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Musician Photography Tips
The easiest way is to photograph a performance at your local music shop. Look for musicians who use a microphone and sing or play instruments while standing in front of the crowd, rather than playing at a desk. Find out what equipment they use and what settings they use. This will give you the opportunity to get close to them and study their faces and hands. You may even be able to ask them for some tips.
I also love listening to music when I’m on the train. Many musicians play their favorite music from their CD player or mobile phone. This can give you an opportunity to see them using these gadgets in action. Ask them questions about the music and then take your camera and get a shot of them as they sing along to a song. You might like to ask permission for a shot in the music shop and in the tube.
A musician can be photographed almost anywhere, including at home, if they are happy for you to take their photograph. You could offer to help them with their clothes, take off their jacket and take a shot of them with their favorite item of clothing. If they’re playing a guitar, you could get close and shoot a shot of their fingers as they strum the chords. Photographing them at work or while they’re in their car can be tricky. However, you could ask the manager or owner of the business if it would be all right to shoot the band, in exchange for a free advertisement.
If you’re photographing musicians in a live concert, you need to think ahead and prepare yourself, for example by planning ahead of time what you will do if you don’t like the band. You could wear a hat or sunglasses to protect your eyes, which can get irritated by bright lights. Also, don’t take pictures of the stage at a concert until the band has started to play and the audience is dancing. If there’s a crowd of people around you, ask if they mind if you take their picture.
Photographing a musician can be fun and exciting, but there are some things to consider. If you take a picture of someone’s face, they are likely to be concerned about you and how they look. You may not want them to know you’re taking their photograph, or that they are on display, for other people to see. Take a few shots, then show them the shots you took and let them choose the best ones.
Other tips for you
The artist can be the lead singer, drummer, guitarist or keyboard player. They need to look focused and happy in the photograph.
We’ll go through the steps in the order we think you should do it.
1. Get permission
2. Prepare
3. Choose the shot
4. Set up the shot
5. Take the shot
6. Process the shots
7. Edit the images
1. Get permission
A good way of doing this is by email.
Get the artists’ management company to ask for permission.
2. Prepare
Ask them if the band will allow you to use the image.
If they don’t agree to let you use the image, ask if they’d be happy with just the band name in the picture.
3. Choose the shot
The shot should show something about the band. You can use one of their songs, a live performance, their instruments, a promotional shot for a new album etc.
4. Set up the shot
Set up the shot somewhere the band will feel comfortable. This could be a studio, a backstage area, a hotel room or a home.
You can make a mock up of the band in the location where they will be standing.
5. Take the shot
You can take photos of the band with a backdrop and ask them to pose against the backdrop.
Or you can do some video filming of the band and create a short film with your music as the soundtrack.
6. Process the shots
This is the fun bit.
Using Photoshop or similar, you can edit the image.
Make the band look even more focused and more powerful.
Musician Photography Ideas
