 | Tony smith |  |
| Tony smith | |
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What to look for & getting the most from a music photographer.
A bit of my history...
After completing a C&G in Photography and a degree at Manchester Poly' my primary interest is portraiture. I soon realised I enjoyed the more bizarre & interesting rather than the standard family & wedding shots. In 1995 I got involved with the Northwich based (& Cheshire Arts funded) Banned! Network which encouraged young NW bands & arranged gigs by new & unsigned artists. Most of the work was to cover live performances from Rock, Indie & Jazz bands. Banned! Generally provided PA, DAT recorder & a reasonable lighting rig. Addition of a fogger/smoke machine ensured atmospheric performances & potentially great images. While doing work with Banned! I provided all images for the Banned! Fanzine & the networks ‘Guide to Rock & Pop in the North West’, which is still available. In addition, several of my images were used within the ‘Princes Trust – Mapping Hidden Talent’ guide to youth music projects.
Technical Style
It took me some time to develop a technical style to get the most from live gigs. The main difficulty is to show a degree of stage ‘action’, capture atmosphere (or try to suggest some!), but also manage to produce a quality image.
Building Band Image
The elements of a groups' music and image are linked. If you are looking to promote yourself as an artist or a group then the unfortunate truth is that images sell bands. Record companies are looking for a 'package' of music, image and saleability. Image is so important, (probably too important perhaps!).
Getting appropriate images together for a Press/Publicity pack can increase media exposure and/or lead to easier gigs (as you appear that bit more professional!). For the biog' or media pack, get some decent pictures where the full band are prominent & filling the picture area. Group shots are very difficult and it pays to find a photographer with previous experience of musicians. Try to avoid the mate of the roadie who has just bought a Canon EOS kit from Dixons and with a roll of Ilford B/W film, thinks he might be the next Pete Frame. This approach is cheap, but won't do you many favours in the long run.
Usually if I can, I try to meet a band prior to a photo session so everyone can be relaxed & we can get the most from the coming session. Everyone should be encouraged to offer ideas that fit what is perceived to be the image of the musicians. Collect pictures from magazines, sketches or photocopies etc & put them in a folder stolen from work. These will be valuable in allowing original, carefully managed or spontaneous images to be created with the band. The photographer can become a member of the team, working with the band to help promote its ideals & image. Choice of photographer For any biog', include some shots on stage, ie 'in action'. Make sure the shots are taken at a venue with some lighting and if possible a smoke machine or fogger. Stage photography is quite different from many other fields & unless carried out using the right techniques, can look quite static. Ensure that the photographer you engage has experience of gig/stage photography & check out his/her portfolio. Where a conventional photographer would be ideal for an up & coming 'boy band', he/she might well flounder when presented with rock, indie or jazz musicians. Be sure to involve all of the band & expect on-stage shots to include at least a few shots of all band members, (including the illusive drummer!) Defining your needs 
The medium (camera type) for the photo shoot is always determined by the final output required. IE if you need billboards six feet high or larger, you need 'Medium Format (6x6cm)'. For most other requirements, 35mm or increasingly digital images will fit the bill. Recently, more & more of my work is delivered on CD, suitable for producing photo quality images (up to 16x12 inches), or for JPG digital images for the web or for fanzines. It is worth noting that many newspapers these days are quite happy to receive gig reviews & images via email with vital images attached as a 200dpi JPEG image.
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