My better half is an actress and is involved in an open air production of an Agatha Christie play, which is being staged in the grounds of a stately home here in the UK. She's asked me to take some shots of the dress rehearsal for cast members and possibly promotional materials. They'd like me to capture some of the 'set pieces' on stage and get some fairly tightly framed shots of individual performers (actors like 'me' shots!).
It's unpaid and I'm doing it for the experience (and of course to please my partner!). This has the comforting side effect of 'no pressure' - if they all turn out terrible, it doesn't matter Of course having said this, I want to give it my best shot.
My slight concern is lighting - the production will start at 7:30 p.m. in more or less full daylight, progressing through to complete darkness at the final curtain. Full tungsten stage lighting will be used throughout, the intensity being increased to compensate for fading daylight. I'm not allowed to use flash.
I'll be taking my 40D and all my small selection of lenses: EF-S 10-22, EF-S 17-85 and EF 50, f1.4. I'll use the 10-22 for some wide, 'venue' shots and for the production, I'm intending to start off with the 17-85 while the light is still ok (a bit more flexible), swapping to the 50, 1.4 when the light fades.
So, questions...
I'm resigned to having to push the ISO pretty high and run the lenses pretty well wide open - I guess the 50, f1.4 is going to be my saviour here (I'll be taking a monopod).
But the lighting....: it's going to be a tricky mixture of tungsten and daylight - is this likely to be post-processable, or am I going to end up having to 'black and white' everything? (not necessarily a bad thing given the 'period' nature of the production - as I said, flash is not an option).
What else haven't I thought of?
Any pointers from those who have tried this sort of thing would be greatly appreciated.
Regardless of the stage lighting you're going to be shooting in mixed light. All sunsets are mixed, you can have 15,000K from above and 2,500K coming from the sun.
Check for CTB on the stage lights, if it's there you can stay on a daylight preset and sort it out in post. Obviously shoot in RAW.
The mixed lighting will be problematical. I find it is better to start with a known baseline and stick with it, such as tungsten WB or setting custom WB off a gray card in the stage light. When allowed I put a 1/2 CTO on my flash for fill and set WB off a card in the combined stage / flash lighting.
In your case I'd suspect the intensity of the stage lighting will likely be constant in color temp and intensity during the entire performance, its just that during the daylight hours the ambient will equal or overpower it. If you shoot RAW camera WB isn't critical, but keeping it consistent provides a consistent starting point for editing. Usually there is some neutral tone in the scene that can be clicked to snap it to neutral, and just fiddling with the color temp and tint sliders in ACR will get you close. If you pick a camera WB and stick with it you can batch correct the WB with more consistent results in ACR. What is acceptable WB perceptually is a bit of a moving target with stage productions because the ambience of the lighting sets the mood for the scene. Technically neutral WB can destroy the ambience. For example to capture a warm sunset you'd want to set WB to daylight, not set custom WB off a gray card. I advice against AWB. AWB re-invents WB shot-to-shot based on what is in every shot, based on the assumption the brightest highlights are in fact neutral. As a result the WB in every shot is different and rarely perfect making post processing a challenge.
Lens-wise you are coming up a bit short. My favorite lens for stage work is my 70-200 f/2.8 IS. Also when I can in rehearsals I'll bring along a step ladder to get the camera up above the heads of the actors on stage for a more flattering downward view. Shooting from below results in less flattering up-nose views.
The best tool is communication. Talk to the director and guy controlling the lighting. Maybe they will cut you some slack in return for some photos and let you on stage or use flash at some point. That's when the 10-22mm can produce some be interesting perspective... A fast lens like a f/1.4 is a mixed blessing: shooting wide open provides more light but very little DOF.
papageno, cgardner,
Many thanks for your advice - lots of good information there.
I will of course be shooting raw, but you make a very good point about not using AWB - I'll stick to a single preset.
I know my lens selection isn't ideal, but I'm going to have to run with what I have. The good thing is that I have free reign to walk around in front of the seating (effectively at stage level as they are performing 'on the grass'), so hopefully I can make up for some lack of reach.
I'm sure it's going to be a challenge and a big learning curve, but I'll be happy if I get a handful of keepers (especially of the missus!). If I get anything worthwhile, I'll post it here (if I'm feeling brave!).
Of course having said this, I want to give it my best shot.