Shakespeare in Delaware Park, Buffalo New York

A fun evening out and attempt at event photography

We visit the Buffalo, New York area at least once a year. We both grew up in western New York, and left for good almost four decades ago though most of the rest of both families settled in the area. Visiting includes family visits, local events, and some tourist fun.

We enjoy Shakespeare in Delaware Park so much in the past we adjusted travel times to ensure we would see one of the two plays produced each summer. This not-for-profit professional theatre company started offering free performances in 1976. It gradually became one of the must-do summer events for the area. We started attending regularly in the early 2000s as a family gathering for whoever happened to be available that night.

The event starts before the performance. People bring their own chairs to set up along the rise leading up from the stage. Cooler and picnic baskets come out, and all kind of food appears along with beverages, wine a favorite based on a totally unscientific study of just looking around.  The show starts at 7:30, about an hour before sunset in early August. This year we saw Macbeth.

Every year I try some event photography, with mixed results. These performances tend to be very well attended, especially on the nice, warm nights. With all the people, chairs, and various picnics, a clear shot without being rude takes some work. Although it is a public event in a public place, I prefer to avoid shots of the people attending that can be identified. When doing event or street photography, I prefer the anonymous any person rather than a specific individual unless the shots are for family or friends. We arrived late for this performance, and the hillside already stood at near capacity with people and chairs. I took several shots, but the Weird Sisters (or witches) in the beginning and the “Shakespeare” written in light during intermission caught my attention the most. Because of my angle most of the others just didn’t pop for me.

Event photography as the designated photographer allows you to pick your angles, and maneuver your way to get the best shots. As one of very many people taking photographs as an attendee, getting THE shot or shots is much more challenging.