Live Performance Photography

"Theatre magic” is a well-worn phrase. William Shakespeare linked theatre and illusion in his plays “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” It applies to what audiences feel at productions as diverse as school drama club plays to big budget Broadway musicals and it also motivates the photographers who capture still images of theatrical shows.

Contracted by the productions that I photograph, I can be described in equal parts a commercial photographer and photojournalist. Some of my images are used in advertising, but they primarily serve as photographic chronicles of what audiences see on stage. These are images that accompany news stories and reviews of the show as well as those used in souvenir programs and box office brochures. I usually take photographs during dress or technical rehearsals or a production’s preview shows before opening night, but sometimes I have photo sessions that replicate the stage action. The preparation starts by attending rehearsals and then photographing a dress rehearsal with no audience or an invited audience.I have worked with the Grand Opera House in Belfast for nearly 20 years and been the official photographer for the Belfast International Arts Festival over a number of years.