Theatre

Taking photographs of theatrical productions is surprisingly challenging. Usually done in a tight time frame, working with sets, costumes and lighting that aren't necessarily complete, it can be difficult to make photographs that either enticingly sell, or faithfully document, the show in question.

Theatre photography generally takes two forms: Promotional photography, where the photographs are made in advance of the production for publicity purposes, and Archival photography, where photographs are made during the run of the show to document what it actually looked like.

Promotional photography tends to create photographs which capture the look and feel of the show, and are not necessarily 100% accurate to actual presentation. These photographs are meant to encourage a feeling, and make people want to go see the show. Archival photography needs to be a bit stricter in terms of what is captured, as the photographs can be used for grant applications or reports.