Set up publicity Shots

I got a phone call last week “Please can I come down and takes some pictures that they can use for publicity for the new show”. At first look this doesn’t sound to much of a problem until you find out the show hasn’t been created yet, it is more than just an idea but it is in no way a worked out show yet. There is no set or lighting and we had just over an hour in the training space, where they have been playing with ideas as part of the creation process, to get the photos.

On top of this, this type of photography where you can set things up and tell people what to do is not something I have done very much of and currently feel quite uncomfortable with, especially when you are having to try and create somebody else’s imagined image at short notice (e.g. the director’s and the producer’s). I definitely need to do more of this type of photography, so that I can improve my skills in this area, as it is clearly something I need to be able to do.

To over come a messy cluttered background I made use of a scaff tower and took a series of shots from above, using the dance floor as the background. The one to the left is one of the first ones, where everyone was still getting into place.

In the end we did another set of photos on the Saturday, with just one of the cast that was still around. This came about because one of the performers saw some images that were then sent to the producer and spurred the request for some more that were based more on the theme of these images. I found these easier because they were outside and we had a clear image/style to try and achieve. Them being outside also meant that I could select an appropriate background, which was much harder inside because of the nature of the space and the equipment we were using. In addition to these things it was with only one performer so again this simplified things.

Anyway as I have previously said I think I need to practise doing this a lot more so that I can get my head around it and improve in this area. That said I think I managed to get some alright shots, still don’t know which one will get used though. You can see a few more of these photos here under Barricade Publicity Shots.