Please help ! What's the best way to shoot in theatre

[betty_atanasova]

<p>Please help me out whit this : a good friend of mine is acting in this theatre prodiction, and it means a lot to her. They asked me if i wold be able to shoot some photos, including behind the stage , and on stage . Learning how to make better photos , became like a hoby to me, but i still can't say that i'm quite the amateur that i would like to be. I've been reading some tutorials , and i'm trying best that i can , but my funds are limited so i can't spent a lot for a new gear. Anyways , they are not looking for something professional , but they are expectng the photos to be nice ... I have a fujifilm finepix s1000fd maybe it's not a lot ,but it's something to start with.<br>

If you can give me some advices i would be grateful.</p>

[Life Photo-Documentaries]

<p>Betty:<br>

I would recommend you to use a as higher as possible ISO... For backstage you may use flash... try to concentrate in the details of what they are doing... expressions, customs... It can be an exiting experience!<br>

As I always repeat.. is not the camera, is the photographer... "the arrow does not make the indian" if you really know your camera... if you are creative... there will be good and interesting things to come by....<br>

I was thinking on using a tripod and make some experiments allowing the performers to be in movement and the stage static... also to capture the movement of the backstage! Imagine to them walking, moving, getting dressed showing the movement (blurry portraits) while the background is static! Try before the performance day!<br>

If you would like to have an idea of an approach to events, you may visit my photo.net portfolio, I have covered some academic and non academics events... <br>

Best and have fun! Do not forget to experiment!</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<p>A few guidelines based on personal experience on both sides of the camera (as a photographer and actor/director in live theater):</p>

<ul>

<li>Check with the director and/or stage manager first. It'll usually be okay as long as you follow their lead. If they assign a designated shooting area, stick to it and don't stray.</li>

<li>Crank up the ISO to maximum or near maximum; ISO 800 at least, preferably faster. You can fix the noise later with noise reduction software.</li>

<li>Shoot raw or TIFFs, whichever your camera provides. You'll need high resolution files for editing to minimize noise and make color corrections. Stage lighting is challenging, to put it mildly. You will not be able to correct for all color problems during the performance. It's impossible, don't try. Just get good exposures and fix the color problems later.</li>

<li>Stick to a shutter speed of at least 1/30th second, preferably faster. Otherwise everything will be blurred. You'll probably also need your fastest aperture.</li>

<li>No flash. Period. Not before performance, during performance or backstage during performance. Theaters are dark. An actor can miss a mark (which may be labeled with light colored or glowing tape) or stumble due to being temporarily blinded by flash. And it can be seen from the audience, even backstage. After the show's over it's okay.</li>

<li>Turn off *all* noisemakers in your camera. No beeps, fake "shutter click" sounds, etc. If your camera's zoom makes noise when adjusting the focal length, wait until there's enough noise during the show to cover it. Otherwise, choose one focal length and stick with it. </li>

<li>Avoid using the LCD preview/review screen from the audience during the performance. It's rude and distracting to others in the audience. If your camera has an optical viewfinder, use it. If not, don't take photos from the audience seating area.</li>

<li>No flash.</li>

<li>No noise.</li>

<li>If you get a dirty look from another performer, backstage assistant (handling props, etc.), nod politely in apology and stop whatever you were doing that was distracting them.</li>

<li>No flash. No noise.</li>

<li>Practice at home. If you can handle moving subjects such as kids or pets in normal indoor room lighting, you can handle the exposure conditions typical of theater photography.</li>

</ul>

[James G. Dainis]

You have a lot of camera to work with, with that 12X zoom. I would shoot at the largest image size, 10MP (3648 x 2736). I wouldn't use flash unless I had to. That would lose a lot of the mood lighting. The auto white balance should work okay. You can try a few shots and if the color cast is too bad then you may have to customize it. If the lighting changes a lot that could be a problem. I wouldn't try an ISO of higher then 800 but use 400 ISO if you can get away with it. Shoot horizontally if there is a group of people and shoot vertically if there is only one or two people close together. Vertical shots help to make for a more professional look.

[mike_earussi1]

<p>Because you're using a tiny sensored camera any ISO above base can result in noise, so there's no easy way to get high quality results from your camera. J. C.'s advice is correct, as much as possible put your camera on a tripod and have the actors pose for you while you take a timed exposure, and use a remote shutter release if you have one. This will enable you to use an ISO of 100-200, though this really depends on how large the final prints or web photos will be--the smaller the prints the higher the ISO you can get away with since the noise won't be enlarged as much.<br>

But since even posed actors will inevitaly move some, try to keep the exposure to less than one second--you'll probably have to experiment to find the best compromise between ISO and shutter speed. You'll also want to shoot with the f stop as wide as possible.<br>

For action shots, I don't see how you can do any and still maintain usuable quality since even with using a good dslr the minimum ISO is usually 800-1600 while using an f2.8 lens. But another possiblity, if this shoot is really important to you, would be to rent some good equipment instead of using what you have.</p>

[vrankin]

<p>To the good comments above I'd add the advantage of spot metering. Stage lighting tends to be bright on main subjects with the majority of the frame in surrounding darkness. Digital sensors have a tendency toward highlight clipping of caucasian skin, blonde hair and white clothing. Matrix metering systems help, but not always entirely. White balance is another critical issue. Tungsten stage lights tend to add a shift toward reds. Ideally you can do some test shooting for exposure and color balance with a subject onstage, before the performance. </p>

[nathan_meador]

<p>Lots of good advice, I think you may be okay for the stage shots...as HV said, the lights are usually bright enough for good results. If they are having a dress rehearsal, you might try to attend. That would give you a great chance to see what settings you will need. I'd suggest the speed not be slower than 1/125...to minimize blur. </p>

<p>Backstage photos will be a challenge, and if flash isn't allowed, you'll just have to ramp up ISO and hope for the best.</p>

[john v.]

<p>From personal experience (shooting my kid's recitals), when using a point & shoot, you are faced with the choice between using high ISO (and the noise it produces) or low ISO and slow shutter speed (which results in blur). With a point & shoot, 400ISO is as high as I'll go. Even then, I still use Noise Ninja to clean up the image to bring the noise down to acceptable levels. Even at these settings, motion blur is a problem. The only way to get around that is to take numerous pictures. Sooner or later, you'll capture a shot where no one is moving, or at least moving very slowly. Even still, you're only going to get a "keeper" rate of only 5-10%. If you can shoot from somewhere where you can use a tripod (or even a monopod), that may help somewhat. The only other advice I can offer is to get your hands on DSLR and a relatively fast lens (borrow or rent). With a DSLR, you can crank up the ISO to 1600 and still get good pictures. With a point and shoot, noise at 1600 ISO is just downright ugly.</p>

[jvanark]

<p>Talk to the director and see if you can shoot a technical or dress rehersal instead of a performance. You'll still need to follow the various flash rules/constraints but you'll have a lot more freedom to move around the auditorium getting various angle shots and you should have more time as they'll stop and start things more for the tech rehersal, not so much for the dress. Then, if you can, shoot a couple of shots during a performance to include part of the audience and it'll look more like you shot an actual performance.</p>