Stay off the fucking railroad tracks: Getting good band shots

copyright JMG 2008

OK. So we're back to class.
I've found that one of the mainstays of a young photog, is the "band photograph"
EVERYONE has a friend/friends that always need band shots. Band shots are good for two things and two things only.
1) Drinking money for the weekend
2) Drinking money for the weekend and something little for your portfolio.

If you take a shot, you should charge. Freebies are cool in a FEW circumstances, which I'll get into in another post.
Why should you charge for band shots? Because if they EVER want to make it, it's the photos people see first, before hearing the music AND there is no band out that that can't like scrape together, say, a tenner a member.
Now, there aren't many ways you can photograph a group of people trying VERY hard to look cool in front of your little black box.

So how can you make them look CW hot.
Well there's the PS route, which makes everything look better (I guess..)
then there's....(sharp intake of breath)....creative originality.
When I'm asked to shoot bands, which is often, I always take a look to see what else is out there.
Older, more experienced photogs, designers, creative types will ALWAYS look at glossies, books, the street for inspiration. So can you. Do not be afraid to steal, in a creative sense.
Annie does it (a lot)
Steven Spielberg does it (Jaws was a Moby Dick update.)
And so can you. But what separates Leibovitz and Spielberg from out right plagiarism, is that they're genius enough to borrow mear PARTS of something and make it their own, something old but yet entirely new.
My theory is that on occasion they borrow the right stuff that triggers something familiar in the minds of dealers/studios/photo editors who remembers something but can't put their finger on it. With the internets it's getting easier to suss out where the inspiration comes from though.

Now, back to to subject of this post. Like the title sez: stay off the railroad tracks. That's MY rule No. one. the other rule is: Stay off the wall.
Keep those in mind.
When shooting bands, you should first LISTEN to their music and try to capture an essense of that in your photos. There's a bit of every band in the photos above.
To get in the right mind-set, I like to think that I'm shooting the bad for Fader, Anthem
or XlR8R which pushes me to making all my band portraits IMPORTANT, NEW and PROFESSIONAL.
You can also meet with the band to get some input on how they would like to see themselves.
You'd be surprised how awesome and different your band pics will look if you take the time to think them out.
I'll leave ya with two from my bookshelf

Annie Leibovitz's American Music
and VX: Ten Years of Photography in Vibe

EXTRA CREDIT: watch this awesome interview with music/band photography master Anton Corbjin and and one of the best music vids ever made by Mark Romanek.

• MTV
• Music Videos
• MTV Shows
• Entertainment News

work that backdoor....yeah....

copyright JMG 2007
First let me start by saying this in the most vague and roundabout way possible: FUCK "EMAIL BLASTS"
You're eating. The phone goes off for the tenth fucking time...who's on the other end of the phone? The 100th person who wants you to buy some shit you don't want. You have all your hook-ups. If you want a mechanic/plumber or some shit, you ask your friends. Right. Though I'm sure these phone pests get SOME business, it's nowhere near as much as a business that gets good word of mouth.
NawatImean?
So what does this mean to you? "But random e-mail blasts work" you say. "All the other pro sites recommend it! I've read that editors look at every e-mail they get."
Bullshit, yo. They don't, at least in my opinion. I have never sent one out because statistically it doesn't make sense.
I'm not saying don't send out you portfolio, cuz that's just plain stupid advise. The purpose of this post is to let you in on a little secret that most photogs don't take the time to exploit.
And the word is...COLLABORATION

Yes. Work together.
It works like this. Start at home. Find a freelance writer wherever you are and get to work. Freelance writers are always....well...looking for something to write about.
Get the project started and about half way through, start putting the word out.
Once you have a dozen or so snaps and a few thousand words THEN you can hit up the pubs with a well thought out e-mail which includes a synopsis of the story accompanied by pics.
Will it work every time? No. Of course not. But if you work this strategy, especially on LOCAL mags, you may be surprised with what you find.

My experience with the above is this:
I was listening to a music podcast from England when a local hip-hop artist was interviewed. The next day, I sent a FB message to the journo who interviewed her, with a proposition of collabing on print story about the star. I lived in the same city as the star and could shoot her from here.
Though the writer was too busy she passed me over to a friend at a major London-based fashion mag who was really interested in not the artist, but an overall story about the city's music scene. The mag editor looked at my photos and was down with doing a story. I'm now shooting a second, more national story for them and my foot is DEF in the door.
It's a TOUGH bizzy out there, but check it, there are ways in. You just have to BE ORIGINAL in your thinking. Don't just send shit out and expect a call back.

But don't take my word for it. Let this douche bag spell it out for you. In the photo world, he gets the client, while the dudes at the desk are waiting to "hear back " from the e-mail blasts.