Tip: Photographing a Dance Show

photo by Gabre Cameron

In 2010 I covered a dance show for the University (of the West Indies) Dance Society at Phillip Sherlock. At the time I had a kit lens (18-55mm f/3.5-5) and a very small memory card (8GB) which impacted how many photos I could take. I limited myself to 5 photos a piece, with a few exceptions.

Last month, however, I covered another dance show, this time for Praise Academy of Dance, with a faster lens (17-50mm f/2.8) and a larger memory card (32GB). I was like a kid in a candy store. I ended up with 900+ photos. Most of which were repetitive.

After the fact, I realized I should have applied what I learned from UDS's show to Praise Academy's show. I should have:

1. Sat through the entire dress rehearsal to familiarize myself with the various dance pieces.
   
2. Done some test shots from various locations, during the dress rehearsal, to see where gave me the best vantage point(s).
   
3. Restricted the amount of photos I took for each dance piece.

Though I forgot to take into consideration the 3 points stated above I never forget that dance shows, and the like, take place in dimly lit auditoriums.

The Business of Design and Offering Discounts

A few weeks ago I read "10 Mistakes Designers Make with Clients" by Preston Lee. Preston was extremely insightful and covered several areas. One of which hit me for 6 - Offering Discounts. He says "Discounts are for grocery stores with rotting produce... Your design isn’t old. It isn’t rotting. It isn’t yesterday’s hot item...It tells your customers that you are not in high demand and you are desperate for some business."

I mused on this for a few days. I even discussed it with my Accountant / Financial Advisor and friend and he agreed. Preston Lee was right, when supermarkets sell products at a discounted rate they still make a profit. When I give a discount as a designer I make a loss.

Very often I'd give my customers discounts but couldn't understand why they kept asking for more, even when my rates were below my competitors. I was sending the wrong message.

Tip: What's the Score?

A few years ago I did a workshop with a videographer David Ho, of Minds Eye Studios, and ever since then I’ve been dabbling with videography. One of the things David said in the workshop was that we should watch commercials, occasionally, with the sound off. The point of this exercise was to examine if the footage, we see regularly, was strong enough to convey a message on its own. You should try it and let me know what you think…?!?!

Anyway ...! On the flip side choosing the write score for your video can either detract from or enhance your footage. I remember shooting some test footage with a Canon HV30, which I posted and one comment said, in jest, that “...Foliage never before seemed so dramatic...”. Lets take a look!

Tip: How to Get the Most Out of 24hrs

photo by: stocker

If you’re like me, today is one of those days that you have a “million and one things” todo. Which poses the question “How do I get all these things done in 24hrs?”

We’ll first we must come to terms with the fact that we wont get everything done and will have to prioritize our todo list, strategically.

Burning the Midnight Oil vs The Early Bird

Instead of planning to stay up all night and burn the candle at both ends, go to bed earlier than you would. Set your alarm clock, or cell phone, an hour or two earlier than you would normally wake. Nothing beats a fresh start!

I’ve spent many nights working late and found myself rendered totally useless the next day, even if I get up later than usual. When you start late out of the blocks the odds are always against you.

Tip: Shooting an Event in Low Light with Kit Lenses

photo by: Gabre Cameron

A few months ago The Gist sponsored the artwork for an event, my wife and I were invited to the gala night. While at the show I couldn't help but notice the photographer, with a monopod, all the way in the back. Being a skeptic I thought "those photos aren't gonna come out good". I did get a chance to see some of the photos and those taken from the back of the playhouse came out just as I expected. Why? The photographer was using kit lenses in a low-light setting but didn't know how to get the best capture.

I am a hobbyist photographer and found myself in the same situation, in the exact same play house, with only kit lenses for the DSLR I use. Not all my photos came out perfect either but I learned from the experience ( click here to see samples ).

When shooting an event under low light conditions and you only have kit lenses here are some things you can do:

1. Get a seat in the front row
2. Use the kit lens that gives you the largest aperture (this is usually the wide-angle lens)
3. Increase your ISO
4. Set your camera to "aperture priority" mode
5. Set your auto focus to continuous (since the subjects may be moving)
6. Set your shutter release to continuous
7. Use a tripod/monopod if you have one (try not to impede the movement of patrons)
   

It's a great thing to be able to afford a prim lens but until that day comes one has to learn how to use what he already owns to give the best results possible.

Tip: Recording An Event with One Camcorder

photo by: Fry2k 

Here's a tip you may find useful if you've ever been asked to record an event, like a play, dance/variety show over an extended period and only have access to one camcorder. Especially, if renting or borrowing an additional camera is not an option.

Try and attend the event, 2 to 3, times while it's running and record from different angles. Remember that the footage being captured may be viewed by individuals who weren't present at the event and by having different POVs you engage them more.

Also, take into consideration that on each staging of the event the cast/players may change and you want your footage to be as consistent as possible.

What if the event is being staged only once?

Attend as many rehearsals as possible, scout the venue and look for opportunities to move from one position to the next between scenes/sets or find a good location and record from there for the duration of the event.

5 Steps to Take Before Your Computer Gets Stolen

A few weeks ago my home office was broken into and several items were stolen. Two of which were iMacs. My wife and I were privileged to assist law enforcement to retrieve some of the items, one of which was a 20" iMac. In light of this, I have a few tips that will help you if you should suffer the same fate.