Band photography: what to avoid

But there are also some less obvious technical aspects that you need to stay away from as well.

 

Avoiding clichés is the biggest thing with pics. In other words, avoid using locations and styling that have been done to death in the past. The main culprits that come to mind are:

 

 

From the above you probably get the general idea. There are just some things that have been done so often and in such a cheesy fashion that you really should rather stay away. But more than just the locations, you need to avoid the temptation to try and over-style yourselves so that you end up looking unnatural and uncomfortable. It worked in the 80s when that was the overriding style ethos, but these days you’ll find that a good, clear pic of the band looking at ease will serve you far better.

 

Too arty and clever

 

From a technical perspective, there are also some simple things that can be avoided that, even if you are working with a professional photographer, you need to address. Bear in mind that the purpose of those pics is to be printed in magazines, newspapers, websites and so on. Therefore they need to be quite simple, uncluttered and very, very clear. The tendency, especially with new bands and young photographers, is to get too carried away with being arty and clever. While this may make the photographer look good and result in photographs that could be works of art, it probably will not suit the task at hand: that is, being suitable for reproduction in publications.

 

 

Make sure your photographs are composed in a very tight group. Make sure you all stand very close together, with little space between you. Also make sure that your photographer is putting as little background in the frame as possible. These pics are about you, not the lovely scenery around you. While it is nice to have a couple of full length shots, concentrate on portrait type pics, from mid-chest up or even closer. Make sure you get not only group shots, but individual portraits as well. Do not take shots that feature the band on the horizon. It’s a waste of time and energy as no publication will ever reproduce it and you will look like a gang of dwarves, not a band.

 

Try not to pose

 

In order to look as natural and comfortable as possible, there are some tricks you can learn. Try not posing for seconds at a time while the photographer squeezes off a few shots. Rather keep moving and talking and when your camera guy is ready, hit a pose, move, hit another and so on. You may feel like a self-conscious wannabe model doing it, but the movement will make sure you don’t look like a freeze-dried corpse. When having close-up shots taken, look away from camera until the very moment the photographer says NOW and is ready to shoot, then look swiftly into the lens with whatever expression is required. Again, this is to avoid painted-on cheesy smiles and forced, serious grimaces.

 

Originally published in David Chislett's One, Two, One, Two: A Step By Step Guide To The South African Music Industry. Download a free copy of the book at www.davidchislett.co.za.