The first event I photographed since the pandemic began
With the goal of bringing more affordable housing to the greater Albuquerque area, Multigreen held a ground breaking ceremony on the west side of ABQ that will develop 40,000 units by 2030 according to the banner used as a background for the group photos. This was the first formal event I photographed since the pandemic started over a year ago. Photographing events like this and also national and international conferences used to be 15%+ of my annual business and some of the photography I enjoyed the most. I look forward to their return, hopefully in the not too distant future.
Photographing the orchestra at Albuquerque Academy
Now having photographed two plays at Albuquerque Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I am excited about expanding into the area of theatre photography. The latest play I photographed was the final dress rehearsal for Pirates of Penzance (see those photos). Before the performance started, I had a chance to photograph the orchestra getting warmed up in the pit. I had free range to go anywhere in the auditorium, including the catwalk! Also, the lighting changed during the warmup from very bright to the actual dark light level that would be used when the play was being performed. The last photo was of all the musicians out of the bit and on the stage for a clear group photo. I look forward to photographing their next play and of course sharing those photos with you here on Jason Collin Photography.
American Political Science Association, or APSA as they go by, had their 2020 Teaching & Learning Conference here in Albuquerque, and I was their official photographer for 13 hours of conference photography over 3 days! From a keynote presentation, to dozens of workshops, to a meet and greet, to a luncheon, there was a great variety of things happening at this conference that kept me busy as I went from ballroom to ballroom at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Albuquerque.
Theatre Photography in Albuquerque at the Cell Theatre
My photography of a play at Albuquerque Academy got me noticed and lead me to getting hired to photograph a full on professional play at the Cell Theatre, and not just any play, a Tony nominated play called Gary a Sequel to Titus Andronicus (get tickets). This was a much different photography experience as there were only three characters, and only two on stage at a time, rather than a dozen or more at the first play I photographed. The lighting was also better, as in brighter, though it still required high ISO settings. I was also much closer to the action on stage so I could get full closeups of the actors. Check out the play now as it goes through February 15, 2020 at the Cell Theatre!
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham in candids and speaking
I have lost track of how many times I have had the opportunity to photograph Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, which goes back to when she was a congresswoman in 2018, but every time is always fun as she is a very animated and energetic speaker. This also makes it a challenge to photograph her while speaking becausse many of the photos freeze her in a not so flattering pose. Knowing this, for the event I photographed at the Albuquerque Marriott Pyramid North for the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, I knew I had to take more shots than I usually would of someone speaking and time my shots just right waiting for her to pause after a sentence to have the best chance at getting a good photo. The governor helped me out this time by not standing behind a podium while she was speaking allowing for some head to toe photos as well.
At Embassy Suites by Hilton Albuquerque I photographed another event for the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, this time focused on education where large checks were handed out, awards were given, and Secretary Designate of Education Ryan Stewart spoke. Photography often takes me inside events I would never normally be able to attend, and this was another example where I got to have an inside look at the state of education in New Mexico. Here is an insider tip, charter schools got mentioned, a lot.
Creative Event Photography in Small Spaces Albuquerque New Mexico
Day two of photographing the Coffee + Creatives 2019 Unconference here in Albuquerque, New Mexico featured Peri Pakroo speaking about contracts for creatives. If I only had heard her presentation when I was starting my photography business ten years ago it would have saved me a lot of time! As far as photographing this event, it presented unique challenges as it was a small space, just one speaker, and the background the speaker was in front of was both mostly just a screen and not far from her. I really had to look for creative angles to make a set of photos that stood out and were not repetitive. One way was to feature cabling and a brick wall in the foreground of the shot above. For other shots I used the bright sunlight coming from a hallway to create a backlight on Peri as she gave her presentation. In this way I was able to produce a creatively diverse set of event photos despite being in the same small space and there being only one speaker.
