Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/12/11
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Rob and everyone who has responded: Thanks for so much good advice. I digested it all and went to a dress rehearsal this evening. There is indeed a main spotlight at the back which should work fine for pictures of the main cast members during solo and set pieces. The tungsten stage lights do indeed cause about 1 1/2 to 2 stops difference from centre stage to the edge as they are all predominently focused on the centre stage area. I managed to get some meter readings with an incident meter after the rehearsal so that should be fine. I wish I had a second body right now! I think the Porta and Supra 800 will be fine for the shots at f/2, f/2.8 but given some of the movement on-stage which I need to freeze, and the need for resonable DOF, a second body with ISO1600/3200 would have been very useful. Thanks again for all your collective advice. Simon Rob McElroy wrote: > For all, > > When photographing stage performances in a high school or a major concert hall, the primary light source, which illuminates the main performers on the > stage, comes from the guy in the back manning the spotlight, NOT the overhead colored lights. That is the guy you want to check with before the > production begins, to see what kind of spotlight he is using. His spotlight is usually on during most of the performance, and provides the > photographer with the usable shutter speeds needed for the majority of the images he will make. If his spotlight is turned off during certain > portions of the performance - the overhead, color-gelled, tungsten stage lighting will be the dominant light source, but is often too dim for the best > images. > > Major concert and performance halls all have carbon-arc or similar daylight-balanced spotlights which will photograph best when using daylight > balanced color film. Some small high school venues may have tungsten spotlights, which would necessitate the use of tungsten film for the closest > match of film to light. Of course the processing lab can correct for a vast majority of color differences when printing color negatives, but having > the closest film to the existing light is always the best starting point, especially if you are required to shoot transparencies. > > Fuji's CZ135-36 800 ASA daylight color neg. film has been the staple for most pros since it came out five or ten years ago. Kodak is finally catching > up with their 800 speed color neg. films. > > Available-light performance photography can be extremely rewarding, especially if you own long, fast, glass that is optimized for performance wide > open. Use your monopod or tripod for any long lenses and don't be afraid of 1/30th of a second. > > Good Luck, > Rob McElroy > Buffalo, NY > >