Hi,

I guess this is something of an "introduce yourself" post... For the past few years I have been shooting local amateur musical groups and selling CDs of the photographs to the participants in the shows. It's an area that doesn't have nearly enough financial reward for pros, and helps subsidise my hobby.

Anyway, I was getting to the stage that the noise from my 350D pictures was /really/ annoying me... and so I finally stumped up for a 5D Mk II (I still feel slightly nauseous about how much I spent on it!)

The first use of the camera was to shoot the Falkirk Bohemians performing /My Fair Lady/. The moment I loaded the photographs into Lightroom 3 beta, I realised how much of a difference there was... the images were dramatically sharper than with the 350D; I could tell the difference between "noisy" and "out of focus"!

So, I look forward to spending many happy hours in this forum in the company of some truly spectacular photographers, trying to learn your techniques... and doing my best to continue improving my stage photography.

Here are eight from the show - all shot sRAW1 and processed using nothing other than Lightroom 3 beta:

1. Eliza visits Higgins' house to ask for lessons in "speaking proper"
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2688/4081793642_8cd8c240d7_o.jpg

2. /The Rain In Spain Stays Mainly In The Plain/
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2421/4081793478_c56d75b4d1_o.jpg

3. The Ascot Gavotte
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2571/4081793796_da693665be_o.jpg

4. Higgins' mother does not seem impressed when he suggests that a flower girl will visit her table
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2750/4081793904_dfff6c1f17_o.jpg

5. After the great ball where Eliza is such a success, she feels left out as everyone congratulates Higgins on his achievement (the shallow DOF was really good for this!)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3490/4081794060_4b7508de5c_o.jpg

6. Eliza is miserable as she tries to work out what will become of her
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2658/4081794158_25717800ca_o.jpg

7. Back in the "common" part of town, Eliza's father is celebrating his impending marriage
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3513/4081794324_2c6d65b776_o.jpg

8. One of the most famous lines of dialogue from a musical. "Eliza, where the devil are my slippers?"
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2794/4081794482_87db9928ab_o.jpg

Apart from the "hot" red pixel, I had a great time with this camera and am looking forward to shooting many more shows with it!

regards,
/alan



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http://www.flickr.com/photos/atp
My stage photography (more a hobby than a company!): http://www.stagepics.co.uk