The Conductor

[Nikolai Sklobovsky]

http://nik.smugmug.com/photos/156060093-L.jpg

[Asher Kelman]

Hi Nikolai, you creative Avant Garde!

Always surpises! Interesting central view. Did you use a radial filter?

I need to look at this again in the morning with my brain fresh and the shock behond me!

Is this for a competition?

Is this finished?

Kind wishes,

Asher

[Nikolai Sklobovsky]

Asher,

thank you for your quick reply:-)

1) filter - no, blur - yes
2) yes, for the open-themed one
3) It is the first draft. I may put some touches on it.

Few more details: taken last night during Conejo Valley School District Band Festival at Thousand Oaks' Civic Arts Center.
Features TOHS Band.
Taken with Canon 30D + 100-400, handheld, from the mezzanine (like 200 ft away), ISO 3200 :-)

Cheers! :-)

[Nikolai Sklobovsky]

(or so it seems as of now:-)

The Conductor

http://nik.smugmug.com/photos/156308866-O.jpg

[janet Smith]

Nik

Just wanted to say how much I love this shot, just brilliant!

[Nikolai Sklobovsky]

Jan, thank you, appreciate it!

[Asher Kelman]

Nikolai,

Are you open to any changes, or does it have to go in as is? Just wondering. I do like where you have taken the picture but feel you might take it one step further, perhaps.

Asher

[Nikolai Sklobovsky]

Asher,
I am always open for suggestions:-)

However, in this particular case I only have until 9pm on Sunday to make any changes, which is less than 21 hours from now:-)

I can certainly keep changing it even after the deadline, but it would not help as much ;-)

Cheers!

[Ray West]

Hi Nikolai,

I think i would lose the back two rows - they look asleep/not interested/chatting, whatever, so crop them off. I have to say, that it looks to me that the conductor is holding the head of the guy in his left hand, having chopped it off with his baton/sword. Try blurriing that guy into the background a bit, maybe. The three girls to the left - (oboeist's??) - try lightening their faces, to counterbalance the white patches of the music and guy's shirt to the rhs. Or crop the whole image more tightly. To me, it is the relationship between the conductor, and only a few of the orchestra, the three girls I mentioned, but he may be putting the evil eye on the guy's at the back.

Only things to try, if you wish.

Best wishes,

Ray

PS, you forgot the bit of barbed wire fence ;-)

[Asher Kelman]

Nikolai,

I have to agree with some of Ray's take. Here's my idea of ther direction the image might go further.

http://www.openphotographyforums.com/2007_OPF_AK/Nikolai_Sklobovsky/156308866-O_Nikolai_AK.jpg

© 2007 Nikolai Sklobovsky edited by AK

Asher

[Nikolai Sklobovsky]

Thank you for your time and efforts, gentlemen, I sure appreciate it!
I will give them a good thought today!

[Georg Baumann]

Hi Nicolai,

I like it!

I would like it to be more radical in some aspects. I probably would have a chosen a much wider lense something like 12mm to get the whole orchestra in the picture. A fisheye would have been tempting for a try as well.

I feel this could improve the drama.

[Nikolai Sklobovsky]

Hi Nicolai,

I like it!

I would like it to be more radical in some aspects. I probably would have a chosen a much wider lense something like 12mm to get the whole orchestra in the picture. A fisheye would have been tempting for a try as well.

I feel this could improve the drama.

Thank you!

Well, I probably failed to deliver the message: it was taken from 200+ ft away and shot with 100-400 at 220mm. And while I do have some wider shots (here's one at 95mm):

http://nik.smugmug.com/photos/155798777-L.jpg

a 12mm would probaly make my primary target "a fly in the ointment":-) It's a big concert hall:-)

I was contemplating wider and narrower. This one did feel and still feels about right.

[Georg Baumann]

lovely!

What were they performing?

[Kathy Rappaport]

Nik,

I like the treatment with the conductor being in color and then the orchestra not. This isn't at T.O. Civic Arts Plaza - where was this? T.O High School?

[Nikolai Sklobovsky]

lovely!

What were they performing?

Numerous pieces... It was an all district scholl band festival...

[Nikolai Sklobovsky]

Nik,

I like the treatment with the conductor being in color and then the orchestra not. This isn't at T.O. Civic Arts Plaza - where was this? T.O High School?

Thanks!
Yep, it's Civic Arts Center, Fred Cavli theater... :-)

[Kathy Rappaport]

I spent a few weeks there performing with my dog, Daisy, who played Toto in the Wizard of Oz two summers ago for the Cabrillo Music Theater. I got to shoot quite a bit from back stage but too hard to handle the dog and the dSLR so I used the old G2.

Now I see they had both the stage and the orchestra pit in use. The stage is huge but there are some great vantage points in the seats.

[Nikolai Sklobovsky]

Now I see they had both the stage and the orchestra pit in use. The stage is huge but there are some great vantage points in the seats.
I was in the mezzanine. Security spotted me at the first level (with 70-200 and 100-400:-) and were kind enough to move me up:-)

[Kathy Rappaport]

Nik,

Most of the performing companies who perform there will not let you photograph at that venue. You were very lucky but of course, this wasn't a paid gig for the orchestra or probably for the photographer either....

[Nikolai Sklobovsky]

With the capable modern P&S I wonder how they are going to achieve that? I mean, it's easy to spot a guy with two large white lenses, but how does one spot a subcompact or cellphone?

[Kathy Rappaport]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/ChatKat/Daisy%20and%20Gizmo/Daisysfinalbow.jpg?t=1180594894

Most compact camera's can't pick up within the theater - ISO too low, range not far enough and what about flash?

They have the right to prohibit you from using photography - it's a legal disclaimer on the back of your ticket. The images of the performers are not for sale without their permission - and you don't have it if you sneak your camera into the venue. It was a big problem for the perfomers on Wizard of Oz. They had someone contracted for photography and the actors were not allowed to take any photos of the performances. Only of themselves backstage. I took my camera and during the final performance, I was able to take this since I was handling my dog. (I posted this as a link to my own snapshot host - to avoid any issues regarding copyright)