Malcolm Johnson


Photographer

Malcolm Johnson is a Yorkshire based photographer who specialises in capturing live performance. A lover of live theatre, opera and dance, Malcolm is well-versed in documenting productions without being intrusive, and has applied his talents to many of BSDC’s performances.






BSDC x Malcolm Johnson



April 2023 to March 2024

Unmasking Pain
Photography

Bones, Bodies & Beats
Photography

The Melting Pot
Photography





“

As a former Civil Engineer where creative work has a design life of 60 years, coming into the Arts and seeing so much work going into creating something that may only last for half a dozen performances, I felt that I should photograph it to increase the life of it beyond that. 

Photographing the work is a documentary thing involving shots of all the key moments. But within that I am looking for any individual pictures that say more than just that moment, and hopefully tell something of the whole piece in one aesthetically strong shot.







I feel that as a photographer it is important for me to be around during rehearsals for a number of reasons:

  • To be able to understand and capture the narrative, not just the aesthetic.

  • To get to know the piece so that you can predict where to be to get the best shots.

  • To learn what the director/choreographer is saying and what the key moments/messages are.

  • To gain the confidence of the performers. Getting to know them and for them to get to know me so that they are more relaxed about being photographed by someone who is part of the process rather than an outsider coming in to snap away.






Ideally the photographer should not be noticed so keeping out of the way is important to me. The photographs should capture the individuals as well as the overall set so different lenses, cameras and equipment are needed for this.






Setting the camera to have a short depth of field helps to isolate the subject of the shot so that the viewer can see the main point of the scene. The limited depth of field draws attention to a particular character because objects in front and beyond are out of focus but the main character remains sharp.

  • A performance photographer’s job is to represent the story that’s on stage, not just capture a brilliant photo.

  • Performance photographs provide a 2-D interpretation of a 3-D multi-media production.

  • The photographer regularly needs to work with extreme lighting (particularly brightly lit faces) and movement in low light levels that automatic camera settings often don’t cope well with.

Audience members are given various cues/clues to draw attention to where the director and/or designer wants it to be. A photograph doesn’t have these so the use of depth of field, shutter speed to blur of freeze movement, and viewpoint can vary to give a different effect.









I also enjoy photographing nature as I love walking. The situation is similar to photographing a performance; birds or animals are the performers, the flowers, trees and water are the set.

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Find Malcolm Johnson: