Open Forum

Hello Friends,

I tried my hand at taking photos during a dress rehearsal this year. I got...some...good shots.

If you take your own photos, my questions are:

1. What type of camera do you use? Which have you found is the best?
2. What settings do you use? 
3. Do you stage moments to photograph or do you just take pics as they perform?

Thank you!

Betsy

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Betsy S. Goldman, she/any
Theatre & Research Teacher
Meridian Academy
Jamaica Plain, MA
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Hi Betsy,

We've used a DSLR camera in the past, usually on a "burst" setting or in sports mode. Honestly, nowadays, most phones take amazing pictures. I always set up some staged publicity photos of the show a week or two before (with a photographer friend -- I swap for free advertising and social media tags) that we use to promote the show.

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Cassy Maxton-Whitacre
Theatre, Film, and Communications Instructor
Shenandoah Valley Governor's School
Fishersville, VA
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I use a Canon EOR R mirrorless camera. I keep my shutter speed set to 1/160 or higher and adjust my ISO up to compensate. My aperture is usually set between f.8 and f.16, but I might adjust it up or down depending on what moment I am capturing. I usually photograph two dress rehearsals and try to plan out moments that I want to capture. If you are photographing while they are actively acting (I feel like you get better pictures that way) you need a high quality camera with manual controls that you know how to use. 

As an actor I have had people take pictures during a dress, but I have also worked with people who have done photo calls where they have a list of shots they want to get and the actors get into poses and pretend to talk.

I have also had the experience of a hybrid method where we were rehearsing and the photographer or director would yell "hold" and we would freeze in the moment and have the picture taken. 

If you are photographing with a phone or a camera that you are not super confident with, I would suggest doing a photo call or the hybrid method.

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Brian Nordstrom
IL
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I have a photo day--usually right before we have a show so they are not getting dressed with hair and makeup for no reason I often do it if I have a 2 show day where we take photos and I feed them. I stage photos, sometimes to get good angles, sometimes to get more people in a shot, sometimes to slow it down to get a moment I want.

I just recently got a Sony 6100 to take photos and video of events with plenty of storage. 

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Julie Benitez
Theatre Teacher
Granite Hills High School
CA
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Hello Betsy,

1. I photograph two dress rehearsals and I have my Assistant Director take notes on those days.  I use my Canon EOS R6 Mark II and my RF 70-200mm F2.8 Lens. 
2. I usually try to photograph between F4 and F5.6 using a shutter speed of 1/160 or 1/200.  I try to keep my ISO below 2500 to rminimize noise and I usually use Topaz Denoise to clean the noise up a little bit.  I try to not burst too much as I typically take over 1000 photos per dress rehearsal so it is a lot to go through.  I'm as intentional with my shots as I can be knowing what is coming up, positioning myself the best I can, and taking what I believe will turn out well.  
3. I only stage a few photos the week before dress for newspaper and social media publicity photos.  

The last thing I do is take a few wide shots during an actual show purched up about 15' above our audience (I have a space up there where I can stand with my camera), so I can get those cool final poses at the end of production numbers.  I typically use very similar settings but typically use my 24-70mm RF 2.8 lens for those shots as I know they are going to be wider.  

Scott

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Scott Usher
Hartland High School
MI
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