behind the lens

When I was in high school, I knew of some kids who were involved in theater, but I didn’t really associate with them or go to any of the plays or musicals. I didn’t give it much thought. Now that I have kids of my own who are involved in theater, I have a new appreciation for it – so much so that I even enjoy the productions that my kids are not in.

You’ve seen in previous posts that I photograph dress rehearsals, and the kids take home DVDs full of images to cherish and remember this special time forever. I love doing this for them! I didn’t photograph a dress rehearsal for the latest production, but I did take my camera to one of the shows. Seated farther away than I would shoot from normally, I ended up with a ton of photos that weren’t that bad. You can see all of them here.

This is fast becoming a favorite, not for the quality of the photo by any stretch but for the action and the mood…

This is one of my favorites…

I appreciate the opportunity because it presents challenges in exposure and shutter speed. The lighting is very inconsistent on the stage. While the average Joe with a “prosumer” level DSLR may think the P on that little dial stands for “professional” because it does all the thinking for them, I learned long ago that the camera isn’t as smart as you think. Some venture on to experiment with shooting in aperture priority, but even that isn’t the best choice in most situations. As scary is it is, there comes a time to yank off the training wheels and go full manual. Then, and only then, can you control the shot. Okay, mad lighting skills will take your photography over the top, but for the camera alone … manual. It’s challenging for sure, but I love a challenge!

The other challenge is in anticipating the shot before it happens. Of all the areas I’m hard on myself, this is not one of them. Capturing a shot at just the right moment is something important to me; something I think I do a pretty good job of. (Yes, I ended that sentence with a preposition. Don’t judge!)