You put a lot of time and trouble into preparing your performances. High-quality photos give you a fitting visual record of the concert and all the hard work that went into it. They’re ideal for your next concert programme and, of course, your website and social media presence.
The pre-concert rehearsal is where a good photographer should start. Shooting without an audience allows a greater variety of camera angles.
1. Zoomed right out. This is a good way to set the scene. Taken from the west end of Romsey Abbey, this shot shows its size.
2. Wide angle close-up. During the rehearsal, your photographer can get up quite close and convey the size of the orchestra. Here, over 100 players were assembled for the epic Alpine Symphony by Richard Strauss.
3. The conductor and players. This composition puts the maestro centre-stage while showing surrounding players. Everybody is dressed casually but concentrating hard with the performance approaching.
Now let’s look at shots of the performance itself.
4. Soloist close-ups. As freelancers, they need to build a public profile, not least via social media. Good-quality photos are help them build their following.
5. Orchestral climaxes. Sports photographers look to capture the ‘peak moment of action’. It’s the same idea with music.
6. Sections of the orchestra. These help to tell the story of the concert. For example, the woodwind:
Here, a shaft of light illuminates a viola player:
A shallow depth of field makes a flautist stand out:
And the brass section glitters under the lights, just as it cuts through the musical textures.
8. Behind the orchestra, if possible. This image conveys the size of the venue and puts the conductor centre-stage, albeit at a distance.
9. Zoomed in on the conductor at the climaxes. Gestures from the podium convey the drama like nothing else.
10. The curtain calls. These show most of the players, so they’re images they’ll want to see and share.
I’m grateful to the Charity Symphony Orchestra and their conductor, Craig Lawton, for permitting me to photograph their concert on behalf of Romsey Abbey.
If you’d like me to capture images like these of your concert, please get in touch.