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

Gypsy opened last night to a full house with a great performance. After the show, RCT announced their 2010-2011 season, so I can now show and talk about the posters!

If you read my earlier post about my car becoming stuck in the snow and ice, you might guess that I was shooting the “present” for White Christmas. I ended up lying down in the fresh, and apparently wet, snow to get the shot. But the lighting was good with no flash needed, and once I freed my car I was happy.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was the target for the gold foil I discussed a couple weeks ago. Lynne really did buy all that candy and found a nice, colorful assortment. We only needed models for three of the posters this year. Kayla and Ben graciously accepted Lynne’s request to be the couple in Black Comedy. That shot was fun to light, and they did a great job giving us the expressions we wanted. Our neighbor, Jason, filled in for Sherlock Holmes, another lighting challenge which combined a pair of flashes with a stage light. Beauty and the Beast was the other model shot, although there’s a bit of a costume involved for that one!

Lynne bought me roses to select one for the shot. Isn’t she sweet! The one we chose looked great, I think, and sets off this poster. For One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, I found a barbed-wire topped fence nearby. I thought about shooting the fence at the Federal Medical Center (prison), but somehow standing outside that facility and taking photographs of it seemed to be a not-very-good idea.

There you have it. Six shows, six posters. Judging from the response as the shows were revealed, it should be a great season.

Yesterday, I completed shooting most of the photos I need for the new season posters. There’s one more object to shoot. Hopefully, I’ll do that this week. Above are some shots I used last year for the Funny Money poster showing how I mix photographic elements to get the look I’m after.

That poster was probably my favorite to construct. As nice as I think it looks on the big poster and in small glossy prints, printing it on Entrada gives it a whole different look. I have an 8×10 copy hanging in my office here.

At this point, the new season works-in-progress have more of a photo look than what we did last year. We have to balance that with a form that will print well in black and white for newspaper ads, but I do like the ability to really play with the light, not just the shapes. Deadlines loom, but it will be nice to see how they evolve and then share them publicly, once the season is announced!

I shot the show photos for Doubt last night. Click the image to see some of my favorites. Lighting is always a trick when shooting these. For Doubt, most of the action happens in an office, and the light is reasonably bright. But it is harsh. The moodier shots in the garden are dimmer, but I like the effect of the gels and the emotion conveyed by the lighting design.

This is the poster I created for Rochester Civic Theatre’s next production, Gypsy, the spring musical for 2010. Greg Miller, the fantastic artistic director at the theatre develops the concept for the posters. Then it’s my job to interpret the concept and bring it to life. I think Greg and I collaborate pretty well. Lynne helps with logistics, and she provides valuable feedback and insight as the project progresses.

Being a photographer more than graphic artist, all my posters build on photographic elements. Here, I used a model with a big feather boa. It was a tough shoot. The goal was a high contrast, graphic look, so the white and black part was a given. But we needed color and red just felt right. What can I say? I love red.

The kick-off for the next season is coming, so work on the new posters is beginning. They’re on my mind, and I’m trying to envision what I need for the shoots. Some cool lighting for a couple of them, and I’m looking forward to that. Then, time in post-production with Lightroom and, mostly, Photoshop.

You won’t see them here – or anywhere – I’m afraid, until the official kick-off! Shhhh. The show list is a secret!