My pantomime passion!

You all know how I love a good panto,  oh yes you do! Sorry I couldn't resist. 

So it will be of no surprise when I confess I was feeling extremely excited driving to the Octagon Theatre to photograph the launch of this year's Christmas Pantomime, the timeless Sleeping Beauty. 

It was to be busy few hours, with whistle stop tours to Yeovil businesses taking photographs of the cast with the sponsors, a quick break for lunch at the Manor Hotel, and then the fun began.

I had a whole hour to take a series of cast shots in the grounds of the National Trust's Tintinhull Gardens. This is no time at all, I promise you, when you are required to snap enough pictures to fill a four page spread in the paper, plus enough pictures to service web galleries and any ad features that are run, on the lead up to opening night.

I must admit to making a schoolboy error, and failing to checkout the venue for pic ops prior to the shoot, In my head I reasoned that as I had visited the gardens, many times, I knew it well. 

This was not so! It's a beautiful house encompassed by a series of picture perfect walled gardens, still full of colour despite the lateness in the year. 

But for me the piece de resistance was a very large rectangular pond which held a surprising secret, and was going to make my photographic day.

As always with these events, and especially when dealing with groups of individuals, the trick is to break the ice as soon as possible and earn your clients trust.

This was made easier this year as I had worked with four of the Panto stars the previous year, in Jack and the Beanstalk, including the excellent Sam Rabone playing Nurse Nellie! 

Panto dress rehearsals are always fun and occasionally very silly and this was to be no different, especially when Larger than life characters like Sam are around.

Today's lenses of choice were to be my trusted 80-200 Nikon f2.8 and my 24mm 1.8 prime, one flash unit and a diffuser. 

I must say a big thank you to Sean and Kate from the Octagon, who abbey acted as my light and diffuser stands for the day!  Of course all my other lenses were close by if needed. 

What was so special about the pond? Well, I'm guessing it was about 3 metres wide and ten metres in length, with long grass and Lilly pads dotting the the jet black water.

I sent the cast down the far end of the water feature with instructions to crouch down side by side,  so I could see their reflection mirroring them in the deep black water. I checked the results in the back of the camera and the colours of the costumes against the water was stunning.

I then asked them to do the old photographers trick of splashing the water towards me. It was then I noticed the pond was a deep blue when the sunlight could pierce through it as they splashed.

The pond seemed to have had a dye added to make it mirror like and I guess accentuate the planting and reflect surroundings.

Then it was case of getting out the wide lens, walking down to where the cast were and laying on my tummy with my camera close to the water and asking them to repeat the splashing.

The clever bit was setting a flash up on the other side of the pond from me so when activated it would light up the coloured water it was easily my picture of the day.

You can enjoy yourself when photographing events you love but you still have to provide the goods.

As always, colour, composition but most of all the wonderful actors made this old photographer a very happy man.