School plays and recitals are the kind of events that parents and grandparents reflexively want to photograph. They're also pretty high-stakes – there's no second chance to shoot Junior playing Mac Heath or Sis's rendition of Blanche Dubois. Unfortunately, there are many challenges to photography in the typical school auditorium. Here are some tips for getting memento-quality images in even the most challenging circumstances.
The big technical challenges are exposure and white balance. Theatrical lighting is tricky enough that advanced users may want to use full manual control for both. The easiest way to light a subject in tricky indoor lighting is to use the flash, but usually a flash is too distracting to performers and most compact digital camera flashes only light subjects within about 13 ft. Thus, your best bet is to manually set the exposure and white balance.
Automatic white balance systems are baffled by stage lights because the lights are very directional, uneven, and usually tinted with color. Most compact digital cameras have white balance presets, so using the Tungsten or “light bulb” setting could be a better option. Before your child gets on stage, take a few test shots with the different white balance settings to find the one that will look best. A camera equipped with a manual white balance mode is invariably the best option. The beauty of digital cameras is that you can look at the test shots on the LCD screen and delete them when you’re ready to really shoot.
Even with all the stage lighting, it is likely that your child’s face will be brightly lit and the vast background will be much darker. With this much contrast, it is better to use the spot metering setting rather than the multi-zone metering setting that is normally the default on digital cameras. Spot metering modes usually measure a very small spot in the exact center of the frame, so make sure your child’s face is where the brackets are on the center of the live preview.
Many times, a performer's face is lit predominantly by a single light. Since the single light is small and far away, it casts sharp, dark shadows, which can add a dramatic effect. The dark shadows can also completely obscure whole facial features – including important ones, like eyes. When your child is facing toward the light, his/her whole face will be lit – so take the opportunity to snap lots of pictures while the lighting is relatively decent.
Musical performances aren't lit as carefully as theater, and it's common for students in piano recitals to perform entirely in shadow. All there is to do in that case is to get a good shot of the kid taking a bow.
Some newer digital camera features lend themselves to shooting in low lighting like this. Cameras that have optical image stabilization will reduce blur. High ISO sensitivity settings above the standard 400 are good for photographing in low light without the flash – although high ISO settings also bring more noise into a picture. These features can be used even with a telephoto lens too, which is almost always a necessity unless you’re in the front row of the auditorium.
