We just finished up an assignment with portraits, many of which were very well done. I just attended the Reach Theater (Deer Isle) production of Dahle's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", and went equipped with my Sony Alpha DSLR and a 55-200mm lens, figuring we might be in the back of the theater. Uh-uh, row three, but rather than move back for a wider angle of the stage I found myself zooming in on the players. I was struck by the emotion and focus of attention to the play by all the characters, whether they were in the main visual focus of the plot or simply in the background.
I would strongly suggest attending our musicals, plays and show choir performances to try and capture the best of that sort of facial expression and body language that only a theatrical production can bring out! (Don't forget the telephoto lens if you have one.)
Some comments on these photos?
Are those bubbles in the back of the first one? The stage lights give everything a slightly blurry quality, so the few things that are in sharp focus draw the eye.
ReplyDeleteRight on! The stage lights are difficult to overcome, and I didn't use manual focus as much as I should have... those are bubbles!
DeleteThey're really interesting! I like the idea a lot. I like the one with the bubbles... it's really different.
ReplyDeleteI love the look on the little girl's face. She looks so transfixed and a little dazed. I love the light and the pic with the bubbles is really cool!
ReplyDeleteThat was my favorite! She (Violet Beauregarde) looked so mesmerized by the gum she wanted.
DeleteThese are great photos! I really like the photograph of the girl. She reminds me a little bit of the Orphan, but its a very interesting photo. She looks almost nervous, but you can see a sort of longing in her eyes as she focuses on the gum ball. Great idea about taking pictures at theatrical events!
ReplyDeleteI like the photo of the little girl looking at the gumball. I didn't even read what the captions said at first, and I knew that this play was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory just by looking at the pictures. They are great photos!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite one is definitely the bubbles one. Something about it stand out to me and I like how the bubbles sort of shine in the background. The contrast of the orange jacket with the background becomes the point of emphasis and also uses the rule of thirds.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite photo is definitely the one of the girl looking at the gumball. Her expression is priceless and I like how the gumball is kind of blurry, making the color stand out a little more.
ReplyDeleteI like how the photos add a new point of view to the production that you wouldn't normally see watching the show. It is really great photography.
ReplyDeleteThanks! This kind of thing with the expressions and dark backgrounds really simplify composition and give plenty of room for cropping and balancing tones. I had 60 photos from the play, hard to narrow down.
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