I’ve been back from Paris for a little more than 2 weeks now. While I was still refreshed and rejuvenated, I took advantage of my post-holiday high to sort out my closets, my “just in case” pile of horded objects and my photos. I also had all my rolls of film from my trip developped and since then, have been cherishing the joys of holding a physical photo while reliving the feeling of the moment the shot was taken. I’m currently putting together a new ‘street’ portfolio which will include some of my holiday shots. In retrospect, it was well worth the extra luggage for the 2 film cameras I brought with me. The one I mostly used was a Holga and the other was my dad’s Nikon F3. I thrive on the element of surprise when shooting film. As opposed to a digital SLR, you can’t check what you’ve just shot: you’re left at the mercy of your intuition, skills and chance. Last week, I got together with my friend
Lis Viggers who had been working on her production ‘CONNECTIONS: NOTHING EXISTS IN ISOLATION’ to discuss photography. Basically, I offered to take portraits of the performers and have the photos enlarged to be displayed in the foyer of the Grant St Theatre where the production will be held. Being new to shooting in a theatre setting, I researched for the best type of lens to use and contacted my friend
Tristan who is a pro in the field. I attended a couple of rehearsals and used 2 lenses (50 mm/f1.4 & 18-200mm f/3.5 VR) to do some test shots. Since I was after close-ups, I opted for the 50 mm in the end. Given I had to get the shoot done early enough to have the prints done before the show and when all the cast was going to be present at the one time, the earliest day was last Sunday. I was allocated specific time slots to do the shots and was able to work with the light technician. After a few hours, I managed to get at least one good one for each performer. I had in mind to print in black and white to accentuate the “being in character’ in each of the performers. I got the prints done on time and I hung them today. The cast were pleased with the results and so was Lis. ’CONNECTIONS: NOTHING EXISTS IN ISOLATION’, Grant St Theatre (Southbank) - Free admissionSUNDAY 20th June @ 2pm
MONDAY 21st June @ 4pmTUESDAY 22nd June @ 7pm