iso 800 flim and tips on shooting in theatre environment


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zod

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Mar 30, 2003
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where near jurong can i buy iso 800 or higher speed flim?

will be shooting at a theatre this fri
all lights out except for stage lights

i will be shooting at the full dress rehearsal, so i can get as close to the stage as i want

will be using a 420 ex flash

what speed recommended and what other stuff i shoudl take note of?
 

using flash and can stand anywhere then no prob already what... no need 800... iso 400 can liao.
 

Not recommended to shoot with flash during the performance itself for two good reasons:

1. It's going to be a good source of distraction to both the performers and the audience.

2. It's going to destroy the ambience and mood created by the stage lighting.

Bring along a tripod, and get as fast a lens as possible. Things like f2.8 would be good to start off.

If ISO800 is still not good enough, then push 1 stop to ISO1600.
 

Ah Pao said:
Bring along a tripod, and get as fast a lens as possible. Things like f2.8 would be good to start off.

If ISO800 is still not good enough, then push 1 stop to ISO1600.

yup.... but i will prefer to use a monopod (more mobile). Try to use fast lens like the 50mm f1.8 or 70-200mm f2.8. Use Press 800, as it can be pushed to ISO1600 if you find ISO800 insufficient, well retaining excellent photo quality (as in constrast and grain).

if you don't have monopod, you can borrow from me (i stay at hall 6 :D ). You can get Press 800 at $6.50 from Cathay Photo at Peninsula Plaza (sorry, can't buy from Jurong area).

you can ask me for tips and hints. just PM me... ;)
 

there will be no audience
and there will be no fast lens
 

One question though.

Any performance,eg concerts, would prohibit use of photographic equipment.
How u guys manage to smuggle the gear in? and Im talkin abt fast lenses, a body, and a monopod?

Furthermore, the motor drive would have created noise, which'd echo in the concert hall.
 

to clear some things up, my hall is staging a play this weekend. and i am in the publication main comm. so bringing in anything short of a rocket launcher would not be a problem.

i will be shooting during the full dress rehearsal, precisely to tackle some problems you guys have brought out. during the full dress, only internal people will be there, so i will be able to position myself anywhere in front of the stage. there is no audience to block/disturb

is using a mono/tripod really necessary? cos i think that shooting at 1/60 or slower speed, the image might be quite blur
 

location is singapore repertory theatre
does that help?
 

when shooting at speeds like 1/60 and less, note that its not just your camera shake due to poor hand holding that will spoit the picture but also the fact that the performers are moving. this causes motion blur.

1/60 will capture some motion blur and make the images seem not sharp. if you want to intentionally capture motion, then you will need to deliberately slow down the shutter. shutter is usually automatically set to 1/60 for lo light. so make the necessary adjustments to a higher shutter speed to freeze motion, not eceeding max flash sync speed of course or to a lower shutter speed with some slow front of rear curtain sync to capture motion.
 

if yuo are still using flash... shoot 1/30- 1/60 to expose the background.
the flash will freeze their motion.
 

i think there will still be blur trails left behind. especially if the stage is brightly lit to start with and if the performance is an energetic one/.
 

i believe the stage lights are quite strong.
with the stage lights and iso800 flim, flash should not be necessary right?
i am still deciding weather to use flash or not. cos even in a full dress rehearsal, flash would disrupt the cast
 

bring your flash and your fastest lenses. then go to the location, test the lighting before hand. do some metering tryouts and then gauge for yourself whether there is enough light to shoot without flash bearing in mind the guide lines for shutter speed.

i personally perfer to shoot without flash as far as possible. like you mentioned, better color. but yor are shooting negative film therefore the lab will inadvertently correct the color for you. so you might not be getting exactly waht you shot.
 

your PM box is full...

it's good to use flash for fill-in situations (meaning flash is not use as main light. instead it's used for filling-in the shadows). dont be afraid to use flash.. but use it sparingly.. dont machine gun your flash

Using ISO 800 or higher can give you faster shutter speeds, meaning you have higher chance of getting a "sharper" photo, cutting down handshake and motion blur. Higher ISO films can also bring out the background of the scene and also brings in more of the ambient light (because you are not using flash as main light)

using monopod can help you cut down handshake by 2 to 3 stops, if you use it properly.

http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=63593&highlight=Talentime
These are shot at ISO 800 with fill-in flash for majority of the close-up shots
 

zodnm said:
i believe the stage lights are quite strong.
with the stage lights and iso800 flim, flash should not be necessary right?
i am still deciding weather to use flash or not. cos even in a full dress rehearsal, flash would disrupt the cast

stage lights? those tungsten ones?? dont think they are strong enough...
 

The "strong" lights are often not strong/bright enough, if they are, they often will be very contrasty. I used to shoot regularly at VCH for concert bands. FUJI Press 800 is my film of choice, and you can push it to 1600 if you would like more grainy photos. I have fast lenses to work with, and my standard would be a 16-35 and 70~200, both f2.8. I carry a 50 f1.8 with me if I am shooting the rehearsals where I get to move around the stage, but I often go up-close-and-personal with the players (guess you can't really do that with play) w my 16~35.

Forget about flash photography cuz you won't be able to use them in most theatres, so you might as well start learning to shoot without. But You will still need them for PR shoots during the receptions/intervals. I carry a tripod and a monopod with me for concerts. I place the monopod at the back-stage for shooting near the stage, which allow me to move around more freely. The tripod are placed either up in the circle or somewhere in the middle of the stall to the side.

Some people like to use correction filters for the lighting, but I prefer to just leave it, resulting in the warm tone.

Just my 2C worth, happy shooting
 

ZeusS said:
I used to shoot regularly at VCH for concert bands. FUJI

Forget about flash photography cuz you won't be able to use them in most theatres, so you might as well start learning to shoot without. But You will still need them for PR shoots during the receptions/intervals.

VCH is just plain horrifying! Nightmare... shot there three times over the past two months... not satisfied with my photos :(

Hmmm.... that will depend on whether the organisers if they allow flash or not lah...
 

mervlam said:
VCH is just plain horrifying! Nightmare... shot there three times over the past two months... not satisfied with my photos :(

Hmmm.... that will depend on whether the organisers if they allow flash or not lah...

Like I said, most places will not permit flash photography even though some idiot will fire away with their compact camera. But be professional about it, some conductors will even stop the performance if flashes are being fired. So what I am saying is that you should learn to shoot without. Another reason for that is the fact that the flash will not be powerful enough to give you a well litted photo. Which might explain why you are not happy with your photos;)
 

ZeusS said:
Like I said, most places will not permit flash photography even though some idiot will fire away with their compact camera. But be professional about it, some conductors will even stop the performance if flashes are being fired. So what I am saying is that you should learn to shoot without. Another reason for that is the fact that the flash will not be powerful enough to give you a well litted photo. Which might explain why you are not happy with your photos;)

you dont get the point... i'm not talking about VCH alone.

what i'm trying to bring across is it will depend on the organisers to decide if flash is allowed. if it's allowed, why not use it (sparingly of course). of course, i'm assuming that you are the official photographer for the event

anyway, if the subject is under spotlight.. then you dont need to use flash.

i do know how to shoot without flash anyway :)
 

mervlam said:
you dont get the point... i'm not talking about VCH alone.

what i'm trying to bring across is it will depend on the organisers to decide if flash is allowed. if it's allowed, why not use it (sparingly of course). of course, i'm assuming that you are the official photographer for the event

anyway, if the subject is under spotlight.. then you dont need to use flash.

i do know how to shoot without flash anyway :)

Aiyah... I got your point lah... what I was trying to say was that learn to shoot without flash. It takes practise to shoot hand-held at low shutter speed;)
 

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