Oklahoma at the Lowry Theater in Manchester UK.

[Jonn]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.glancy2/okla/

Sorry for the watermarking, asking for money from the cast for the non-watermarked full sized images. Had to put the watermark and heavy jpeg compression there to stop any stealing :p

It's the first time i'll be making money from my pictures, and it was really nice taking them too :) I love theatre photography, second time i've done it, but first time i've got a chance of making a few bob from them :)

Unfortunately my 70-200 F/4 struggled in the low light conditions, that paired with ISO1600 gives you the noise you're seeing in the pictures :p

It was performed by the Salford Musical Theatre Company who do regular shows accross the popular theatres in Manchester including the Opera House, Lowry and Appollo theatres :)

[puddinz]

I enjoyed looking at your pictures. We did the same show here last year I think we used the same set and lighting as only the faces have changed! When I have figured out how to post a photo I shall post some of my own. Very nice

[DwightMcCann]

Would be nice if you would embed one or two before requiring we click on links to other websites. Very nice images and your watermark isn't that onerous. I am not fond of the microphones taped to heads that seem to have become so popular in the last ten years among stage performers. To go to such efforts in costuming and make up and sets and then pretend that all those wires and things aren't really there seems wildly hopeful and unrealistic ... not suggesting you had any input to that decision. :-) So, a job very well done with such limited equipment ... again proving that it is the photographer and not the kit that makes the images, eh?

[Sir Vic Alsmear]

I'm in total agreement with you Dwight on the microphone thing, there's lots of ways round the problem, but little enough is done with many shows. In a show like Oklahoma! where there's so few costume changes, the mic's would be better clipped on to clothing rather than stuck to heads. There's the option of flesh coloured mic's too, but the fact is the mic's on show here are the wrong ones for the job anyway in the main, these are chest mic's (apart from Jud Fry and Ali Hakim). Someone has not done their job right, either they've ordered the wrong ones, or the hire company has not advised them correctly.

Some nice pictures John, I was at the show on Wednesday myself as I know one of the leads in the show. It's a great venue, but scaringly close to the stage on the front row. My friend actually sat right in front of me during the show, she was practically in my lap! Performed in one of the studio theatres there last year, hoping to make it onto the Lyric stage in July for Showcase. Not had the chance to photograph anything there yet, but no doubt I will sometime hopefully.

[Sir Vic Alsmear]

This is from the production I was in a few weeks ago, I'm sat in the middle, as you can imagine, I was rather impressed with the view I had! Having to dance with these girls was a chore, but hey, someone had to do it! ;)

[René Damkot]

Nice image, but horribly clipped red channel. Try this (http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/restore-clipped.shtml)

[DwightMcCann]

Rene, what is the symptom of clipped channels?

[René Damkot]

Loss of information. One channel (often red) is at 255 constant.
I either use the method mentioned in the link, or use the channel mixer, to get some info back into the red channel. (Red channel: R=80%, G=15%, B=5% for instance)

For example: an uncorrected image:
http://www.moonglade.net/~rene/POTN/origineel.jpg
after correction and a bit of curves: Not exactely 'true', but better IMO:
http://www.moonglade.net/~rene/POTN/gecorrigeerd.jpg

By the way: Both images are Adobe RGB

[DwightMcCann]

Rene, thank you.

[Sir Vic Alsmear]

Nice image, but horribly clipped red channel. Try this (http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/restore-clipped.shtml)

And there was me thinking it was those big red lights that were shining on us!! :D

[hania]

Did you have any problems getting permission to take photos at dress rehersal - I thought the License to do a Production dosn't allow it - or is that just for live performances?

[Jonn]

Did you have any problems getting permission to take photos at dress rehersal - I thought the License to do a Production dosn't allow it - or is that just for live performances?
Nope, the production manager asked me to take the pictures so it was all easy sailing from there :)

[Sir Vic Alsmear]

Did you have any problems getting permission to take photos at dress rehersal - I thought the License to do a Production dosn't allow it - or is that just for live performances?

The performing licence precludes audio and video recording, but photographic images are ok. However, in the case of Oklahoma!, you can now buy the licence to video the show (£200).

[hania]

Many thanks; I shall contact my local theatre & ask them.

[jgbeam]

Well, that's a nice tease, but you must show us more.

I saw Oklahoma in London a few years back and was amazed at how popular the show is there. A couple of ladies in front of us said they had seen it several times. Come to think of it, the other two shows we saw on that trip were The Buddy Holly Story and Chicago. Why were we watching American plays in London, anyway?

Jim

[Sir Vic Alsmear]

Been in it 4 times, danced in it 3 of those. Loved it every time, especially dancing with some lovely ladies. If it's done properly, it's a superb piece of theatre, if it's not, it's appalling!

[Sir Vic Alsmear]

Well, that's a nice tease, but you must show us more.

Did you mean the one I was in, or the one Jonn photographed?