Micro four thirds at the theatre

[Tom Caldwell]

"The Importance of being Earnest" CHAT company Coffs Harbour 2022 production - taken live at a dress rehearsal full run.

Sugar is sweet

• Panasonic DC-GX9
• LEICA DG ELMARIT 200/F2.8+TC1.4
• ƒ/4
• 280mm
• 1/250s
• ISO 1000

Its in my diary - must be true ...

• Panasonic DC-GX9
• LEICA DG ELMARIT 200/F2.8+TC1.4
• ƒ/4
• 280mm
• 1/250s
• ISO 250

Mrs Worthington decides ...

• Panasonic DC-GX9
• LEICA DG ELMARIT 200/F2.8+TC1.4
• ƒ/4
• 280mm
• 1/250s
• ISO 500

 

[nzmacro]

Always admired these types of theater shots from you. Dead opposite from what I take and certainly totally different lighting. Not something I would even dream of trying, way out of my league with the conditions you work with. Excellent.

Danny.

 

[Tom Caldwell]

Same sort of lenses that you use Danny. I set myself up right at the back of the theatre to be able to get higher than stage height so that the capture angle is good. Furthermore the telephoto effect seems to work well and my activities don't bother the actors. As I work these days at final dress rehearsal - the show just flow in costume and there is no audience to bother either. But If I don't know the plot I have to be quick to sense a moment. Also big lenses in the dark are not condusive to quick lens changes so it has been useful to have several cameras each with a lens attached to swap between.

Not a lot of people doing it my way - I sometimes wonder why.

Heck these are M4/3 cameras and lenses - I am not sure that I need anything else.

 

[Pete_W]

Top quality photos, Tom!

 

[Tedolph]

Back in the day my daughter used to take theater photo's with an old E-pl1. With fast lenses, it did OK at ISO 800 and even 1600 (converted to B&W). With the new sensors, this is doable with even f/2.8 zoom lenses.

Being on good terms with the stage manager always helps. They know the best spots to shoot from.

Very nice work Tom.

Tedolph

 

[Tom Caldwell]

I was friends with a director of an amateur group who was a wonderful person who included others into her circle and did not play favourites. When she realised that I wanted to take theatre photographs she invited me to rehearsals both early and dress. After a short while I started buying expensive gear to justify these invitations.

I tried on-stage, from the wings and right in front of stage. But ended up realising that further way up the tiered seating gave me stage height or better. Of course recording personal performances are better for stage plays even if musicals with a big cast can be interesting when caught full stage.

Photographs taken from an actual run of the show are always better then posed images.

Normally the time lapse (lack of it) in full run dress rehearsals is not really good enough for promoting the show. But they have the advantage of the (near) final lighting set up and costuming and actors with make-up for the show. So over the years my participation has morphed from promotional images to historical archiving of the show. Like all images the actors are very interested for a short while afterwards but much more interested say 5-years afterwards for the memories.

I do manage to get some images processed before the opening night and put up on social media which is a form of promotion that once was not available.

Difficulties in the way I do things.
1) there is no money in it - I thought I might sell some prints initially but managing samples and send in them in a proof sheet to be selected from, collecting money and making prints for hardly worth it prices soon palled. Not worth the effort and not getting the money up front for the prints has been the bane of the commercial photographers existence forevermore.
2) the further away you are the more telephoto you need and poorly lit shows with some activity need lenses with reasonable speed. Big fast telephotos are outrageously expensive and need expensive big tripods with gimbal heads.
3) not knowing the plot intimately the photographer has to try and sense decisive moments.
4) Scenes change left-right-mid stage with sole cast member, duos, small groups, large groups - sometimes dialogue from both sides of the stage. Have to pick and chose whihc images to capture and the primes are usually faster and more suited than zooms. I often use three or more cameras each with a different lens as changing lenses quickly in the dark whilst a show is in full flight is not really a proposition.
5) location - I generally shoot from the back row of the small theatre when there is no audience but the show can run in full final dress rehearsal flight - I get the best stage angle from there - can operate over the full stage area - and my presence is no distraction to the cast.

But I like the challenge and have worked up a bit of practical experience over near 20 years of doing it.

It has to be an expensive hobby to posses the gear I use but I get models who dress up for me and I don't have to organise the lighting ....

I would probably be a cheaper hobby just to sponsor a F1 car racing team.