And then there was color....

A couple of days ago I posted some black and white images from the Zach Theatre production of a family targeted play called, "JungalBook." I got a nice response for the most part but some questioned why I did not shoot color. I wanted to post this today to ensure those folks that we shoot all the plays in color and that I was just messing around with the black and white for the pleasure of tweaking stuff differently and, partially, for the nostalgia of how we used to shoot promotional photos in Austin 30 years ago. Back then our sources of media coverage were pretty much a couple of newsprint tabloids, some newsprint community newspapers and the newsprint put out by the Austin American Statesman; our main newspaper. In only the rarest instances did anyone ask for any color work. I shot rehearsals on black and white Tri-X and if we did color we set up electronic flashes and made our color photographs on medium format Hasselblads. The color shots were almost always "set-up" shots which meant that I had the luxury of being able to shoot a test Polaroid or two to get the color and exposure right. 

Now I photograph nearly everything at Zach Theatre with some selection of digital cameras. Right now my cameras (and lenses) of choice are Fuji X-H1s for the image stabilization and the great, high def EVFs. I have a couple fairly fast zooms which give me a lot of flexibility. I shoot in either raw or Jpeg, depending on the complexity of the lighting, but always I capture in color and, if I want to see black and white variations I do it in post production for the ultimate in control. 

While I like the black and whites from this production that I made (for myself) and shared here, the work I delivered to the marketing team was in glorious color --- which is how it should be now that all the publications and web venues are printed in full four color and the images that end up in these pubs are almost exclusively run in color only. 

So.... here are some of the same selections you saw in black and white but presented in all their colorful glory! I think they are just right for a kid's play...