Band Photography Tips to Help You Grab the Perfect Snap
For musicians, a good photoshoot can have a huge impact on getting more publicity. One photograph is all it takes for people to judge your band.
Rohan Bhatia
2021-03-17
Every band needs a bunch photos at some point of time.
You could require a photography session for plenty of reasons:
- For getting featured in a newspaper or magazine.
- For social media.
- For your next album.
A good photo shoot can have a huge impact on getting more publicity.
Getting a professional photo shoot done is more than just taking out your smartphone and capturing some pictures.
One photograph is all it takes for people to judge your band.
By looking at the photo, people should be able to figure out what kind of music you play.
I have created a list of tips to help you capture the perfect photo for your band.
- Get a photographer that understands your band and feels your music.
- Spend time to find the perfect location.
- Your clothes are important, decide the theme beforehand and dress accordingly.
- Ooze confidence, it will show in the pictures.
- Ask your photographer to take candid shots in between sets.
These are just a few small tips but can have a huge impact on your next photo session.
Getting The Right Photographer
When you provide your description to the photographer, and he/she doesn’t understand the request or the project at all, then you may not have the right person for the project.
Whenever you hire someone, make sure they already have a few band/music photographs in their portfolio.
If you like a photographer that doesn’t have much experience in taking band pictures, hire someone that understands YOUR music.
If your photographer doesn’t have prior experience and also doesn’t feel great about your music. chances are you have hired the wrong person.
Find The Perfect Location
While choosing the location, keep in mind a couple of things:
- The location should suit your style.
- The location should be meaningful.
To decide what makes a good location, first and foremost, you must ask if the location suits the style of your shoot? Will it add to the story that you’re telling?
Secondly, choose a location that’s meaningful for you and your band.
By using a location that means something to you, you’ll get much more personal, meaningful photos.
As an added bonus, you’re more likely to feel relaxed, helping you capture more natural-looking shots.
Decide The Theme Beforehand
This seems obvious but many bands make a mistake here.
All the band members and the photographers should be on the same page about the color scheme, the location and the style you will be aiming for.
Every member of the band should know the outfit they have to wear on the shoot day and this outfit should be approved by all other members.
If you’re not sure about what kind of a theme to choose, get inspired from others.
Take a look at Antariksh’s (Hindi Rock Band) July ’19 photo shoot.
This is a photoshoot done with perfection; from having a consistent yellow theme, to portraying the emotions their music makes you feel.
Along with strong band photos, every individual member is also highlighted properly.
Ooze Confidence
The secret to making a photo 10x better is being confident and giving your best smile to the camera.
Everyone struggles with showing confidence in front of the camera so here are a few tips for you:
Wear something comfortable
Wear an outfit that you love, and your confidence will shine through so much more.
Yes, the outfit should be decided according to the theme, but should also be comfortable.
Know your angles
Obviously it’s your photographer’s job to guide you, but it will help you to feel more confident if you already have an idea how you like to look. So go in front of the mirror and find the pose you feel the most confident in.
Ignore the rest of the world
This applies if the location for the shoot is a bit crowded.
Don’t be concerned about the people in your surroundings.
You may feel concerned what other people think of you, or think you’re being judged, but I promise that most of the time people don’t even notice or they don’t care.
Candid Photos
Ask your photographer to never keep the camera down!
You never know if a candid photo could turn out to be better than the ones you posed for.
Have Fun
In the end, you should have fun during the photoshoot.
Dedicate the whole day to your band and make memories to look back to.
Take your time, don’t rush!
The more you relax into a photoshoot and let yourself go, the more fun you’ll have, the more confident you will feel, and the nicer the photos will be.
These are my helpful music photography tips to take the ultimate band photo. If you liked the article, please share it!