Evaluation

In this project, we had to have two clients from Music Production to do a photo shoot with. I was a bit hesitant at first as I hadn't shot anyone who I didn't know before but I thought it would be a good experience for me. I really enjoyed this project as I got to use the studio again, with the other project it was more location and dark room. I really love working in the studio, made me realise how it can be stressful with sorting things out with clients, whether they turn up or not. Luckily both of my clients did and they were both very good in the studio. I wanted to make them both feel comfortable and not nervous, there's nothing worse than not feeling comfortable doing something. I felt like I learnt a lot more about lighting as well, before I would just go in and not know what I wanted. I also learnt a lot from being professional with people who you don't know, you can't be running around like a headless chicken as they will think that it won't turn out very well and it's not good for your reputation.

With Louis, I knew that he wanted a shadow on the drop down behind him, to do this I had to use a key light at the front and to the side. I also used the shoot through umbrella to soften everything in the shot. These are my three favourites out of the lot for Louis, I preferred the coloured version of the first one to the black and white one because I really like the lighting on his face. I like the vairety of the photos I picked for Louis as they are all different to each other.

With Will, the lighting was really easy as well, I had two lights on both sides of him with a red and a blue gel over the top of him. I also used another light which was placed behind him to define his hair. These are my three favourites as I really like the lighting in these photos, I also like how I messed around with the brightness and contrast. I really liked shooting him while he was doing live action, I prefer to do this rather than doing poses as I think that's a bit more awkward to do if you're feeling umcomfortable. But I also would have liked a bit of varitey in the shots of Will.

If I were to do this project again, I would like to have had a smoke/fog machine for Will's photoshoot as I think that would have made it even better. I also would have liked a few more of location for Will, I would have liked to have done it on a day where it wasn't so dull and to have used a different camera as I was having trouble with using it.

The Shoots

I had Louis on the first Monday and I think the shoot went really well, I was quite impressed with him and the outcome of the photos.

I tried this photo in colour and in black and white, as I wasn't sure what I liked more. I think I like the coloured one more but I know that he would have preferred it in black and white.

After the photo shoot, we met up on the Wednesday to re-discuess what he wanted for the location and to also go find places for him to shoot.

This one is my favourite out of the location shots as I messed around the the brightness and contrast and I thinks it works perfectly.

I really liked the colours in this photo as his coat blended in with the background but he also stood out from it at the same time. I made the photo into black and white and then dropped the opacity. I went to have a little chat with Louis to give him his photos, he said he was very pleased with all of them which I am very happy about.

I had Wills photo shoot on the following Monday, it also turned out really well I think, the colours on his face worked really good and the ones without colours I really like.

I like this photo because of the colours and contrast, also I like the pose for it.

I prefer the ones without the colours, but that might just be because I liked high contrast photos, I like seeing all of the shadows. I also think that the poses in these are better than the others. Quite a lot of the photos I couldn't use because when he was seeing, he gave him too much of an awkward expression to use.

On the Wednesday I went out to shoot Louis, Will also decided that he wouldn't mind a few location shots. So we had a re-discussion on what he wanted but he decided it wasn't the right whether to be hanging from trees and eating an ice cream. So he told me to do whatever and I got him to stand against this wall which I really like. Only a few turned out alright as the others were too dark to use. I turned the photo into black and white and then dropped the opacity to give it more of a dull effect and then I messed around with the brightness and contrast. I think that these work really well.

I went and had a chat with Will to give him his photos, he also said he was very pleased with the outcome. Two happy customers.  

Photo Shoot Ideas

We went round and spoke to everyone in the music room, I liked the idea of all of them, there were a few who I wasn't completely sure how I was going to do if I got them.

 I really liked the ideas of Will and Louis. Louis wants black and white photos and I really love to shoot in black and white. Will wants a colourful photo, to do this I would use the gels on the lights.

After we went round and spoke to everyone to get ideas, we got our two clients. I luckily got the two people I wanted so I started to look at photos for the sort of things they wanted.

Will (studio):

• Live action
• Simple
• Coloured lights
• Standing up
• Shoot from low angles or on same level
• Side shots and front on
• Mid shots, wide shots to then crop
• Black background
• Microphone on stand
• Fog machine

Will wasn't really sure what he wanted, he knew he didn't want black and white, maybe to try with a few of them. He didn't have any photo ideas either, just explained to me that he wanted to be singing and playing his guitar in the shoot. So I then asked him what sort of angles he wanted, whether he just wanted studio or location. I also asked him whether he wanted colours in his shots and whether he wanted any photoshop done to his photographs. I would like to point the gels onto his face to show the colours as if I tried to point them onto the background, it wouldn't have as much effect. I would like to try and get a fog machine for him, but trying to get hold of one might be quite hard. He didn't mind about having a location shot, he was mainly wanting a studio photoshoot. I will try half of the shots without the coloured gels, just in case it doesn't turn out right.

Louis (studio):

• Standing up and sitting
• Black and white
• Shadows
• Guitar in shot, some without
• Wide shots and crop

(Location):

• Black and white
• Blurred background, focus on him -manual
• Christ Church Park or busy town
• Smoking

Louis had some ideas for what he wanted, he wanted something like Pete Doherty as he really likes him. But apart from that he didn't know what he wanted, accept to have most of them in black and white and not to show his feet. As he would like some smoking shots, I would have to do these on location. Maybe get him up against a wall of some sort or focus it on him so the background is blurred. Even though he wants mainly all black and white, I will shoot them in all colour just in case one would look really nice with colour. I asked him what sort of angles he wanted, if he had any lighting in mind, whether he wanted close ups for mid shots.

Will - After getting more ideas and a vague picture in my head, we went back to our clients and explained what we were going to do. To see whether they were going to like it, or whether they wanted to change something or even if they had thought of anything more. Will had a few more ideas with wanting to do a little bit on location, he said he would like to either hang upside down from a tree or be eating a ice cream. But apart from that, he loved what I was going to do for his shoot.

Louis - I also had a chat with Louis with the ideas that I had, he seemed to really love all of the different angles and poses. He asked for a few photo ideas not to be done as he didn't like that so I noted that done. He decided that he wanted his guitar to be more in the shots as he didn't want them to completely focus on him but also not to take the star light away from him.

Music Portraits

Portrait photography or portraiture is photography of a person or group of people that displays the expression, personality, and mood of the subject. Like other types of portraiture, the focus of the photograph is usually the person's face, although the entire body and the background or context may be included.

When portrait photographs are composed and captured in a studio, the photographer has control over the lighting of the composition of the subject and can adjust direction and intensity of light. There are many ways to light a subject's face, but there are several common lighting plans which are easy enough to describe.

In a studio, there are basic lighting plans. There's three-point lighting, which is basic lighting which uses three (sometimes four) light to bring out the details and features of the model. The three main light used in this light plan are as follows:

Key light - also called a main light which is usually placed to one side of the subjects face. It is also between 30 and 60 degrees off centre and a bit higher than eye level.
Fill light - this is placed on the opposite side of the key light, this softens the shadows on the opposite side of the face. This mimics natural lighting.
Back light - also called a rim or hair light, this light is placed behind the model out of frame and this is often higher than the key light.This highlights models shoulders and hair.
Kicker - this is the fourth light in the three-point lighting which is a small light, often made directional through the use of a snoot, umbrella or soft box that adds a bright edge light on the fill light side of the models face. This is enough to establish the jaw line or the edge of an ear.

This photo is really elegant, I think that they have used a key at the front and slightly to the side to hit the highlights in her hair.

I really love this photo, I love how they have put a back light with a gel colour over the top of it to give the illusion that she has pink in her hair.

Music Photographers

Nick Pickles
http://www.music-photographer.co.uk/

Nick Pickles is a London-based freelance photographer who travels across the country to cover gigs, festivals and events for a wide range of clients. He is currently working as the house music photographer at Wembley Arena and in the past year has been commissioned by clients including Red Bull, the BBC, EMI, Disney, The Fly and more. In 2011, he won the Rock Archive Glastonbury photo competition. In his previous roles, he has been a house photographer at the O2 Academy Leeds for two years. He contributed to several major agencies, including Getty Images, WireImage, Retna and WENN. Pickles work has been used in a host national and international publications, by bands for artwork and marketing materials and also for private exhibitions. While he does specialise in live music, he likes to do a whole range of work, for example, portraiture, reportage and commercial photography.

Nicks work is all based on live concerts, I think this captures more feel and excitement towards the bands. So when you look for them, you can see them in action. I think he uses some really nice angles which some of them you can see their faces to show their passion for what they're doing. Also some nice angles from behind to show silhouettes and see the crowds reaction.












Todd Owyoung
http://www.toddowyoung.com/

Todd Owyoung is an internationally published photographer who specialises in live music, lifestyle and portrait photography. He graduated from Washington University in St.Louis on which he received a Magna Cum Laude with a BFA in Visual Communications. Throughout the year, he photographs around six bands a week. His work has appeared in publications such as Rolling Stone, the New York Times, SPIN, Billboard, Entertainment Weekly, Alternative Press, The Wallstreet Journal, The Boston Globe, The Village Voice and Harper’s Bazaar. He has also had a big range of clients such as, American Express, Wrangler Jeans, Fuse TV, Atlantic Records, Universal Music Group, Live Nation, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, JH Audio, and Dave Matthews Band.

Todd's work has a bit more variety,  he concentrates on the bands but also the crowds  He takes photos of them performing live but also shoots them while posing in a studio or set for their albums. He gets some really nice shots of the crowds to show their excitement and enthusiasm for the band. He seems to like his low angles for the live shows, to show that they're the ones above everyone at that point and to show the angle from the crowds perspective.