Ballet Dress Rehearsal

[michael_c18]

<p>I've been invited by a friend to shoot next week at a dress rehearsal of <em>The Nutcracker</em> being put on by a local ballet studio (high school age, I believe). There's no pressure, since she and another photographer are covering it already, from two different viewpoints. I'll be there strictly for the experience/practice.</p>

<p>I'm shooting with a Nikon D200, and probably renting a lens or two. (I have the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 VC and the Nikkor 50 f/1.8, and I'm looking at renting the 70-200 f/2.8 VRII; unfortunately, the place I'd be renting from doesn't list any of the faster tele primes, though I can ask.) One of the photographers is shooting with an 80-200 f/2.8 (on full-frame), and the other with something wider, so presumably wider is also doable with the vantage points we'll have. Any comments on my choice of lens? I'd love a good fast prime, to help keep the D200 out of high ISOs, but I'm not sure I can find one for this...</p>

<p>Finally, what would you suggest I do to prepare, so that I can get the most out of the experience? I've been shooting fairly frequently for several months and have the basics down, but there's still plenty I can learn, and I've never shot an event before.</p>

[vick_vickery]

<p>Since you're shooting at a rehearsal, be sure to take along a tripod (might get in the way at a performance, but you'll have room to spare at a rehearsal)...it could make a lot of difference at the longer end of the zoom.</p>

[daverhaas]

<p>1) get the 70-200 f2.8<br>

2) shoot in raw<br>

3) shoot on fixed iso<br>

4) shoot in full manual mode - the stage lighting will confuse the meter.</p>

<p>Have fun </p>

<p>Dave</p>

 

[tom_leslie]

<p>I did exactly what you are going to do with the D200, using 18-200, 3.5. I was allowed to use a 12 foot ladder in front of the stage (10 rows back) and got some wonderful pictures. I also went above the stage on the catwalk and shot some great pics as well. <br>

Have fun<br>

Tom</p>

[dbcooper]

<blockquote>

<p>Finally, what would you suggest I do to prepare, so that I can get the most out of the experience?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>For the 70-200 VRII:</p>

<ul>

<li>curls with a weight machine and aerobic exercise, or get/rent a monopod with a decent ballhead with good friction control (it's a much heavier lens than what you're used to - if you handhold, your arms may hurt and/or shake by the end of rehersal, or sooner)</li>

<li>check into renting a good 1.7 teleconverter for it</li>

</ul>

<p>For the D200 in theatre lighting:</p>

<ul>

<li>shoot raw or raw+jpg (you have a good raw converter, right?)</li>

<li>get really good noise-reduction software (30-day trials are usually free)</li>

<li>practice switching between center-weighted and spot metering in the dark (use the viewfinder)</li>

<li>practice shooting with and switching between aperture-preferred and manual exposure modes in the dark (use the viewfinder)</li>

<li>practice changing lenses in dim light - rear caps, too</li>

<li>forget about lens cover filters for this purpose, and keep the lens hoods on, even in the bag.</li>

<li>microfiber cloth handy!</li>

<li>batteries charged! </li>

<li>spare memcard!</li>

<li>turn off auto-image review - you can chimp if you need to with the review button, but leaving auto-review it on will suck down your battery and the light may be annoying. You may also wish to adjust the LCD display's brightness.</li>

</ul>

<p>Make sure your bag will accommodate what you're bringing with enough room so everything you need is ready-at-hand. Since it's a rehearsal, bring a penlight to find stuff in your bag and/or to navigate the theater when the lights go down. Wear comfortable shoes that allow you to move quietly. Enjoy the experience!</p>

[michael_c18]

<p>Thanks for the tips! I'll definitely be taking them to heart.</p>