Stage performance photography

[chester]

Hi everyone, i'm a newbie and it's my first time shooting children performing on the stage.

I will like to know what i need to set on my camera and what to look out for in the school hall?

I'm holding a D90 and will be using with 18-200mm vr2 lens and sb-600 speedflash.

Thanks for your time.

 

[Reportage]

easy to say...but this sort of thing really need to show one.

if the venue is near my place, i dont mind giving pointers on the spot.

 

[chester]

easy to say...but this sort of thing really need to show one.

if the venue is near my place, i dont mind giving pointers on the spot.

Hi, thanks for the reply. actually, i'm shooting for my sister's daughter as she's performing tomorrow at her school.

 

[roaringflamer]

perhaps try to rent a 70-200 vr if its dark? the faster lens will help alot for stage photog, but thats just what i feel la haha

 

[chester]

perhaps try to rent a 70-200 vr if its dark? the faster lens will help alot for stage photog, but thats just what i feel la haha

Thanks for the input. I got the 18-200mm vr2 lens, hopefully it do the trick. hehe.....

 

[wdEvA]

Hi everyone, i'm a newbie and it's my first time shooting children performing on the stage.

I will like to know what i need to set on my camera and what to look out for in the school hall?

I'm holding a D90 and will be using with 18-200mm vr2 lens and sb-600 speedflash.

Thanks for your time.

U need to look out of the changing of lights during the performance which will throw your settings and white balance off.

and your lens might not be fast enough if the lightning gets low. as u need a decent shutter speed to prevent motion blur.

another thing to note is using flash for stage performance is quite a big no-no, it distracts the performers and if the flash temporarily blinds them, accidents can happen. it's distracting to the audience as well with your flash firing.

 

[Rashkae]

Thanks for the input. I got the 18-200mm vr2 lens, hopefully it do the trick. hehe.....

No, the aperture is too small. He was recommending the 70-200 since it's an f/2.8 lens.

We can't tell what the lighting conditions are, how high the ceiling is, how far away you are from stage, etc. In either case, you'll need to boost your ISO as high as you can stand (high ISO = more noise).

 

[polyester]

hi chester, what kind of performance is it? is it a dance, music performance or a musical play?

actually your 18-200mm may be good enough for a play because there are usually very bright spotlights that light up the actors quite well.

a faster lens (eg. 70-200mm 2.8, 50mm prime) would b best, of course, if you'd like to shoot during scenes where the lighting is dimmed or erratic. but i think what you have is good enough to shoot during instances when the spotlights are in your favour.

 

[hori]

Arrive early, do some test shots if possible. Ask the AV & lighting people what sort of lighting are they deploying on the performance. So that you know if you have adequate light to shoot without flash.

Like WdEva advised, flash is usually not advisable for stage/theatre performances due to its potential disruptive effect.

 

[Reportage]

Good luck.

1. If its your first such event, Shutter Priority is your best friend since Aperture and ISO is more or less fixed depending on the ambient light of the performance. You definitely dont want to be messing with dials during the performance.

2. Shoot RAW unless you are really confident with the white balance.

3. D90 can do 4.5fps, Use it plenty.

4. When you find a good spot, stay there and let your 18-200 do the work. Best is if you are level with the stage.

5. Do not miss the before and after performance shots as well.

6. No such thing as too many shots. Just a few minutes more transferring the pics and more pictures to choose from.

btw, i wasnt kidding. If the school near my place i would seriously volunteer my service.

 

[ahbian]

Besides what others have said, one thing I would like to add is that in the (over) eagerness to take shots of their performing children, some parents have forgotten that there are others trying to view the performance or take pictures of their own.

So unless you are the official photographer (if there is in this instance), try to be as discrete as possible.

 

[Legoz]

Hi everyone, i'm a newbie and it's my first time shooting children performing on the stage.

I will like to know what i need to set on my camera and what to look out for in the school hall?

I'm holding a D90 and will be using with 18-200mm vr2 lens and sb-600 speedflash.

Thanks for your time.

1) Use flash for every shot.
2) Shoot from the back since you have up to 200mm
3) Moderate your expectations.

Regards

 

[ahbian]

1) Use flash for every shot.
2) Shoot from the back since you have up to 200mm
3) Moderate your expectations.

Regards

About the flash issue, think its better to check with the school organizer first. Even if the go ahead is given , I would think its best to minimise its usage. It can be quite disturbing to the audience and performers sometimes.

 

[chester]

Many many thanks guys for all the inputs....really appreciate...

 

[ahming111]

Hi all,
i'm interested in performance photography too.

I'm having trouble with my white balance because of the changing lights, is there a more neutral white balance setting for this?

thanks in advance

 

[ahbian]

Hi all,
i'm interested in performance photography too.

I'm having trouble with my white balance because of the changing lights, is there a more neutral white balance setting for this?

thanks in advance

Shoot in RAW, adjust in post processing.

 

[chester]

Anyway, the school funtion is over. just a short cny celebration for the kindergarden children. most of the shot are ok only, not good:nono:....as i use program priority. used a diffuser to soften the flash...iso falls somewhere around 800. then i change to shutter priority, pictures turn out better...

 

[hotwork77]

Hi all,
i'm interested in performance photography too.

I'm having trouble with my white balance because of the changing lights, is there a more neutral white balance setting for this?

thanks in advance

Use ExpoDisc. It is one of the most handy piece of hardware besides filters that we use. Cheapest option is to shoot in RAW and then adjust it in Lightroom or Aperture.

 

[hotwork77]

Anyway, the school funtion is over. just a short cny celebration for the kindergarden children. most of the shot are ok only, not good:nono:....as i use program priority. used a diffuser to soften the flash...iso falls somewhere around 800. then i change to shutter priority, pictures turn out better...

Post some of the photos here. We can learn a bit from your experience.

 

[chester]

1#

2#

These are the only two which i can share. My sis doesn't want to share any of her child online...hope you guys understand.

So from the two pictures below, can you guys give me some advice or C & C...
Thanks for our time.