Benjamin Taylor makes his Opera Philadelphia debut as Schaunard in Puccini’s La bohème. When he is not performing, Ben is an avid photographer who loves documenting behind-the-scenes photos, landscape, and portraits. His infatuation with photography took hold in 2018 when he was an apprentice at Santa Fe Opera and has taken off ever since. As a relatively new resident of Philadelphia, he’s been enjoying learning about the city and getting to know the photography and music scenes.

“I got into photography for a multitude of reasons that seemed to converge in Santa Fe. I really wanted to expand my creative outlets, see the world differently, and capture wonderful moments and people during my travels," he said. "I’m naturally a shy person, so getting into portraiture was intense and terrifying at first, as one must understand the subject and capture the essence in a photo. I love accessories to hobbies, and photography has an endless supply of gear that I nerd out on! It also keeps me on my toes and helps inform what I do on stage in regard to the artform’s mechanics and honing in on a production’s aesthetic.” 

Ben’s interest in backstage candid photography came from getting back to singing during the pandemic. It helped him put into perspective how much he enjoys singing, enabling him to look back and remember the wonderful times he had during a show.

“Typically in our business, we are surrounded by so much beauty that I can be desensitized to it, so capturing those moments of beauty is a lot of fun and meaningful to me.”