stage lighting

[michael_taylor9]

I may be doing some posed shots of actors on stage. Should I worry

about having enough quality light with the stage lights or would

strobe be prudent in this situation? And, for archival shots would a

Nikon do the job or is this the realm of my 6x6?

 

thank for any tips

[brooks short]

Michael, if you've been given the time and control to stage posed photos of scenes in this production then I would definately use medium format, provided you have the lenses that you need.

 

Only you can judge if the stage lighting is sufficient. If it is then I would shoot available light and add reflectors to help fill the shadows. Of course, you don't say whether you're shooting BW or color neg or trans. BW would be the easiest but you can use a tungsten film for color.

 

If the lighting isn't sufficient, I would use strobes, gelled to tungsten color balance (if you are shooting color, not gelled for BW), softboxes and fill reflectors on the actors and let ambient light from the stage lighting record the background set.

 

Years ago there was a professional theatre company in Baltimore,Md., where I lived at the time. Every show they would hire a local pro to shoot MF BW of the actors in various scenes. They would then stage an exhibit of those BW prints in the lobby. Most of the prints were 16x20 or larger, matted and framed with square images. They were spectacular and really added to the theatre experience.

[twmeyer]

Hey Michael. There are several ways to go here, based on my experience working with several theatre groups. <p>I have photographed their dress reheasals using 320j 35mm slide film (tungsten balanced) pushed one stop or Fuji's 800 NPH. These images were/are shipped in press kits and are used very small on their websites and in brochures and pamphlets. They give a genuine impression of the actual theatre going experience, conveying motion and emotion, and the dynamic nature of a live stage production. It requires carefull attention to the action, catching those brief moments at the pinnacle of some critical gesture, when an animated thespian pauses for that hyper dramatic effect, or the subtle pause that a good actor can use to even greater effect. <p>I will also shoot an "actors call" one night after a play is done, when the stage manager works with me, adusting the various light levels of the productions actual lighting. This retains the feel of the actual play, but I can use reflectors and bring the house lights up for fill, without destroying the stage lighting effect. I've used Fuji's 800 NPH with a tripod, which lets me use small apertures for groups when I'm right on the stage with the actors. They will hit a high point of the production, and hold that moment while I work around them. Pretty damn fun. Prints from these sessions go in press kits and as 11x14s in the lobby, as well as in the promo materials and the next season's catalog.<p> Then I also drag the studio lights to the theatre, or have the principle actors in my studio for promo shots, usually in costume. All is done on 35mm at their request. Lately I've done a new group in digital, and the other client has changed to either using stock photography, due to budgetary issues, or really bad snapshots done on stage by what must be an intern... I miss the work, but it was damn near pro bono anyway. Theatre groups have really high overhead, and a photography budget is frequently a casualty of funding priorities.<p> If you are good, and doing this work for almost nothing, then I suggest <i>you</i> tell <i>them</i> what they will get, and they'll be glad to have it... t