My name is João Freire and I am a Portuguese photographer.
I live in the countryside of Portugal, in the Alentejo, in Santiago do Cacém.
The first time I photographed a theatre, I asked permission from the promoter of all theatre plays in my region and from the Director of the Portuguese Theatre company “A Barraca”. The famous actress Maria do Céu Guerra was very apprehensive because she didn’t know me. They liked my work a lot, and after this play, the promoter invited me to photograph all the theatre plays, workshops and rehearsals promoted by his company.
During this time, I photograph national and international theatre companies.
This is the story of how I started photographing Theater.
I have to say big thanks to Theatre Promoter Mário Primo and to Association Ajagato for believing in me and in my work.
BH - How did you develop this interest in photographing other people's performances?
JF - I love documentary and street photography and I love to photograph emotions. The theatre is dramatic and full of emotion at its peak.
BH - What difficulties did you encounter and how did you overcome them?
JF - Before all theatre plays, I phoned the promoter to give me access to all, even the actors' warm-up.
BH - How do you photograph in darkness?
JF - In theatre photography, it’s not permitted to use flash.
My cameras handle high ISOs very well, and the light is sufficient to photograph without any problems. I normally use a 24-70 F4 Lens and on some occasions a 70-200 F2.8 Lens.
BH - And how do you do it when people are in motion?
JF - I tend to use a minimum shutter speed of 1/125 seconds but sometimes also love to use slow shutter speeds.
BH - How do you feel about having to become invisible so as not to disturb?
JF - My usual approach is not very standard for a photographer. My deal with the companies is to stay seated in the first row, in front of the stage, and not move on that occasion. I only play with the objectives and the focal distances.
BH - Do you believe that, with your shot, you can add something to the performance by giving your own interpretation, or do you think it's just mere documentation?
JF - I love to photograph from the first row of chairs, especially low-angle shots, because it gives more drama.
Sometimes there are three people photographing, and each of us has different photos of the same play.
I think all of us add something to the performance because each of us has a unique vision and interpretation.
