A.D. Drumm Images, LLC – Landscape, Portrait, and Fine Art Photography in Rochester MN Photography

Father of the Bride head shot

My first volunteering at Rochester Civic Theatre was helping out back stage. But it wasn’t long before I began providing my photography skills. Shooting head shots for the shows was my first mix of theatre and photography. Head shots were taken of the actors before each show and printed up 5×7 to display in the lobby. These might be taken by the director or someone else with a point and shoot camera. When Lynne started volunteering, digital photography was still pretty novel, so the head shots and show photos were shot on film.

When I started doing the head shots, I shot similar compositions to what I’d been seeing, trying to just up the quality a tad. The actors dedicate a lot of time and effort, all unpaid, to bring a show to life. They deserve to have decent photos on display. Over time, this has become more important to me. I began shooting with off camera flash which, of course, makes a huge difference. The images became more photos and less snapshots.

Yet, I could do more without a lot more effort. Just bringing a single umbrella and maybe a little reflector… Yes, now I can start to feel proud of these photos. Some shows have a huge cast, so I can’t spend tons of time, but I can still produce some good looking shots.

I now like to crop in close – Lynne thinks too close! But I want you to see the actor – truly see the actor. Feel something of a connection. Naturally, there are many different folks in a variety of ages and looks. Some faces love the camera like Cait. Some less so, but I try to do my best to present them well. I can empathize, because I hugely prefer my side of the camera. There are few photos of me that I like, and most of those show me using a camera.

The eyes are the windows to the soul, and some people have beautiful eyes. They draw you into the photo. As a photographer, my goal is to focus on those eyes. Given some time, a little emphasis on the eyes will make a stronger portrait. I notice eyes when I press the shutter. It was the first thing I saw even on the LCD display on my camera when I took Ellie’s photo.

Head shot for Gypsy

I was just looking back at some of my older head shots, and I’m so happy I’ve decided to spend a little more effort and use better lighting. These actors deserve the best I can give. I know not all of them love their head shots, but at least we’re not posting snap shots. When you have more than 30 or 35 folks in a cast, time is a bit of a constraint. But it takes only a bit more effort to make images worthy of the subjects, and it’s the least I can do.