I was thrilled to hear Olathia wanted me to shoot their band promo for their new upcoming album released in May. They will be doing a release party May 1 and 2 at the Empire Concert Club and The Mable Grove. Sure to be a 2 great evenings of metal!
This being my first official shoot with a band, I had a lot of things to prepare for. First being, the most important - research! I have heaps of inspiration from other music photographers, so it was only right to ask around and see how they get the job done. I learned that every successful shoot, the most critical aspect a photographer needs is the "concept". A certain look for a rock/pop band won't necessary work for a heavy metal group. So it's vital that the look and tone will provide the message to the members and their fans.
For the shoot, we first headed out to the Empire Concert Club & Bar in Akron where I shot the guys against a white backdrop. Nothing fancy, but clean and professional. This will be used for upcoming shows the band may need to promote. I need to send out a special thanks to Eric Soudry, the club's owner at the Empire for allowing us to use his awesome venue! Many thanks, Eric!
We ended the final spot at a parking garage in downtown Akron. When I scouted this area, I thought this would be great for a band like Olathia. The dimly lit and gloomy building looked tough enough for the band's image. The incandescent ceiling lighting also added a nice warmth for my subjects. I lit the band with one flash and a shoot through umbrella at camera right. I then added a second flash behind the band marked with a yellowish flash gel to match the lighting from the ceiling. Plus, anytime you add a back light to your subject, it automatically turns out looking badass.
Next, we did individual portraits of each member of the band. Used the same lighting technique as the group shot to keep consistency.
We had a little time towards the end before they had to leave to try out some laid-back shots. Sometimes just having a candid moment with the guys can be a lot of fun and the images turn out being that.
Photographer's Notes:
Camera:
Nikon D600 (Updated)
Lens:
Nikon 24-70 f/2.8, Sigma 50mm Art f/1.4
Flashes:
SB-700, SB-910
Miscellaneous:
2x Westcott 8' Light Stands, RadioPopper triggers, 2x 43" Shoot-through Umbrellas, Flash Gels, Ladder, 2x Sand Bags
I was overly impressed with the final results. I was nervous, but I stay focused and remembered to just have fun with it. There were things that I change now that I think about it, but will make adjustments and improve here on out.
