Rotunda features the beautiful raw power of
contemporary dance, timed to honour the Gallipoli landings in 1915. This is a
poignant and moving work, created by Arts Laureates Shona McCullagh (Artistic
Director) and Don McGlashan (Musical Director) in collaboration with a cast of
8 dancers. Rotunda is a living memorial that celebrates the ANZAC spirit and
the themes of courage, loss, kinship and ultimately, a desire for peace.
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| F3.5, ISO800, 1/80 40mm, No Flash |
Rotunda performed an excerpt from their
show to a packed audience during the ANZAC day 100 years commemorative event at
the Auckland Museum. Once again the
Museum invited me along to capture the day’s events, and as this was a major
event, I called upon my friend Will Mays to assist me.
For those that have visited the museum will
know that certain areas are a tad tight and when I read the schedule I knew I had
a challenge covering a dance held within the WW1 Sanctuary. This area is very
tight and along with 150+ people around the outside, along with the routine being
fluent and moving through and around the spectators, I had to take every opportunity
as it came
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| F4.5, ISO800, 1/60 35mm, No Flash |
The Lighting conditions where average and
being in a sanctuary Flash photography was not permitted. Positioning was
critical and had to move with the crowd, however I was lucky at one point to pick
a small gap and quickly duck around a pillar to position myself inside a small
alcove. This reduced the chances of me getting someone’s head in the way but did
limit me to having to frame most shots in portrait rather than landscape mode.
First off ISO. I started on 400 but after a
few quick shots went up to 800. Next I dropped my focus point to a 9 AF to
allow for a tighter focus area .
My exposure times I was generally hitting
between 1/60 to 1/80. This was perhaps a little on the slow side but the
routines where slow moving initially, and then became sharp jerky as the emotional
story unfolded. If I had gone higher I
would have frozen most shots and this excerpt really needed to be captured to
highlight the emotion behind the piece. |
| F3.5, ISO800, 1/60 55mm |
My F/stop stayed at 3.5 which is the lowest
I could go on my 28 to 300mm. I then dropped the saturation slightly using a
custom setting.
Unlike other events I cover I usually get
to see a pre-rehearsal so that I get a general idea on the flow and movement. I
really had to anticipate and work within the confines presented.
The images published here are just a small selection;
if you wish to see more keep an eye on the events page at www.aucklandmuseum.com over the coming
week.
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| F5.6, ISO800, 1/50 120mm, No Flash |
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| F4.5, ISO800, 1/100 150mm, Digital Convert BW |
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| F4.5, ISO800, 1/100 120mm, No Flash |
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