Tips For Good Band Photos
(Source: blamepro.com/mwn/tips/BandPhotos.htm )

Lots of photos on your band's web page make it fun for the visitor and keep them coming back to see what's new. Pictures are especially important if you're hoping to get paid for gigs, as they are the cornerstone of your band's promo kit that you should provide to booking agents, A&R execs, media contacts, etc. You might as well look like you're professional (even if you're just a hobbyist). Here are dozens of ideas to make your photos -- and your band -- stand out from the crowd.

1. Bring a camera to every gig. And arrange for someone to take the photos while you play! If your photographer doesn't show up, your soundman, lighting tech, spouse, signifcant other, etc. can take the photos for you. In a pinch, the bandmembers can take turns shooting candid pics of the other performers.

2. If it's an important event, use two photographers. This is insurance in case one of the photographers doesn't show up, a camera malfunctions, or a photographer doesn't know what the hell he's doing. It's much better to have twice as many photos to choose from than to have no photos at all!

3. Use fresh batteries. Fresh batteries will not only give you more available shots, but they won't take as long to recover in between shots while the flash is 'charging' up. A camera with a dead battery is pretty much worthless (unless your photographer has spare batteries and knows how to change them).

4. Ask the photographer not to zoom in on every shot. You can crop the photos with software (such as Photoshop) afterwards. This helps ensure that the photographer doesn't cut off heads or other important aspects of the photo. The flip side is that your photographer doesn't try to shoot the stage from 50' away. The flash just won't reach that far, and you'll have a dark, wasted photo instead of something you could have used.

5. Give credit where credit is due. Especially true when you're using a volunteer photographer. Put a small credit underneath each photo, or at the bottom of the web page, to identify who took the photo. It not only makes you appear more professional, but it's a nice gesture (that doesn't cost you anything). [see also #21]

6. Spend a few minutes with the photographer to go over the highlights of your show. If you have any flashy production numbers, or crowd favorites that always pack the dance floor, pass that information on so the photographer has something to work with. Fog effects, flash pots, choreoraphy, lasers -- make sure they get photographed.

7. Put your name on it. If you provide your own camera, be sure your name is on it. Use a portable label maker to print out a durable, easy to read label. This also applies to your instruments. If someone in the audience should find your camera after the gig, they at least have enough information to return it to you. And if you find it, you can prove it's yours.

Experts recommend using two labels. One in a very visible location to make it easy for an honest person to find. The second label is placed in an inconspicuous area, such as behind a control plate, battery cover, inside the lens cap, etc. This protects you from the dishonest person who removes the obvious label, then claims the piece of gear is theirs. If you're sure the equipment is yours, get a third party, such as the club owner, a bouncer, or even the police, to mediate the dispute. Tell the third party that you have not even touched the equipment, yet you know it is yours because you placed a hidden label on it. Since the thief won't know what the label says, or where it is, you'll be able to prove that it's indeed your gear.

8. Take photos during the soundcheck. This is important if you're using a non-professional photographer. You give the photographer some practice time with your camera. When you review the photos, you get a chance to offer suggestions to the photographer. If the soundcheck songs are part of the regular set list, when they are played later in the evening, the photographer has already had a chance to 'practice' on them and can perfect the shots so they look perfect. Of course, after the soundcheck is also a great time to either download the photos to a laptop, switch the removable memory for a fresh card, or delete any photos that aren't up to par.

9. Smile! If you look like you're having fun, then chances are it'll be a better photo. Prospective clients want to ensure a fun time for their event, so they naturally want to book a fun band. One way to smile is to remember the punchline of a funny joke. Catch the eye of the nearest bandmember and grin -- they'll grin back, and that helps make it look like everyone's having a great time.

10. Freeze! If the photographer is shooting you, you may have to freeze your pose for a second to give the camera enough time to capture the image. This doesn't apply to film, but it can be very important when using a digital camera.

11. Use a flash. The strobe from the flash unit helps freeze the motion. It also ensures an adequate level of brightness for a distance of up to 15 feet or so. Unfortunately, it can also temporarily blind the subject, so watch out for mic stands and guitar necks until you get your vision back!

12. Don't post bad photos on your web site. Out of focus, too light or too dark, red eyes, etc. -- toss 'em out and use the shots that make everyone look like they're alive, fer cryin' out loud! You can salvage some otherwise bad photos by cropping, using red eye correction, or the sharpen feature found in photo retouching software programs, such as PhotoShop Elements.

13. Don't post a million photos. Keep the number of photos on the site to a manageable number. If you really want to host lots of photos, separate them by year, or by venue. Don't expect your visitor to surf their way through 50 uninteresting shots to find the one good one. Put the best shots out there near the top of the page.

14. Use thumbnail (preview) photos on your site. Link them to larger photos, but keem the file size reasonable. If someone needs a larger photo, they can request one; there's no need to force the casual viewer to download a 2MB photo by default.

15. Show some variety. Show a mix of photos from several different venues. It makes it look like the band has done a lot of performing. Do it even if it means doing some free gigs and maybe even opening for other acts you normally wouldn't perform with. Six months from now, who cares that you opened for Polkatallica? As long as you have some great stage shots, no one will know the difference.

16. Posed photos? Sure! They're especially good for 'Now Appearing' and 'Coming Attraction' posters. Remember to sit or stand close to each other. Go ahead and invade your drummer's comfort zone! As long as it's for the photo shoot, no one will think anything of it.

17. Make it (look) fun. Remember The Beatles? The Monkees? Many of their photos made it seem like they were a bunch of fun guys.

18. Make the subject stand out. Blur the background, if it's not important. You can do it with PhotoShop or other graphic software. (Draw a lasso around the background and use the blur tool. Continue blurring until the foreground really stands out.) [see the photo example on page 1] Notice how the size of the boat was also changed to draw more attention to the band members -- and it adds fun, since the size looks just slightly odd.

19. Schmooze with the stars. An occasional shot of bandmates posing with celebs adds interest. They don't even have to be taken at your gigs. It could be a music store event or clinic that one of your bandmates just happens to be attending. Take your camera everywhere, especially if it's a small one.

20. Add bio pages to your site. Bio pages should defintely have photos of individual members. Preferably a larger, somewhat current photo at the top of the page. Include a group photo of your crew, too.

21. If you use a pro photographer, respect their copyright. Are you allowed to use the photo on the band's website? Get it in writing. Ditto for the exact wording of the copyright notice.

22. Go on location! Get photos of the band at the beach, at the local fair, at a parade, at the zoo, on children's playground toys, in the snow, with famous landmarks in the distance; you get the picture. They all add interest and, in turn, make the band look interesting. Travel expenses for the photo shoot may also be tax deductible (check with your tax advisor).

23. Rehearsals are also a potential source for candid action photos. Even more so if the rehearsal space has character. Maybe there are lots of posters on the walls. Or the walls are bare (or you've covered the walls with white or dark bed sheets to make the band stand out more). Put the band's name on the bass drum, too. You can do this before the shoot, or afterwards with the help of photo editing software such as PC Paint or PhotoShop.

24. Don't have a digital camera? You can use a film camera, or even a drugstore 'instant' camera to get great photos. At the time the film is developed, you can have the photos put on a CD disc for a few dollars extra. Or you can turn the the prints (and/or negatives) into digital files with the help of a photo scanner. Epson and HP are two brands that work well.

25. Check out previous works. Visit a used record store and check out the photos on old LP albums. Especially the inside cover shots. Or visit the local bookstore and peruse the biographies of other bands. You'll find lots of photo ideas involving color, light, texture, contrast, special effects, and subject matter that will give you even more ideas.

26. Ask your web page audience for photos. It'll only take your webmaster a moment to do. You may be pleasantly surprised when you get photos emailed to you from your fans to include on your website. [see #5]

27. Lose a bandmate? Crop him or her out of the photo. The rest of the photo may still be salvageable. This applies mainly to performance photos. For posed shots, you'll have to gather everyone tgether with the new guy or gal and have new ones made. Especially with digital photos, there's no excuse for having ten-year-old band pictures on your site or in your press pack.

28. Don't be afraid to experiment. Some of the best photos are the result of happy accidents. When in doubt, shoot!

Have fun!

We're still working on ours! New people joining means new photos... stay tuned! We've got some new ones updated tho:

flickr.com/photos/maljam/sets/72157603923315350


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