Play with low lighting

[amayax]

I have been asked by a friend to take pictures of a stage play, though it all happens in quite low light. I tied out the flash on my camera on some things before, bit I noticed it lost the charms of the lighting and started to look just like regular lighting.

How can I deal with the low lighting?
And do you have some general advices on photographing a play?

 

[Derrel]

Stage lighting can be tricky, at times.Many times there are spot-lighted actors against fairly dark backdrops; those conditions often cause severe pver-exposure of the actors. Metering can be tricky for the beginning shooter. With shorter focal length lenses 50mm and shorter, at times you need to set the meter to a Minus 1.7 EV setting, to correct for the spot-lighting. White balance can also be tricky, and usually the lights are not daylight balanced, but more in the 3400 to 2900 degrees Kelvin range. If there are actors in front of a dark, un-lighted background area, the loght meter could be over-exposing them by as much as 3 or 4 or even 5 EV, if they are spot-lighted, and there is a lot of the dark area that the camera metering field "sees".

Spot metering can help get the right baseline meter value for a scene. Something helpful is to shoot the dress rehearsal, and also to know ahead of time how the play will be lighted; just like the actors, the lighting crew has its own, pre-established routine. Some scenes will likely be lighted one way, others in a different way.

Sometimes a play is not really low lighting, but rather not a lot of light all over, but it has the spot lighting on certain places, or flood lights that leave large dark areas, but the actors will be in pools of light. Shoot for the actors, shoot mostly for the highlights. Shoot in RAW mode if at all possible. Do not be afraid to go to ISO 800 to 3200 or ISO 4,000,5,000, or even 6,400 is your lens is slow in aperture.

Think about the rough baseline exposure for the various scenes,like say ISO 3,200 at f/4 at 1/100 second. Many scenes will be in some kind of a general,overall lighting level, and if you know it, you can use a manual exposure and set the scene exposure and shoot without fiddling with exposure. Keep in mind: you need to keep the shutter speed high enough to stop movement and prevent camera shake/blurring, so try to keep things at 1/100 second if possible, or faster.

If the play really is one of those dim-dim-dim ones, you might have a heck of a time. Consider the dress rehearsal to be a MUST-shoot opportunity for you if you've not shot a play before. At that, you might be able to set up a tripod, stage center, 8 to 10 rows back, and be able to snipe off shots that are good, which is very different from shooting during an actual performance.

 

[dennybeall]

Buy some fast glass and jack the ISO way up. Figure on a lot of noise and make it part of the "CHARM" of the photos.

 

[Derrel]

Denny has a good idea! Fast glass can be helpful. What exact equipment one has can determine how to best shoot a stage production. If you have only one, single fast prime lens, it might be best to be quite a ways back; if you have an iPhone 6, you'd want to be fairly close; if you have only an 18-55mm f/3.5~5.6 kit zoom, ISO 3,200 or 6,400 might be your best friend, in order to get a decent shutter speed.

You can also shoot from the wings of the stage, the balcony, or the aisles,etc.. Maybe @Gary A. will weigh in here: he's a great theatre shooter! He's got the skills needed, and good gear, and years of experience. I bet he has some good general tips for you.

 

[Mysecutage]

Just today I've read an article about difficulties of taking photos of stage performances. A photogrpher should be kind of ghost not to disturb the audience so usually they wear special outfiit for shot. And a camare must be noiseless for the same reason.
I agree with the previous members of TPF - increase ISO (to learn more about ISO visit Macphun Blog - Latest Updates and Photo Industry News | Macphun Blog) just be careful with noise.

 

[Gary A.]

I shoot a lot of theatrical performances. The lighting can be tricky, especially if it's a school performance and the kids man the spot lights. ISO 1600 to 3200 works for most venues I've shot. The trick is to shoot the dress rehearsal and get onstage. Shooting into the lights adds significant drama to the shot.

Spots can add drama:

Go Wide:

Shoot into the light:

Use Your Positioning to Your Advantage (side lighting/backlighting/et al):

Go Wide and Tight:

Go Long and Tight:

Use the Background:

Use the Lights:

Work with the Existing Light:

If you have to shoot a 'real' performance. I would go long and shoot from the balcony/back.

 

[photo1x1.com]

If you are inexperienced, it is a good idea to go to a rehearsal, or maybe even another act before the one to shoot if possible. Then you can note the best settings for various scenes (in case the light changes during the play) and just dial them in at the time.
I´d shoot in manual mode. It is not that difficult with digital cameras because you can easily do try and error. Do some reading on the histogram and you should be pretty safe.
In regard to noise: from your profile pic I see you use sony, so you are familiar with the alpha system. Consider renting an a7sII or a7rII if it is a paid job, both are awesome at low light, the s can be tricky with focus though.
White balance can be very important if all the light has the same color, but sometimes it is not, especially if there are light-designers that created the lighting for the play using various colored lights. Then you just set it to daylight and you are done.
One of our clients was very happy with the shots below because he said we were the first ones to capture the light just as is and did not try to get the skin tones right. It is not a stage play though, but lightingwise it is the same with all stage acts.
One thing I also love about the a7 series is silent shutter. As Mysecutage wrote it can be very important not always hearing the noise of the shutter. But be aware, it can reduce the image quality to use it.

 

[amayax]

Thank you all for the great answers in about 10 days I am having a little meet up with the stage performers before a rehearsal, where I will also ask if I can place pictures here to help me improve. So maybe some work will follow soon!

 

[DGMPhotography]

Yeah, you want low f stop, and high ISO. High ISO can be gross if you have a crop sensor. Most full frame cameras have great ISO, but if that's not an option then just make do with noise reduction. Remember you want your shutter speed at least 1/200 to freeze movement, and balance everything else from there. Almost never use flash for a live show.

 

[nickgillespie]

I was the photographer at a local theater for years.

Any camera that can do iso 1600 or 3200 should do fine. I always used fast primes. Anything over 2.8 makes life difficult for you.