative posing, and plenty of laughter, we captured images that were playful, energetic, and completely authentic to the team.
These photos often become the favorites because they capture more than just the athletes—they capture the relationships, memories, and experiences that make being part of a dance team so special.
As a Charlotte senior photographer, sports, and dance photographer, these are some of my favorite moments to capture because they preserve not only the accomplishments of the athletes but also the friendships and memories they’ll carry long after their high school years are over.
Why Teams Love a Charlotte Dance Team Media Day
A professional media day offers so much more than updated photos.
Teams receive individual athlete portraits, action-inspired images, creative small group photos, and, when participation allows, full team images. Coaches gain content for programs and social media, parents receive professional photographs of their athletes, and dancers walk away with memories from an experience they genuinely enjoy.
Most importantly, media days bring teams together in a way that celebrates their hard work, dedication, and friendships.
Planning Your Charlotte Dance Team Media Day
Whether you’re a dance coach, booster club, or team parent, a custom media day is an incredible way to celebrate your athletes and create lasting memories.
From individual portraits and senior spotlights to creative group images, props, dramatic lighting, and team bonding moments, every media day is designed to reflect the personality and spirit of your team.
As a Charlotte senior photographer, sports photographer, and dance photographer, I love creating experiences that help athletes feel confident, celebrated, and proud of everything they’ve accomplished throughout their season.
Contact me to book your session!
- Have an athlete that wants a private media day session as part of his/her senior photos? Check out Elliott’s Track and Field Senior Photos in Charlotte, NC | Cuthbertson High School
- Looking Unforgettable Charlotte High School Senior Night Ideas for Your Senior Athletes
- Check out my 5 Favorite Charlotte Locations for Senior Portraits
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