I photographed my first opera 11 years ago at the Berklee College of Music in Boston Massachusetts. It was the world premier of Larry Bell’s Holy Ghosts and was being directed by my wife Eve Summer.

The camera I used was a Canon EOS Digital Rebel, also known as the 300D. It was the first DSLR offered for less than $1000. Capable of a whopping 6.3 megapixels (3,072 x 2048) I used the kit 18-55mm lens. As usual for opera photography I shot the dress rehearsal with no flash. I was pleased with the images I captured, though I definitely see the limits of the camera and the resolution. The iPhone 11 has 12 megapixels by comparison, and these days I shoot with a Canon 5D with 21 megapixels and much better lenses.

I knew a bit about the opera since it was one of my wife’s productions and I saw it evolve during the design process, and got feedback from her during the staging process. I didn’t know any of the opera singers at the time, but now I recognize many familiar faces.

SYNOPSIS

Southerner Coleman Shedman demands a divorce from his wife, Nancy, who he thinks has left him for a preacher–Oby. Coleman, Nancy, and Oby each recollect the couple’s last night together quite differently. It turns out Coleman is mistaken about Oby: Nancy has left him for Oby’s elderly father, Obediah Buckhorn. Reverend Buckhorn leads a group of desperate misfits whose worship includes singing four traditional hymns (in the first act) and a literal belief in an obscure verse from the Book of Mark. The act concludes with Coleman’s horrified realization he is in the midst of a cult of Pentecostal snake handlers.

In Act II Coleman witnesses a series of religious-conversion testimonials. These worshippers include a woman dying of cancer; a suicidal, roughneck, gay couple; a teenaged couple unprepared for sudden parenthood; a middle-aged woman defying her family to try to find meaning in her life; and a woman accused of killing her sister with poisonous snakes. As the testimonials become more intense and six other hymn tunes appear, the service climaxes with the ecstatic handling of snakes. The only skeptic, Coleman is nevertheless moved to handle a serpent, and, in a blinding flash, finds salvation. Nancy, on the other hand, becomes disillusioned with Buckhorn and leaves the church. All the remaining parishioners embrace their renewed victory over death and celebrate the unchanging love of God.

PHOTOGRAPHY

What’s great about photographing opera is that there is so much work put in by the designers (lighting, scenic, costumes, wig, makeup) and the stage director that there are so many great moments to capture. With Holy Ghosts I learned to anticipate key moments, especially if I was unfamiliar with the work, and to speak with the director or watch another run-thru rehearsal before the dress rehearsal.

Another lesson I learned was with regard to filling the frame. That’s my style, and it comes from doing many black and white film portraits during my high school years for yearbook. We were told to fill the frame to make for more compelling yearbook photos and to not waste film. There are certainly many fill the frame moments in opera, but it’s also important to capture wide shots. These shots may have less focus on a particular emotional moment, but they provide better documentation on the scale of the production. These photographs are used by the artists in their portfolios, including the designers.

One interesting aspect of this production was the use of rubber snakes for the snake handling scenes. The props that were selected were well selected and obviously well rehearsed by the singers to add as much realism as possible. The results were photographs that show the emotion without pulling focus on the fact the snakes are props and not members of the cast.