Help Please!

[BaseballPhotographer]

Douglass Theatre. This place is in Macon, Georgia. I am shooting a play for George Faison (Tony Award winning choreographer/director) and David Jones ( Mercer University and Mercer Law School Graduate). Mr. Faison has done work for Stevie Wonder and Oprah Winfrey and other very well known people.George and David are showing their upcoming play Beneath the Streets of New York City. I have an XTi, with a 18-55mm lens, and a 75-300mm lens. What should my setup be? What mode should I shoot in? Shuuter speed, f/stop etc.... The play is May 6th, I am very nervous because I have never done work for somebody like this. Any help is appreciated. If you would like to help I can e-mail you more information on the event. Or you can just post some hints and tips here. I have never shot any kind of play or concert.

Thanks for reading.
Stephen

[NJRFilms]

There's not much we can say without actually being there. How fast is your 75-300? I'd probably stick to that. Are you not comfortable with f stop, shutter, iso yet? If so you have til the play to learn it! There are some great tutorials on here that will have you up to speed in no time. Go out and shoot in various conditions until you get the hang of it. Don't be nervous because the person is a 'name'. Your skill set is there no matter who you are photographing.

[BaseballPhotographer]

Ok thanks for your help and advice, i will look through the boards on some tutorials. Thanks again
Stephen

[bacchanal]

With stage lighting my failsafe starting point is usually Av, -1 EC, Center Weighed Avg metering, RAW. I usually use K = 2800 or Tungsten WB. The EC you set is to compensate for a (usually) dark background and will depend on how dark the bg is and how much space the subject is taking up in the frame.
Don't be afraid to use a high ISO to get decent shutter speed. You'll need enough shutter speed to handhold your lens and to stop motion. The speeds don't need to be anywhere near sports shutter speeds, but in general, I try not to drop below 1/60 or so.

The 75-300 isn't a fast lens, esp at the long end. You would be better off renting a 70-200 2.8 IS if you're really concerned about getting great results. The ideal lens is dependent on your distance from the stage of course, but generally with theater, you aren't shooting from the front row. If you rent the 70-200 2.8, consider renting a 1.4x TC as well.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to get to a bar or a local play or something to get some practice w/ metering for stage lighting. A little experience goes a long ways.

[thelightofsound]

you will need some faster glass for sure. i like http://lensrentals.com a lot, but locally you can try http://ppratalanta.com
i would suggest buying the 50 1.8 (or 1.4 is better if your budget can afford it), and renting the 70-200 as drew mentioned.
and you want some practice for sure!

[johnms88]

I remember trying to help you about 3 months ago. I will tell you the same thing I told you then-- learn how to correctly expose a picture and you will not have any questions as to how to shoot anything (be it concerts or sports).

It is 100% impossible for us to tell you what the settings on your camera should be without being there with your camera and lens. Do some reading and learn how to use your meter and you should be able to determine everything on your own.

[BaseballPhotographer]

Thank you all so much for all your help! I have learned so much on these boards. Thanks again. The play is May 6th. I will post my results for you guys and let yall see what I came out with. Thanks again.

Stephen