Here are a few of the headshots I did from the dress rehearsals of Indian Creek School’s Brainstorm production. They are performing the show November 11, 12, and 13. If you are looking for something to do this weekend I recommend checking it as it is a wonderful show that has a lot of interesting things to say. It also helps that the shows the school produces are always at a professional level of production and this show sticks to that high standard. For more information or to buy tickets check out this link:
https://www.indiancreekschool.org/arts/upcoming-performances
So on to the topic at hand. My advice for both is pretty much the same for both headshots and group shots – you need to understand the production you are photographing and the people who performing the production. If you have at least a general idea of what the play is about and have at least read a little about the people producing the play you should start to get a general idea of how you want to approach this.
For example, Brainstorm is unique in that the people performing the show have an active hand in the script for the show and it is tailored to their experiences and their personalities. That means the show is personalized by them and by proxy it will always be “modern” whenever it is performed. So, for this setup I went with a 3-light setup. A key light and a fill light with softboxes. I used gels to color the backlight, but I allowed each performer to pick a color they wanted for their background so they could have some personalized input into the photos.
As for the group shot, it is pretty much always going to be on stage if I can get it there. That’s were a lot of fun can happen because you have access to many of the props and scenery that are already on the stage. Furthermore, the performers tend to draw a lot of confidence from the stage itself so getting decent poses tends to be easier up on stage. I do recommend at least two nice strobes with good sized soft boxes for lighting. More or less as needed but you have to position them, so they aren’t in your shot. You can’t do a 3 light shot with one light in the center because then it will be in your shot.
Anyway, check out Brainstorm this weekend at Indian Creek School, especially if you have a teenager. You won’t regret it.