Music Industry
Initial idea after hearing brief
For this project we're expected to find a band/artist to work with on a studio photoshoot. We've been given layouts for the front and back of a CD, Instagram, Facebook and iTunes photos which will have to be completed from the studio shoot. From previously working with a band (of four men) last term, I've decided I'd like to work with the opposite of them- a female solo artist. I intend to go to gig venues, in search of an artist and whilst they're performing take some gig photos of them. If i'm happy with both the photos and the artist's performance I'll contact them via social media or email with the attachment of a couple of photos. In theory this will show them that I am a professional photographer and good at what I do which will encourage them to work with me. I'll do this a couple of times and hopefully find a good artist to collaborate with.
How has the impact of MTV affected the music industry and how todays artists are presented as an "all round package"?
MTV is an American pay television channel owned by Viacom Media Networks, the channel originally aired music videos targeted towards their main demographic- young adults, but toda, it is primarily teenagers. At midnight on 1st August 1981, MTV launched with Video Killed the Radio Star - a song that foreshadowed the future change in the music industry. In the early 80s, MTV could only play 250 videos as many American record companies didn't believe in MTV. With such short supply, the few artists who provided MTV with promotional videos got a lot of exposure due to the repetition. Young adults would watch these videos and rush into the record store to buy their new favourite artist's album. This was the start of the transformation MTV had on the music industry as an artist's look now mattered as much as their sound. Now today's artist are expected to sound great and look beautiful in both reality and online in photos and videos. Explaining why it is now harder to succeed in the music industry.
National Album day (gallery in the O2)
Walking into the O2, there was a little side gallery filled with album covers with a profile; naming the musician, photographer and extra info about the album. Here are a few examples that inspired me;
This album cover was my favourite. At first I didn't notice the overlay of the person within the eye and simply enjoyed the photograph of the close up eye- the slight off centre composition, crisp depth of field and hazy subtle edit. Once noticing the artist within the pupil of the eye made me fall in love with the photograph even more. His simple pose and look into the camera creates an edginess to the photograph and helps portray the vibe of the musician. This is an important factor when creating an album cover as it needs to reflect the artist. When researching John Kelly I found his photography website- he does a range of different styles of photography! However, his main style seems to be street documentary photography in black and white where he won multiple awards.
Billie Eilish
I first discovered this artist a year ago after watching an interview of her on social media and started listening to her music. Not only do I love her music but I feel in love with her style and overall look.
I really love the idea of this shoot- colours, lighting, use of props and positioning.Red and yellow are two primary colours so when placed together it creates a strong contrasting look making it an eye-catching photo. I like the purposely sided lighting, on the right photo as it creates a strong shadow which adds an extra depth to the image. Lastly the use of props and positioning has created a beautiful composition and different yet exciting look. These three elements working together have created a stunning edgy photo which I'd love to replicate.
These three photographs are a mix of Billie's work for social media and iTunes. Although all different, they all reflect the edgy indie girl look which Billie is. All the photos are soft and visibly pleasing for the eye. They're all basic compositionally as it's all central, with the eyes, face, body directly facing the camera. Which isn't bad- just dull, meaning that other elements of the photo have to be more exciting like clothing or overall edit.
From Billie's work I've learnt that style and clothing within a photo is equally as important as the technical side of the photo- something I'll have to remember when planning my shoot.
FKA Twigs
In both her music and style visually she's very abstract and colourful. Commonly the photographs are close ups of her body looking elegantly unique with her body proportions looking almost alien-ish. I like the simplicity of the profile photos where the colours and fantasy mood create the whole photo- without the makeup the photos would be dull as they're very simple compositions and poses.
Working with a make up artist is something i'd be intrigued to experience and willing to try for this studio shoot. Make up is a powerful tool in the photography industry and can help create something special and unique for the photographer, make up artist and model.
Poppy
I discovered Poppy on instagram a couple of years ago and have been following her account since. Finding her profile on wikipedia she's a singer, songwriter, composer, author, actress, dancer, model and YouTuber (so basically everything in the entertainment industry.) She has a very unique aesthetic in both the ways she dresses and models- the colours are very plain or just simply black and white keeping the viewers attention on her outfit and face. The images are rich with glamour and class- making Poppy look like a desire to her audience. Her modelling is quite stiff and very posed which is often something we try to avoid, however it suits her persona and helps create her overall image and vibe.
I've realised that I've already narrowed myself down with both- the artist I want to work with and style of photo shoot. Yes- it's still something I'd like to try however, I need to research other genres incase I ether can't find that style of musician or I find something else I'd like to try! Genres I want to look at- Rock, Pop, Indie, hip hop and singer songwriter
Pop Album Covers
When researching pop album covers there are few key similarities that all the images share- the artist is the only subject, the subject is central of the frame, there are no distractions around the artist. These three factors enforces the viewer to only focus on the artist which is important for marketing. Apart from two of the photos all the album covers are black and white or very plain simple colours which avoids the viewer getting distracted from the artist's face. Secondly another similarity which occurs between all of them but a couple is the all the photos are close up- the eyes are the key feature within the photo. Again a marketing tactic to keep the audience's attention on the artist. If I was to do a pop inspired album cover I need to take into consideration all these factors but primarily ensuring that the artist is the only subject that the viewer can see.
Rock album covers
I love rock album covers as they're all bold and unique for each artist so as a whole there aren't many similarities between them. Sadly, the Queen and David bowie album covers are the only ones I can be inspired by as they're the only studio shoots/ ones possible to create in a studio. The other five are ether drawings, objects or locational shoots. Futhermore, more than half don't have the artist on the album cover- they relay on the text to promote to the audience who the artist is. However, due to this many rock album covers are iconic due to their unique style that people remember as they're so different and eye catching.
David Bowie
Bowie is known for each album completely transforming his style and sound which is very unusual for an artist however, so exciting in a photographers perspective as he shows so much range for research. They range from being simple black and white to extravagant bold photos so he appeals to a range of people. A key feature I've noticed is how he never looks directly into the camera- he was known for never enjoying the whole promotional marketing side of the music industry, perhaps it could be triggered from nerves which is something I have to be aware of when shooting my subjects. Despite this the photos are more appealing as it makes him look powerful and thoughtful which women love!
Depending what my final ideas are I believe perhaps studying his album covers individually will be useful and inspiring.
Indie album covers
This is easily the most uninspiring genre for album covers- not that i don't love them! However, sadly the only limitation I have for this brief is that I have to do a studio shoot and none of these photos look like they happened in a studio at all! For this project i won't be doing an indie inspired studio shoot.
Hip Hop album covers
So far Hip Hop has been my favourite genre when it comes to album covers! All the artists have a very unique stylised photos which separate them from the rest! All of them, like pop album covers, have their subject placed central of the photo- keeping all the attention on the artist. However, unlike pop albums, the artist experiment with different lighting and using other material to help enhance their image. Currently hip hop is the genre I want to focus and research more into...
Mac Miller
These three photos were the key album covers for Mac Miller and although they're all pretty different they still reflect the same vibe of Mac Miller. At first glance they come across as fairly simple photos which would be easy to copy, however looking again careful they're all quite complex but just edited well that they look easy. The first one has drawn on colourful doodles which would I assume was done on the computer- which from my experience is hard to do! The second one requires a good stylist team. The far right one requires careful editing to keep the edges smooth and professional. I love all three! My favourite is the far right one, I like the expression on his face with the tightly cropped face and then placed on top of a white background. With his black hair it makes him stand out against the white.
Wiz Khalifa
I've never heard of this artist before but I love his portrait work for his album's. They all reflect his personality through the stylising and positioning during the studio shoots. Additionally, his tattoos add an edginess to the photos and create a beautiful juxtaposition when placed in the plain classy studio. They're all aesthetically pleasing photos just through they're simplicity and prime focus on the musician. I love the middle one for it's use of props and clothing, he looks like he's sitting on a throne in a big furry classy coat- making him look powerful and seductive.
Singer/song writer album covers
Singer/ song writer album covers are controlled by the lighting. Usually strong, harsh lighting keeping our attention on the artist.They're quite bold statement images with the artist almost staring out the camera. Majority have a 2000 (year) look to them where they're colourful and a bit cringey which I personally don't enjoy. I don't like any of the images and find them uninspiring so I don't want to processed with this genre...
Illustration album covers
When looking at illustration album covers, the only artist I found inspiring was Troye Sivan and mainly due to the illusion of being unsure whether it's drawing or photograph which I found really exciting.
Graphic Album Cover
If I was good at editing I would love to create something similar to this album cover. It's so unique and intriguing. Almost like a Picasso painting but as a photo which is so exciting visually. The mix of graphics and photography on album covers is a technique often used, especially on DJ album covers or iTunes icons. If I was confident on editing software I would experiment more around this type of photography.
Initial brainstorm of ideas
Favourite ideas with images and where they were inspired from
Artist- Zach Penny
After researching for inspiration and having a little idea of what I want to do, I discovered an artist- Zach Penny. Recently, he created a page on facebook for his music and being a mutual friend of friend I had him as a friend on Facebook and he invited me to like this page. I liked his look and I knew he lived near me in London. So I decided to get in contact with him.
Informal yet effective and after seeing him briefly, we spoke about some possible ideas and now I'm very excited to start brainstorming more ideas and developing a final idea.
Now I know whose going to be modelling my shoot, I have clear idea of a concept I want to do. I want to do a photo shoot where my model will be working with a prop- a speaker. My artist owns a speaker that is waist hight which he can sit on top therefore showing it's strong making it the perfect prop to use. To develop this further, I'm going to find inspiration from previous artists and photographers that did a similar concept.
Lady Gaga's cover story on "Variety"
After her first time staring a movie "A star is born," Variety came to her house in Malibu and did a photoshoot with her using a stool as the prime prop. I love these photos as usually when models/actors do a photo shoot with a chair they'll simply sit on them however, Gaga goes abstract and creates exciting different poses with her body. She makes the stool almost seem human by showing it with different angles and giving a new different edge. Her simple outfit, make up and hair leaves little distraction and enhances the shapes she creates and maintains a flattering look. Additionally the lighting forces your eyes to focus on the central area of the photo as it creates a circle gradient towards the centre.The brightness from the light reflects beautifully on her white shirt, grabbing the viewer's attention.
Lewis Morely photographing Christine Keeler, 1963
Lewis Morely was a photographer, most famous for the work he did with Keeler! He began the photographic session by taking photographs of Keeler in her clothes but the representatives of the film company insisted that she pose nude.The photographer and the model worked together to create a innocent seductive feel, although it's obvious she's nude, the chair acts as barrier keeping her pride to prevent the photos becoming pornographic. My favourites are the 3 on the far right column where the lighting is central and directly on the model's body making the background basically black and clear. They're truly stunning and help create some interesting shapes with her body. Furthermore, I like the contact sheet layout on the photos. They're randomly placed but encourages the viewer to look at all the photos individually. They're all such great photos, it would've been sad to cut out most to just have 3 key images however, with this layout we can appreciate all the photographs.
Illustration
Jaz Harold
This was a random painting I came process on Pinterest and although doesn't directly link to previous research I was inspired by the lighting style. I really liked the spotlight used around the model attracting all your attention towards her. The spotlight adds a depth to the image which makes it really eye-catching. I'm inspired by this use of spotlight.
Drawing
Shutter stock
Sadly, I don't know the artist of this drawing as it would've been interesting if he/she had work similar to this. This drawing is a similar vibe that I want to replicate onto my photographs. A very cool, edgy musician chilling with his speaker, representing the musician as someone thats almost too cool to talk to. I want to attempt to create this cool vibe in my photos.
Practise shoot
(Using prop idea)
This was a really useful shoot. I was limited with time so it was mainly done to try out different compositions and the model's outfit. I used the white block as a "pretend speaker" so we could look at the different positions the model could try and if it looked any good or just silly. However, I really like it- it makes the model look cool and grungy especially with the outfit too. I feel the clothes with the shoes works really effectively making him pop against the background. The model was very eager about using the sunglasses which I was originally uncertain about however, he pulls it off! It also helped him with poses and apparently made him feel at ease whilst doing the shoot- which is vital for any photo shoot to go well!
17th February
Props
On the 17th I met up with Zac, my artist, to discuss the shoot and to make sure we had similar ideas of what we wanted from the shoot. During this meeting I also learnt that he owns a beautiful bass that he would be willing to bring with him to the shoot. Learning this allows me to experiment with more ideas for the final shoot.
Layout
Developing
Figuring out colours/style for artist
From those four images my favourite is the top left one. I like the simplicity of the colours which will ensure that the artist is the main subject of the photograph. Equally the colours coordinate with the speaker of using only grey,black and white. Although these colours may seem dull- they will reflect the vibe/mood I'm trying to reflect from the musician.
Although, I've drawn that idea on the album cover layout- I think they'd be more suitable for the social media layouts and instead for the album cover have a close up of his face with the props... I'm going to develop this concept further.
Social media layouts
I originally was going to use this idea for my album cover however, I think these photos would be more effective for the social media layouts. These are the three key positions I want to try however, on the day I've got several other positions that I believe would equally work well for the shoot. These are position ideas that can change and develop of the shooting day.
Moodboard for social media layouts
Inspired by lighting styles
Little Mood board for album cover
Ideas for album cover
Idea 1
This idea is primarily inspired by the arctic monkeys album cover "Whatever people say I am," I like how the front and back play together- being similar photos with a little contras apartt from the model. The composition, lighting and style are identical- the only thing that's changed is the model's facial expression and body language which creates a completely different mood to the overall photo. I've tried to replicate that same concept within my photo. When speaking to the model and also other musicians that I've worked with before, they often feel more comfortable when using a prop as it's distraction from their nerves making the poses become more natural. My model was animate about bringing his bass along so it makes sense to use it. So I came up with this idea which I'm very happy about.
Idea 2
This is a simple idea where the primary subject is my musician sitting upright on his speaker with his feet placed firmly on the little speaker, I want him to look awkward and rigid forcing the viewer to look closer at the photo. The back of the album will then be a similar image but with the composition central and closer to the musician where the artist will instead be in a more moody relaxed position. The guitar I felt could be a little extra thing to make the photo more eye-catching and unique, I want the main body of the guitar to be in front of the artist and leaving the fret to be stretched across the album cover. The stretched part will add a quirkiness to the photo and I feel will be simple to create in photoshop.
Idea 3
I love my idea for the front of the album cover with the speaker being mirrored on both sides which will create a correlation between the two along with the different facial expressions. I think the front one will be a grumpy sexy face with the other one being the upside down silly one which will reflect the artist's personality which is important for an album. The back photo doesn't link to the front directly and in fact reflects another side of the artist which his shy musical side- the album is a reflection of the artist and who he is.
Main inspiration for album cover
This was my main inspiration for the relationship between the back and front of my CD cover. I love how It’s the same photo in all ways (composition, artistic style and settings) the only difference is the model’s pose. The fact he’s looking directly at the camera in front and looking away at the back I feel is very smart and an interesting decision that I’ll be making too.
Equipment list for shoot
Practise shoot
Lighting ideas I didn't like
There is a reason doing a practise shoots are a great idea as in my head some of these looked great however, practically done in the studio and they look awful! I'm glad I experimented and created these so I don't waste my time on the actual shoot day
Lighting ideas I liked!
I didn't expect to experiment with the pinhole concept until I opened up the RX600 light box and discovered it placed in the centre of the box however, I'm so glad I did! I had one light in the front central of the model with a tunnel on the light. I love how the light is directly on the face and everything else is in black! I feel it's really effective and beautiful! .
For these photos I had one light placed central and slightly to the side of me with an umbrella on top to act as a diffuser and another central on the other side without an umbrella (I'd use one for the actual shoot.) It's a really simple lighting set up but I'm really happy with how the model is lit with the one main big shadow behind him. I believe this would work well for the social media layouts.
My key light was on the front right hand side of the model with a red gel placed over the top and other behind to the light with a blue gel over the light- neither with diffusers! I love the mix of colours as it makes the images more exciting. If I want to use the gels I'll have to be consistent and use them for all of final images so they all link together nicely.
My key light was left to front of the model with a red gel and the other light was behind to the right of the model with the red gel over- I love this lighting set up! It creates a really edgy look to the model which I'd love to repeat for my final shoot.
Lighting diagrams
These are my three key ideas for lighting set ups. I set them up as a mood board so it's easier to establish what lighting suits my different ideas. My favourite set up is the middle one so that'll be first one I'll prepare.
Call Sheet
The shoot
I was surprised about how well and smoothly my studio shoot went! Fortunately I was very lucky to have been given reliable talented assistants and plus chose a good model who was both- reliable and excited about the project! Furthermore, doing a practise shoot was really helpful so that I could manage my time more efficiently!
The only struggle I faced was my bad preparation- I forgot to inform the front desk about bringing in a huge speaker. Fortunately, by showing them my risk assessment I sent for booking out my equipment- we were fine. Just added a lot more stress to my day and lost 15 minutes of shooting time. Secondly, one of my elinchrom lights didn't work- luckily I was able to use the studio's light. To avoid this for next time, I should double check the equipment I burrow from CLR.I took some photos using the grey cards to check that I got the correct exposure during my tests shoots. Unfortunately, when the Digi-Op transferred the images across from the computer to my hard drive, we both forgot to transfer across the practise shots which also contained the grey card photos.
iIdeas for layouts before editing
3 ideas for album cover
Idea for album cover
Ideas for social media layout
Review
The overall experience in the studio went extremely well! I feel this is mainly due to me planning the shoot so much which, although was very stressful, paid off. The lighting diagrams are reflected almost identically on the photos which is extremely satisfying so I'm very thankful for experimenting so much in my practise shoot!
I styled the artist myself which although it works well within the shoot it would've been better if I'd got myself a stylist. Maybe a stylist would've created a suitable outfit for the model? However, luckily the outfit wasn't important in this shoot as I didn't want it to take the attention away from the props and model.
Next time, I'd hire a stylist. Also hired a make up artist as I noticed whilst editing the struggles of not having a make up artist and having to try and remove the glowing from his skin. Additionally, I would've got not such a creased back drop as it would've been less to edit and as I'm not good at editing that would've been very helpful.
My estimate for the invoice of this photoshoot
