Event Photography is always a bit of an adrenalin rush. You know you only have this one opportunity to capture the action and the atmosphere of what is usually a very special occasion for your client.
This was certainly the case when I had the opportunity to be the official event photographer for a Charity concert on behalf of BASICS Devon at the majestic Plymouth Guildhall featuring three fantastic local choirs; The Kingsmen Barbershop Harmony Chorus, Callington Community Gospel Choir and Plymouth Rock Choir.
There were plenty of challenges, not least as the day itself proved to be the hottest of the year! Plymouth Guildhall is a stunning venue with wood panelling, beautiful stained-glass windows and huge period chandeliers so I knew that I wanted to take wide angle shots of the choirs on stage capturing as much of the setting as possible as well as close ups of their performances. This required a fair bit of running from the balcony at the back of the Great Hall down two flights of stairs to the stage itself: quite a sweaty business but definitely worth the effort. Having two camera bodies with a wide angle and a longer focal length zoom meant I could capture a range of shots so as not to miss any of those special moments. To add to the complexity, I also setup a third camera on a tripod in the balcony to video the concert.
The concert was organised by The Kingsmen (https://www.kingsmen.org.uk), a well-established Barbershop Harmony Chorus based in Kingsbridge. Kingsmen’s Chair, Barrington Sowden, was recently helped by the amazing team of volunteer Doctors and Paramedics so decided to nominate BASICS Devon as his Charity for 2023 and to benefit from the Three Choirs, One Voice Concert. The charity had a strong presence at the concert with a team of volunteers helping to promote the great work that they do.
The concert was compered by BBC Radio Devon’s David “Fitz” Fitzgerald and was attended by some very special guests including the Lord and Lady Mayoress of Plymouth and the Deputy Lieutenant of Devon as well as members of the Devonport Field Gun Association who have a special significance to Barrington as an ex-Field Gunner himself. The event was also supported by members of the NHS, the Ukrainian community and volunteer groups.
One of the most moving moments of the concert was when a select subgroup of the Kingsmen sang a rendition of “Crossing the Bar” which has a special significance to members of the Royal Navy as this song is often sang when someone has passed away. Ensuring that I captured formal photos of the VIPs as well as members of BASICS Devon as they talked to concertgoers, each choir in action and as the Field Gunners stood in respect to “Crossing the Bar” certainly made the evening pass in a whirl!
I was pleased with all the photographs that I got from the concert and have even managed to put together a compilation of stills and video of The Kingsmen on my YouTube channel Three Choirs One Voice - YouTube
If you have a special event coming up and want a fantastic record of every moment, then why not get in touch via contact@largeaslifephotography.com
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