Tim Cross: IDFB Photographer – Capturing The Impending Storm pt. 2

Tim Cross was responsible for most of the commissioned photography during IDFB 2012. In the second of two posts, Tim explains how he approached photographing the rehearsals for The Impending Storm, and the different techniques he used to tackle two very different scenarios.

The Dress Rehearsal

The dress rehearsal (or final technical rehearsal on stage) was an evening call two weeks after the last studio shoot. Having had the chance to see the piece, I now had the advantage of knowing the order, style and flow of the work. But live theatre is just that – live – so I would still need to be ready for anything.

It took place in The Patrick Centre, DanceXchange’s 200-seat studio theatre in the Birmingham Hippodrome complex. As standard for dress rehearsals I would be shooting from the stalls (or seating area) and as such this would give the images an audience’s perspective.

I arrived at the theatre with time to set up and prepare my kit. I decided to shoot from a central static position and used a tripod to support two cameras side by side at eye level. A third camera would be besides me on the floor, along with some other lens options to hand.

The Impending Storm1/80 sec
f/2.8
ISO 4000
200mm

The rehearsal would run as if it were a performance, complete with costumes, set and lighting, therefore the stage would be lit by the stage lighting alone – no natural, ambient light here. Dress rehearsals tend not to be stop/start affairs, so again there would be no stopping unless technical or others issues surfaced.

Although I had the option to move about the stalls to get alternate viewpoints, it would be a risky one due to the lack of lighting in the seating area. With trip hazards and the obvious noise and disturbance issues, I decided against it. So although the dress rehearsal would be less physically demanding for me than the studio rehearsal, the conditions I was working in would make it a far more technically challenging exercise.

The only ‘audience’ present at the rehearsal would be the artistic staff, the theatre tech staff and myself, so I positioned the tripod centrally in the middle of the stalls, trying not to obstruct anyone’s view of the stage.

Mark Storor was finalising details with his performers, but came over to say hello as I was setting up. In passing he mentioned that there was a surprise at the end of the piece, but wouldn’t divulge any further information.

The Impending Storm1/125 sec
f/2.8
ISO 2500
135mm

The rehearsal started and as I had guessed, the light levels were at times extremely low. The black walls and floor reflected little of the light that there was. For a member of the audience this is not a problem, as the human eye can see remarkably well in a darkened theatre. But photographing in low light is always tricky.

At times I was reducing the shutter speed to 1/8 sec with the ISO (or ASA/film-speed) wound up to about 4000. The tripod helped to reduce the movement/blur from my end, but any sudden movements from the dancers would obviously induce subject blur, so I needed to use the slow shutter speeds with care.

Although the Nikons’ ISO (or ASA/film speed) can be pushed remarkably high, the trade off for this apparent ‘night-vision’ ability is image quality, as noise and other artifacts are amplified and introduced into the image. I therefore usually try to restrict ISO to about 4000 for stage work, unless I am all out of options.

The Impending Storm1/250 sec
f/2.8
ISO 1600
78mm

I had also brought along some fast prime lenses in case I needed the extra speed that the expensive glass offered. But these primes (or fixed focal length lenses) have very shallow depths of focus when wide open at f/1.4, so are not ideal for fixing a focus on fast moving dancers. And besides, my trusty f/2.8 zooms proved ultimately more versatile.

Getting accurate exposures would be more critical than two weeks ago in the studio, as mistakes made in the theatre would prove difficult to recover from and ‘save’ with software. Nailing the exposure is probably the single most important part in producing high quality images of work on stage.

I keep a close eye on the histograms (graphs that show the range of brightness in an image) and the highlight-clipping indicators to ensure that I am not over-exposing any highlights, which on stage are usually faces and bodies. Once blown out, this detail is lost forever and no amount of clever software can recover what ultimately is no longer there. Judging exposure solely from the jpg image displayed on the back of a camera, when eyes are accustomed to the dark, in a darkened room is not best practice and should be avoided.

The lighting for work on stage is designed by the lighting designer, who is employed to create mood and atmosphere by shaping and controlling how the stage is lit. And it is these choices of brightness, colour, contrast etc that the photographer has to follow closely and adjust for accordingly.

Operating cameras in the dark does take some practice, and with their numerous buttons and wheels (not forgetting button/wheel combinations) it is all too easy to alter settings that confuse and perplex when not expecting them.

The Impending Storm

1/160 sec
f/2.8
ISO 4000
130mm

Shooting from the front of the theatre felt entirely different to the personal and intimate shoot a few weeks previous. Safe in the knowledge that I was now not encroaching on the performers’ personal space (less likely to put them off or be mown down!) the only clue that I was there was the clatter of my camera’s shutter.

Now that I was shooting from the intended direction of view, I was able to follow the progression and subtleties of the work far easier than before. This new viewpoint enabled me to link up the passages and spot connections between the dancers and their sequences.

The dancers and musicians were just as impressive as when I had last saw them, and moved through the piece effortlessly. There was no indication of them holding back or struggling to adapt to the new space, and although the distance between myself and the dancers had increased considerably, none of the energy and power of the piece had been lost.

At the end of the last rehearsal in the studio, the dancers and musicians had all ended up piling onto the bed, but instead of finishing on the bed and singing as they had done previously, an almighty pillow-fight broke out with pillows bursting open and white feathers flying everywhere. I scrambled to adjust my exposure knowing that I was wildly over-exposed for this sudden explosion of white covering everyone and everything. I now understood what Mark had meant by the ‘surprise’.

The Impending Storm1/250 sec
f/2.8
ISO 3200
48mm

I thoroughly enjoyed working on this project, and was blown away by the dancers and the musicians. My only regret was not being able to sit back and enjoy the performance without a camera stuck to my face!

You can read the first part of this blog here.

Tim Cross is an Dance and Theatre Photographer who specialises in all forms of dance imagery, as well as reportage/documentary, full studio and portraiture styles. Tim is a former First Soloist with Birmingham Royal Ballet.

tmcross.com

  • Posted by IDFB on May 16th, 2013
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Tim Cross: IDFB Photographer – Capturing The Impending Storm pt. 1

Tim Cross was responsible for most of the commissioned photography during IDFB 2012. In the first of two posts, Tim explains how he approached photographing the rehearsals for The Impending Storm, and the different techniques he used to tackle two very different scenarios.

As part of my contract to photograph the International Dance Festival of Birmingham 2012 (IDFB 2012) I was asked to shoot two contrasting rehearsals of The Impending Storm. The first would take place in a dance studio and the second would be at the dress rehearsal on stage.

The Impending Storm was a collaboration between David Toole, Lucy Hind, Remix Dance Company, Mark Storor and DanceXchange.

Live music and singing was performed by Dom Coyote, Greg Felton and Sandile Gontsana.

Rehearsal 1: The Studio

I arrived at the studios of DanceXchange on a bright but overcast mid-April morning – perfect soft, diffused light. As usual I had turned up early to prepare my kit, meet DanceXchange staff and get a general brief of what was required.

The Impending Storm was created with artist Mark Storor, and I was fortunate enough to grab a few moments with him before the rehearsal began. He explained the themes and ideas that formed the work, and was keen to attempt a run-through of the piece without stopping.

Care would be needed on my part so as not to disrupt this rehearsal, but Mark indicated that he was more than happy for me to be there to document it.

I took off my shoes, grabbed my kit and entered the studio. With huge floor-to-ceiling windows the space had a clean, bright and voluminous feel. The natural light flooding into the studio that day would easily overpower the fluorescent studio lights overhead, and this would make the editing and colour-correcting of the images far easier. No flash would be used due to the disruption that it can cause, so I was glad of the natural ambient light.

The dancers, musicians and artistic staff were all present, and either chatting, preparing or rehearsing. The piece utilized both non-disabled and disabled performers, so I knew that the heights I would be shooting from would vary greatly. As a dance photographer I usually shoot from very low levels, if not from the floor itself, but in this rehearsal I would need to keep moving around to keep up with the flow of the piece.

The Impending Storm
1/250 sec
f/2.8
1250
27mm

I had set up three camera/lens combinations, with focal lengths varying from 14mm to 200mm, which would cover shots ranging from wide studio panoramas to extreme close ups. All the cameras were set to fully manual (with the exception of focusing) and the shutter speed and aperture were controlled by two thumbwheels. The ISO (or ASA/film-speed) was controlled by a button/thumbwheel combination. The Nikons that I use do have extremely advanced auto-exposure programs, but through habit and preference I nearly always shoot in ’manual’, especially for important commissions where I don’t like surprises!

As the rehearsal would be a run-through there would be little time to change lenses, so multiple body/lens combinations was the solution, as long as the right camera was in my hands at the right time!

Switching cameras when static and working from the floor is not a problem, just put down/pick up what you need. But when standing or moving about, things can get a little more interesting. With three pro-bodies and their attached lenses weighing in at around 10kgs, constantly switching cameras on the shoulders can quickly turn into an expensive game of conkers!

But as long as nothing is dropped from any great height and the lenses’ front elements are protected, I find that my Nikon gear absorbs an impressive amount of ‘enthusiastic’ handling. Many a door frame/wing-mirror/train-table would agree with that!

The studio had been marked out with tape and some props to simulate the theatre space in which the piece would eventually be performed. In the down-stage, stage-right corner was a bed and sheets. The artistic staff sat along one wall at the ‘front’ whilst three musicians and their instruments/equipment such as vibraphones, guitars, drums, mics etc were positioned at the rear of the studio.

The curtains behind the musicians had been drawn across the mirrors, so there would be no reflections to contend with – especially not my own (a particular hazard in mirrored dance studios)

Both sides of the studio had plenty of room for me to work from. But crossing from one side to another would involve walking through or across the back of the dance space, so I decided to keep this to a minimum to avoid distraction. I knew that in a few weeks time I would be restricted to shooting the piece from the ‘front’ only, so this rehearsal was my chance to get close to the performers using alternate angles and viewpoints.

The rehearsal started and I settled into a rhythm following/shooting the action and trying not to miss anything (easier said than done!) As I had not seen the piece before, I would be relying on a mix of instinct and prediction to shoot it, not forgetting a healthy dose of luck.

There would not be time to review or ‘chimp’ the images that I was getting, especially as the piece was unfamiliar to me. The emphasis would be on anticipating the action – right place/right time, capturing the essence of the work, and maintaining good exposures.

The Impending Storm was based around life stories, experiences and emotions, and as the piece progressed it grew in intensity and physicality. There was a palpable sense of energy building in the room and the atmosphere was further enhanced by the incredible live music and Xhosa singing, and before long I was engrossed in the piece.

120413_67771/320 sec
f/2.8
ISO 1250
35mm

Viewing the action, as I was, through a camera’s eyepiece accentuates the drama, similar to watching theatre or cinema in a darkened room. How much better are films with the lights off?

The dancers were fully immersed in their roles as they moved through the piece, and the mix of their physical abilities dictated that the choreography was inventive and tactile, as they lifted, partnered, cradled, pulled and threw one another. The use of large white bed-sheets twisted tightly into ‘ropes’ was especially clever, as well as being visually effective.

There were scenes of unnerving, almost violent passages balanced against extremely tender and touching moments, as the work explored the human condition more deeply that most dare to.

The title, The Impending Storm, obviously implied a subject matter of a dark and ominous nature, and the intentionally loose narrative meant that the viewer could not help but overlay their own thoughts and interpretations onto the piece, giving it further weight.

120413_6788
1/320 sec
f/2.8
ISO 1250
60mm

In photography, getting close up to a subject can add impact to an image, especially performers. And as the piece progressed and I felt that the dancers were comfortable with me, I gradually got closer to the action to ‘fill the frame’.

All was going well until I realised just how close I was getting – too close it seemed, as I almost got wiped out by two dancers at either end of a twisted sheet ‘rope’. Only by the awareness and agility of the guys was an embarrassing and potentially costly accident prevented.

It reminded me of my early days of photography playing with an expensive mint wide-angle lens in the woods, and walking straight into a branch. Wide-angle lenses should carry warning stickers: ‘Objects may appear further away!’

By the end of the piece of some fifty minutes or so I was exhausted, and not just from the physicality and concentration that a fast-paced shoot like this demands. Being as close as I was to the dancers, I had without realising it, been emotionally drawn into their performances.

This was a very powerful piece of theatre and I looked forward to seeing it performed a couple of weeks later at the Dress Rehearsal.

You can read the second part of this blog here.

Tim Cross is an Dance and Theatre Photographer who specialises in all forms of dance imagery, as well as reportage/documentary, full studio and portraiture styles. Tim is a former First Soloist with Birmingham Royal Ballet.

tmcross.com

  • Posted by IDFB on April 15th, 2013
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Tim Cross: IDFB Photographer

Tim Cross was responsible for most of commissioned photography during IDFB 2012, covering Home, Family Weekend and The Impending Storm. He also took some of the most iconic photographs of the festival during Wings of Desire, and in the article below, Tim explains how he approached the event, and the techniques he used to take three of his favourite images from the show.

As a Dance and Theatre Photographer I was delighted when I was approached to cover IDFB 2012. Having had the opportunity to provide some imagery during the 2010 Festival, I kept the 2012 dates clear hoping that I would be invited to shoot for IDFB again.

I knew that the breadth of performers, companies and styles that the festival attracts would be an impressive line-up and prove for some great imagery, and luckily I got the call and was given a run-down of the many events that were happening in and around Birmingham.

A regular freelance contract for me usually involves only one function, a show/a gathering/a photoshoot (with a day shoot /night edit), so to have a diary full of dates to look forward to was immensely exciting.

As an ex-dancer there is no doubt that this previous career helps me today to anticipate movement and to make immediate aesthetic decisions. A lot of what I shoot demands that the style and technique are correct and in-keeping with the dance form that I am depicting.

I tend to believe that years of performing dance to music and watching dancers move to music, has sharpened my reactions and I am probably now relying on some form of muscle-memory to anticipate and judge timings, but as a photographer I would be a fool not to acknowledge the part that luck plays!

From my perspective as a photographer, one of the most interesting parts of the festival was the outdoor performances of Wings of Desire. Set in the heart of Birmingham in Victoria Square, complete with a huge stage, rooftop angels, stunt performers, dancers, actors and architectural projection mapping, it promised to be quite a job to shoot.

To cover something of this complexity in one performance was always going to be difficult, and fortunately I had the luxury of picking two nights out of the four to cover the event.

With such an important event, a bit of forward planning never goes amiss so a recce of the technical rehearsal got my eye in and gave me a chance to plan ahead. I didn’t take any kit (giving my back a rest!) but just noted the sequence of the pieces, general distances, sight lines and rough light levels.

Most of the reportage work I shoot is of fast-moving dancing, invariably in low ambient light, so the equipment that I rely on excels in low light levels. Unfortunately this also means heavy glass and full-frame bodies, which, when combined, very quickly turn into weighty dumbbells!

It is particulary important to gauge the amount of kit required accurately, as an unused lens or three, carried all evening isn’t much fun. Covering for equipment failure should always be high on a professional photographer’s list – a Plan B – but I usually find less kit equals more “keepers”.

I quickly decided that I needed to split the shoot nights into two distinct categories:

First night: a static fixed point, to mimic the audience’s viewpoint and experience, in which I could cover the stage work, the light projection mapping and incidentals.

Second night: a fully mobile style to give more interesting viewpoints, capture individual performances and a chance to zoom with the feet!

Below are a few of my favourite images from Wings of Desire:

2Faced Dance Company

Wings of Desire 2Faced 1, photo Tim Cross

Nikon D3s & 70-200mm
1/160 sec
f2.8
ISO 3200
(and the paparazzi’s favourite weapon: a 3-step ladder!)

A high energy and fast moving piece. The separation of the dancers’ bodies from the audience makes for a striking image. It was a lucky shot, more instinctive than planned as I didn’t know the choreography at the time. The speed on the camera was dangerously low for such a fast movement, but all dancers had hit their maximum altitudes, meaning they had effectively slowed enough to get a reasonably sharp capture. Knowing that the crowd would fill up the square to watch the show, I had to choose my shooting position between ‘up close and low’, or ‘far back and high’, as moving between the two would prove difficult and, more importantly, disruptive. Shooting close would guarantee some great individual portraits, but little else so the decision was easy.

Architectural Projection Mapping on Town Hall by seeper

Wings of Desire seeper 4, photo Tim Cross

Nikon D3s & 24-70mm
1/80 sec
f2.8
ISO 16000

A difficult exposure to catch facial expressions and light projections. High ISO was no problem for the Nikon and noise levels were acceptable. The trick was to nail the first capture before I got spotted, otherwise the moment would be gone. Even with all settings on silent, at this distance I knew I would only get the one chance. Some post-processing of the image was required to correct the colour-shift, balance exposure left to right and dampen the noise further but nothing major. Use of flash would have made my life easier, but I doubt the audience enjoying the projection mapping would have appreciated it.

Circa – Corde Lisse

Wings of Desire corde lisse 4, photo Tim Cross

Nikon D3s & 70-200mm & TC14 (effectively 280mm)
1/320 sec
f4.0
ISO 1000

Having shot Circa on the first night I was eager to get some more imagery of this amazing company and talented members at closer range. I used a teleconverter with a 70-200mm to give a focal length of 280mm, to get closer without being under Emma, and shot handheld. It was such a stunning and exciting piece of theatre that there were many great images from it, but every now and then Emma appeared to be defying the laws of physics. I especially like this image as the apparent grip (or lack of) makes for a particularly precarious position.

Tim Cross is an Dance and Theatre Photographer who specialises in all forms of dance imagery, as well as reportage/documentary, full studio and portraiture styles. Tim is a former First Soloist with Birmingham Royal Ballet.

tmcross.com