Photographing Shakespeare: Why Your Photographer's Background Matters

Madi

Jul 21

3 min read

Something you might not know about me is that before becoming a photographer, I was an English teacher in a secondary school, and before that, I studied Theatre and Performance at university. As a result, good old William Shakespeare and I are pretty well-acquainted - so when the opportunity arose to photograph Much Ado About Nothing for Llanelli group Boom Productions, I jumped at it.

Every Scene Tells a Story

A great theatre photograph isn't simply a well-lit picture of someone standing on stage. It should help tell the story. Knowing the play means I'm not just looking for technically good photographs—I'm looking for the moments that matter.

Perhaps it's Beatrice's expression before she delivers one of her sharpest lines, Benedick's growing vulnerability, or the comic timing that make Dogberry and Verges such memorable characters. Those moments help preserve not just what the production looked like, but how it felt.

Looking Beyond the Dialogue

One of the things I loved about teaching Shakespeare was helping students realise that so much of the story happens between the lines.

Actors communicate through:

facial expressions
body language
eye contact
movement around the stage

Those are exactly the things I look for as a photographer.

Sometimes a single glance between two characters tells the audience more than a page of dialogue ever could.

Supporting the Director's Vision

Every production of Shakespeare is different.

Some directors embrace the traditional setting, while others place the story in a completely modern world. Steph, the director of Much Ado About Nothing, chose to set her interpretation at the time of the wedding between then-Prince Charles and Diana Spencer - this might just be my favourite Shakespeare repositioning ever! Understanding the text and the director's choices helps me recognise how those creative choices support the story the production team wants to tell, and capture the little, vital details that the costumes and props convey.

These aren't just snapshots; they capture the time and thought that has gone into costuming these characters; the Thatcher-esque appearance of "Donna Joan" (this production's version of the villain, Don John); Hero's undeniably Diana-inspired wedding dress and the wonderfully 80s-British-Army gear sported by Benedick and Claudio as they return from the war.

My aim is to create photographs that reflect the director's interpretation, preserving not just individual performances but the overall vision of the production.

Lighting as Part of the Story

Having studied and taught Shakespeare, I know that every production brings its own interpretation of the text. That interpretation isn't only found in the actors' performances. It also comes through the lighting. A carefully lit stage can transform a playful exchange into something intimate or make a moment of conflict feel even more dramatic.

Rather than fighting against the lighting with flash or heavy editing, I work with it, preserving the atmosphere the director and lighting designer have created - from colour washes to flickering candlelight. The result is a gallery of images that reflects not just what happened on stage, but how the production felt in the theatre.

Why It Matters

Long after the final performance, photographs become part of the production's legacy.

Programmes are packed away, sets are dismantled and costumes return to storage, but photographs continue telling the story for years to come. I'm in a group dedicated to the history of the area I grew up in, and recently, they've been sharing programmes from the local amateur theatre group's production back in 1973. How incredible is that?

For me, that's one of the most rewarding parts of theatre photography. My background in English taught me to appreciate great storytelling. Photography simply allows me to tell those stories in a different way.

Looking to capture your upcoming production? I work with theatre companies across Wales and offer heavily discounted, sometimes free theatre photography to amateur groups across South Wales. Get in touch now to see if I can help your group - and enjoy a few more shots from this oustanding production.