This spring I, yet again, had the pleasure of working with Four Seasons Musical Theatre, this time photographing Charlotte’s Web the Musical. I really enjoy working with the people at Four Seasons because of the positive and creative energy that generates off of them.
I can roughly divide what I did in three parts: Promotional shots, headshots and then photographing the dress rehearsal.
We took a very different approach to the promos and the headshots than for Narnia last fall. There, the headshots had a darker feel to them and the promos were done inside.
For the promo shots, producer Marie-Andrée Rowsell and I scouted Langford and Metchosin for a nice, red barn. We saw some red buildings, even some red barns, but nothing that would suit our purpose. We were about to give up when we found our barn, almost hidden from view behind houses. In fact, we almost missed it. We knocked on the owner’s door and got permission to do the shoot the following Saturday morning.
The shoot went well, and a few weeks later it was time for the head shots. I shot them in the gym at Belmont Secondary School, where I felt I had all the space in the world (if I had a studio even quarter that size, I’d be a happy photographer). The setup was clean and simple, and with Marie writing down names and file numbers, I managed to photograph 36 members of the cast and crew in 43 minutes. It was fast, but I was really happy with the results.
Finally it was time for dress rehearsal. I was able to see one full rehearsal before the dress rehearsal, and had to make do with that. There was an enormous difference in photographing Charlotte’s Web as opposed to Narnia because of the faster pace of Charlotte’s Web. I only wish I could have had two dress rehearsals to shoot.
The show was lively, and even though there are scenes that cause the audience to shed a tear or two it is first and foremost a fun show, which leaves you with a good feeling. And on a personal level, it sure didn’t ruin things for me to have my son taking on the role of older Wilbur.
For those of you who missed it, you missed a great show. Those who didn’t miss it can attest to that.
