Cinderella Behind The Scenes

Cinderella Backstage

[ Nikon D50 and Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 ]
[ 1/13s f/3.5 ISO1600 35mm ]

I had the chance to assist on Erik Roque's shoot for the souvenir program of the Philippine Ballet Theater's production of Cinderella. There was not much chance to grab any photos wired to the entire setup since there was so much setup to do and not a lot of time to do it, but Ryan and I grabbed a few shots from the the sidelines.

What I learned:

• I have much to learn about the art and science of studio lighting. And if there was any doubt, those studio lights are fragile and expensive. I think I'll stick to flash guns for now and let the pros handle the studio lights.
• Photographers really need assistants, or the strength of ten men, to carry the hundreds of pounds of gear deemed essential for these shoots. We got by with a little less gear, enough for three out of shape individuals to handle.
• The AF Nikkor 80-200mm may be considered dated or obsolete, but the sharpness will still blow you away. Never, ever, attach it to your camera unless you are prepared to want it.

The director asked for some group action shots and some adjustments had to be made. Besides the redo of the lighting setup, we pressed into service a Speedlight and my own Siggy. Since we didn't have any other wide angle lenses on the set, we ended up using the Sigma 18-50 for the full-body shots. I hope it proves sharp enough at f8.

Immense thanks to Ninong Erik for putting up with a couple of rank amateurs on his set. It was a privilege. It's not every day you get to shoot men in tights. Err ....

More behind-the-scenes photos here.