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

I shot two shows in the past few days. Rochester Civic Theatre was presenting The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as I’ve discussed in other posts. It was interesting to shoot and perhaps a bit more challenging than I expected. The costumes were colorful and interesting as was much of the lighting. But there seemed to be more scenes in which, from the camera’s point of view, the players and the backgrounds blended in a way that makes the actors not pop.

This is a case of the difference between our eyes and the camera’s sensor. Watching the live performance, this wasn’t an issue. Maybe it’s the sensor. Perhaps it’s motion. In shooting some basketball games recently, it’s been interesting to notice that shots with the ball on the ground in mid-dribble, the brain sees this and interprets the ball as lying still and motionless on the ground. An otherwise fantastic action shot becomes instantly devoid of energy. It’s really quite remarkable and easy to see when viewing two images taken in quick succession where the main difference is the position of the ball in the shot.

We can forget how our brain works with our eyes to create an image. Our brain interprets a 3D, live world very differently from a static photograph. As photographers, we have to think about this a lot. How to make the viewer see what we saw. An interesting aspect of this affects (especially) new photographers. When you look through the viewfinder, you will focus your attention on the subject. But in the flat, 2D photograph, things that your brain didn’t register as you snapped the shutter will be there distracting the viewer from your subject. The tree growing out of someone’s head. The smashed soda can on the ground. The other people standing behind the subject. I tell people to look around the entire view after composing the image for things like this. Still, even a seasoned photographer can fall into this trap in the excitement to get the shot.

With digital photography, we have an easier time of producing a photograph that tells the story we want. In darkroom days, we used many of the same techniques, but it was more work – and certainly more time consuming.

As tools improve, we can spend more of our time finding new ways to bring creativity to our art. We can try more ideas, and we’re not as invested in a particular choice. Undo becomes our friend.

At Riverland Community College, I shot their production of Ring Round the Moon. This was quite a contrast to the Narnia show – a single box set, period costumes, more conventional lighting.

More a story of love and trickery, there is plenty of emotion on stage to try to capture in my photos.

Having shot three shows there this season, it’s fun to see the student actors that I recognize from earlier performances. Unlike RCT, where I spend so much time and know so many of the “regulars,” at Riverland I’m still learning the faces. But it’s fun to see a familiar face like Penny in the wheelchair. When she appeared on stage, I was asking myself, is that really Penny? Yep.

This was probably one of my favorite shots of the night. We get the sense of action and motion. And all I had to do was to grab the shot! The expressions, the arms, the pieces of ripped-up money. Makes me grin.

When the show was over in Austin, I walked out to my car to find that, although the snow had seemed to end earlier, it was back. I90 was sort of a mess. But I managed to make it home without incident!