Photographing the arts: Different Spaces—wide angles for close quarters

In a previous essay I was talking about the difficulty of going into unfamiliar venues, and working out how to know what lenses might be needed to reach a performer on stage over a great distance. This time, I wanted to look at the opposite issue—how to work with a large production, in a small space.

When there isn’t going to be room to back up very far—if the seating in the venue is right at the front edge of the stage, for example—an ultra-wide angle lens is what’s going to be needed to get the full scale of a very wide or tall set, which can be useful for both publicity/marketing of the production (especially if it’s a particularly ambitious show in terms of scale), and later on for designers’ portfolios as well.

But that can create other issues, even as it’s solving one problem…

Photographing the arts: on deadlines (or, the best you can do by Tuesday)

“It was a matter of the best you could do between now and Tuesday.” However, he was quick to add, “the best you could do between now and Tuesday is still a kind of best you can do...”

I first heard this quote from cinematographer Alex Funke, at the time a neighbour of mine in New Zealand - who worked for many years in the offices of Charles & Ray Eames - and it stuck with me as being something that applies to all creative work, especially in performing arts.

Photographing the arts: on working long-term with your photographer

I’ve been working with director Dino Dimitriadis from Apocalypse Theatre for several years now, on shows around Sydney; in fact, I think Angels In America is our tenth production together! So it’s only natural that we’ve gotten to know each other’s methods of working, over that time.

It’s interesting to have an ongoing working relationship like ours; it’s not something that happens all that often, as a freelance photographer in the arts. Often we’re not contacted until quite close to production, with the result being that whoever’s available on the day is the person who does the work…

Photographing the arts: inclusion & exclusion

For me, this show started in a warehouse, lying on the floor.

The director, myself, and a model needed to put together an image for the Mardi Gras brochure, before casting was even underway; so we worked together (on the floor) to come up with a look that could say something about the production, without revealing too much - either in terms of the show, or the body.

Because we did know at least that - there were certainly going to be bodies, on stage...

First XV: The Dapto Chaser (2015)

The Dapto Chaser is one of those shows that will stick with me for years to come.

For me, it's great when I have the opportunity to be involved with a production at several points along the way, from the initial publicity images through rehearsals and onto the stage itself - getting to know the production, as well as the cast and crew, as we get closer to the opening...

PhotographyRobert CattoSeptember 11, 2017Griffin TheatreFirst XV, Photography, Theatre, Sydney, Australia, Apocalypse Theatre, Griffin Theatre, Dapto ChaserComment

Photographing the arts: working with (or against) light and space

I was working on a new production of Thomas Murray and the Upside Down River at Griffin Theatre here in Sydney recently, and chatting with the lighting designer before the dress rehearsal, he told me a couple of useful things. Having been there not long ago for The Dapto Chaser, I knew the stage was...let's call it unique. It's a wedge, between two seating blocks - not quite traverse, but certainly not a proscenium, either!

On that show, I'd found myself photographing much of it from the point of the triangle, rather than from the seating blocks; not least because you can see the other seating block in the back of the photos, if you're looking across the stage. But this was a different show, and of course, different designers.

"I've mostly lit the show from either end of the stage," he said, "so you might not want to photograph it from there."

Congratulations to The Dapto Chaser on 3 Sydney Theatre Award nominations!

I was really pleased to see that the announcement of the Sydney Theatre Awards this afternoon included The Dapto Chaser no less than three times - Best Independent Production, Glyn Nicholas for Best Direction, and Daryl Wallis for Best Score / Sound Design...

PhotographyRobert CattoDecember 21, 2015Griffin TheatreTheatre, Sydney, Apocalypse Theatre, Dapto Chaser, Griffin Theatre, Photography, Canon, 5D Mark IIIComment

Photographing the arts: how do I choose which images a client sees?

In all my photographic estimates, I include a short list of what happens after the actual photography takes place - it always surprises me that most people think images are finished the moment they're taken, so I want to outline how much more goes into making something better than just an in-camera .jpg.

Those are fine some of the time, don't get me wrong; but when you're working in the performing arts, most often you're working in low light, at the ragged edge of what cameras are capable of; and the images often need a little help to look their best, after the fact...

In Praise Of The Camera You Have, at the Kage Collective

Just wanted to briefly mention a new essay of mine over on the Kage Collective site, that went up this week - it's about some of the issues that go with upgrading or changing your camera, which I must admit I've fallen victim to many, many times over the years...! But, as always, it touches on a few other issues as well.

Also, thanks to ArtsHub here in Australia for publishing one of my Photographing The Arts series over on their site this week, too! Nice to see a few new visitors here on this site, and glad that it's resonating with people.

The Dapto Chaser - on now at Griffin Theatre!

I mentioned a while back that I'd been working on a show with the good folks at Apocalypse Theatre, The Dapto Chaser, which has opened now at Griffin Theatre here in Sydney - so I thought this would be a good chance to have a look at some of the images from our first shoot, the rehearsal space, and the final dress rehearsal before opening...

Apocalypse Theatre presents The Dapto Chaser - and you can help!

I posted a couple of weeks ago about a shoot I did with the guys you can see here - Noel Hodda, Jamie Oxenbould, Danny Adcock, & Richard Sydenham - for Apocalypse Theatre's upcoming show, The Dapto Chaser, coming up in July as part of Griffin Theatre's independent season. At that point the first image had just come out, but the social media campaign has (naturally) been continuing since then, so I thought I'd post a few more images that have been doing the rounds recently...

Apocalypse Theatre presents The Dapto Chaser

I'm really pleased to be working with Apocalypse Theatre again on their upcoming show The Dapto Chaser, by Mary Rachel Brown. We did a studio shoot recently for this promo / social media campaign announcing the cast for the show, which opens in July at Griffin Theatre as part of their Independent series...

Apocalypse Theatre presents Asylum: 3 & 4

The Asylum project wrapped up over the weekend, and I managed to get back to the Old 505 Theatre on Thursday and Saturday to photograph the last two blocks of scripts I hadn't had an earlier chance to photograph...

Apocalypse Theatre presents Asylum: 5

I know, I've gotten a little bit out of order with these - sometimes my schedule is like that! So in this case, I've had a chance to photograph block 5 of Asylum before I've been to blocks 3 & 4; but don't worry, they're still coming.

Apocalypse Theatre presents Asylum: 2

Last night was the second group of plays presented as part of Asylum, by Apocalypse Theatre here in Sydney - and another great group of performers, and scripts...