Watching your child on a stage is one of those moments you want to keep. The trouble is that halls are dim, the stage lights are strange and the child is far away and constantly moving. Many pictures come out dark, blurred or with a bright stripe of light across a face. A few simple habits help, and the best of them is remembering to enjoy the show as well as photographing it.
Steady hands, patient eyes
Arrive early and find a seat with a clear view, ideally near the middle and not too far back. Ask before you stand in an aisle or move to the front, because other parents want to see too. Hold the phone with both hands and rest your elbows on your knees or on the seat in front. A steady phone matters more than anything else in low light.
Switch off the flash. It lights up the backs of heads and the empty air, not the child, and it distracts the performers. Use the light on the stage instead. It is often warm, which can look lovely. If your phone has a night or low-light setting, try it, and hold still for a moment after pressing the button. Take a burst of pictures, because a moving child will be sharp in only one of them.
Look for moments rather than the whole show. The child stepping forward to speak, the first note of a song, the pose at the end of a dance, the quick smile at a friend. A short recording of a song or a line may be more precious than a dozen still pictures, so consider both. Do not keep the screen raised all through the performance, because it blocks the view of those sitting behind you.
Afterwards, ask the child what they enjoyed. Take a picture of them in costume in better light, perhaps outside or by a window, while the excitement is still fresh. Send a few pictures to grandparents and friends who could not come, but only if the other children's parents would not mind. Keep the phone away during the applause, so that you can clap and look at your child with your own eyes.
