chasgroh Loc: Buena Park, CA

...this performance is in a Boys and Girls Club gym!? Usually the stage stuff I've been privy to was in a real theater, so the lighting was pretty good. I'm kinda wondering about the B&G Club gym...
'

MikeMck Loc: Southern Maryland on the Bay

Yes it is. It's a production of 6 short plays written by drama students of high school age. Not a professional stage production. The lighting is harsh.

chasgroh Loc: Buena Park, CA

...then do the best you can with your FF and shoot RAW...you'll be fine, if not challenged! ;0)

MikeMck Loc: Southern Maryland on the Bay

Thanks

erinjay64

It depends upon the lighting, your distance from the things photographed, etc. Personally, I'd use a Nikon, for the greater Dynamic Range. Rent a Nikon D810, and a 35mm Prime lens. Shoot the same scenes, actors, etc, with all of the Canon gear, and with the Nikon gear. Compare the images from both later on. The 35mm lens will get you a lot of image, which you can keep, or crop, as you please later. The Prime lens image will be better than any Zoom lens image. Consider getting a Press Pass, and shooting for the local newspaper. Then you can get up front, on stage, and backstage.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

I have photographed many plays with a large variety of (Nikon) equipment from film to the D5. The last play I photographed, in April, I used all my bodies, including the D5, D500 and D810. I did my work during the dress rehearsal. Generally speaking, I do tend to go to my FF bodies for paid work, but this last time I experimented with my D500 with a 300/4PF combo that just blew me away. When shooting plays, the lighting is usually very abundant, occasionally too much so, so short shutter speeds are not usually needed. I normally follow the rule if 1/focal length, unless it was an action shot which were shot a bit faster. Normally, I shoot wide open so critical focus is important for me. I used a variety of other lenses including the 85/1.4 (usually set at f2) and the 70-200/2.8 set wide open. In general, my best shots overall came from the D5, but both the other bodies weren't far behind. I have recently purchased a Sigma 138/1.8 ART which would have been added to the mix if I had it. Best of luck.

sirlensalot Loc: Arizona

Glad you pointed out another reason to have a "silent shutter" option in camera.

CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

A couple of things. Stage show are usually dark backgrounds and edges and bright highlights. It's all about the highlights. Automatic does not work. You have to work quickly and know your settings because, as the photographer, you are often standing (or sitting) in the dark. I set my ISO, usually 1600, mostly shoot wide open (2.8) and only vary my shutter speed to adjust for the light. There is no time to fiddle much with your camera. For each scene I photograph I try to spot check the stage while the actors are getting organized. It might be 30th. of a second over there, 125th in the back, 350th for the main actors. The next scene might be 60th for the whole stage. I live and die with my histogram, checking it constantly.
I generally shoot photo calls so the show is being performed for me. If I blow a setting or miss the action I can stop them and change position or have them do it again.
If the show is live, (uggg...) but I am getting paid by the theater, I sit where my lenses have the most flexibility (your wide shot has to cover the whole stage) and warn the people who try to sit around me take I am going to be taking pictures throughout the show and that if this is going to annoy them they might want to sit somewhere else.
I shoot raw with tungsten light setting so that there is some consistency in color temperature when editing. Digital will make the blues to blue and the reds to red so they always have to be dialed back when editing. Remember, shoot for the highlights and deal with the shadows in post. Shooting shows is a kick. Have fun.

James C Loc: Southern California

These are very nice, I shoot a lot of live performance stuff so I know what a challenge it can be.

CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

Thanks.

Szalajj Loc: Salem, NH

I was going to suggest a dress rehearsal or a lighting rehearsal to test out the lighting and your camera & lense combinations.

Don't forget to test out different white balance settings, because stage lighting tends to be on the warm side, depending on the production, so you'll want to even it out. And the lighting might be different at the rehearsals than it is during the actual live productuon, so double check it again!

If you move to the rear of the theatre and use a longer lens, remember that you will lose some of the lighting advantage of shooting from the front row with a longer lens.

Years ago I shot 2 different summer musical productions from front row center; Camelot and Showboat. These were semi professional casts. I was hand holding at 1/30, shooting 100 ASA color film, wide open. They weren't the sharpest, but I was able to produce some 8×10's for myself and a few of the actors in the productions. I don't remember if I was shooting with my original Minolta 101, or if I had my Nikon 6006 by then.

Good luck, and enjoy the productions! Let us know how you make out.

Edit: I read the rest of the thread, and see that the production had already happened by the time that I posted my response.

srfmhg Loc: Marin County, CA

Hi Mike,
I shot lots of my granddaughters plays and dance recitals and I found that I was much more successful with a faster shutter speed. I use a Nikon D7200 with a Sigma 70-200 f2.8 lens. I found that since there is often lots of movement, a shutter speed of 1/400 works best at f5.6 for increased depth of field. I set the iso to auto and get very little noise. Kids are constantly moving so a 1/60 shutter speed would result in lots of blurring. I hand hold the camera from the back of the audience and use continuous mode which allows me to capture changing facial expressions and movement as in image 2. Here are a few examples. My granddaughter is captain of the penguins.
Mark

f5.6 1/400, ISO 6400

(Download)

f5.6, 1/400, ISO 7200 King Julian gets "air"

(Download)

f5.6, 1/400, ISO 10,000

(Download)

John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

If your camera is just above the stage level, you will not be able to get depth perception. Shoot from the rear of the theater and elevated, so to get perception and missing hairdos and hats. Choice of lens will solve composing problems.
Stage illumination should be sufficient exposure. The suggestion to practice during rehearsals is a good one

Hal81 Loc: Bucks County, Pa.

Your right on Sarg. When I worked for a studio we did the dance studios show every year. It was in a large theater I got all my best shots the night before during dress rehearsal.

taxman Loc: Cleveland, Ohio