I had a busy week recently, shooting three different shows at three different venues in the span of eight days! They were quite diverse from a wacky musical based on a book and movie, a musical show of ’50s and ’60s songs with a loose plot to connect them, to a play based on a Greek myth. I shot two live during rehearsals and one using staged shots. My shutter was certainly busy.
Plainview Community Theater presents one musical a year at the Jon Hassler Theater in Plainview. This was my first time shooting a show there. It was fun and they did a nice job with a large cast. Plainview is a small town, certainly, but it’s great to see such support for the arts. I attended a regular performance, and the place was packed. They also presented several scholarships for young people who’ve been active with the theater. Very cool.
Shooting live is fun, but it can be interesting (for a word) finding the right place to be.
I’m pretty happy with the selection of images I was able to make. I think I set a new record for myself for the number of shots taken for one show. I’m liking the silent shooting mode on the 5D MkIII as I feel I’m not affecting the players as much. Bright lights help them lose me, but I think the clacking of the shutter can be a distraction.
I do like to zoom in on the action and grab a close shot. With a musical, a nice emotional moment mid-song is fun to capture.
Shots like this one are probably my favorite in their various forms. When the lighting is right, they can make a good photo. When it’s not ideal for a photo – the lighting is for the staging of the show, not for me – I can usually help things along a bit in post.
I’ve mentioned The Marvelous Wonderettes in a recent post. I shot the official show photos during its final weekend at Rochester Civic Theatre. Lots and lots of color and some great lighting effects.
The ladies have been good to work with, and they were great sports when we did the promo shots around town.
There were good props.The Leader of the Packwas an audience favorite.
All four had some songs to feature each one. We had some good photos with that same kind of focus.
A few days later, I was in Ausin at Riverland Community College shooting their first show of the school year, Eurydice. Lindsey warned me before they began that the show was very dark. Indeed it was. Of course, the lights are still pretty bright, but we have a lot of contrast and the lighting would drop off quickly.
That can be a challenge and a little more work in post-production. But the effects are dramatic. If you can handle it and work with it, you can obtain some photos that capture and express that drama.
Again, shooting this show live, I tried to move around and place myself in the best position. Glad there’s no audience!
The three statues which reside in the underworld helped with the drama of the photos, I think. I even took the harsh lighting a bit farther with them to give them a lot of contrast and make their lines and features really pop. It works for me, and hopefully the cast and crew will enjoy the shots.
I’m glad to say, I’ve made my way through all the photos of the three shows. I’m actually looking forward the the next one later this month! Stay tuned…
