Sunday 18th December, 2022
Reckon I should drop all pretence of the Wednesday upload date for these?
(I started this on Thursday, tried again on Friday… & Saturday too…)
I was sitting next to a devilishly sharp espresso in a wee cafe on the fringes of Smithfield. The sun at my back was skipping over the Liffey while I waited for a photographer to come join me. We had a photoshoot on Thursday around the old Smithfield tower. With this in mind, & after having a chat with some other artists, also taking photos, & another shoot on Monday…. let’s talk about photoshoots, & imagery.
Yonks ago, I wanted more photos of what I was doing. It felt like the world was missing out on all of the cool stuff I was doing… (which wasn’t much, sadly) So what does one do when they want to be photographed & can’t afford it? That’s right, they become best friends with a photographer. Luckily for me, around that time, I did in fact meet a photographer that would go on to become on of my best friends… & while we did take lots of photos… we mostly just spent time hanging out as friends.
Over the years since then, I’ve paid for many photoshoots & had a bunch of informal free ones. I’ve gone from a place of no photos, to a place where I see some images of me & forget who, when, or where we took them. In any journey from scarcity to abundance, you learn a lot about value.
Chapter 1: Why do you want a photoshoot?
So, before you go hunting for photographers that you like, & can afford, think for a moment. Why do you need photos? Where will they go? For instance… these photos we took on Thursday… My plan is to use them to rebrand this very blog, so I needed a banner shot that would fit nicely at the top of the page. I’m also going for a bit of a colour palette change around here, & I needed some pinkish images. There’s actually a few more considerations I made with this particular shoot… but we’ll get to that later. This is the first chapter cause it’s the first mistake I made, & it’s the most common mistake I see. Too often, people are too quick to run in, half-cocked, wanting to look cool. Then the images end up on social media for a little while & suddenly the artist is left wanting new images. Look, you get what I mean… have a decent reason to pay for some good photos. Know what you want going into the photo session & your photographer will thank you too.
Chapter 2: What type of images do you want?
Try to be specific if you can. This is not a hard & fast rule by the way… some exploration shoots are great! We are working on the assumption that you don’t have unlimited funds, & that you’ll need to be strategic with your photoshoot. There are so many types of images you’ll need. I’ve already mentioned two in passing: a banner image for a blog, or simple social media content. Some things you should probably consider getting are: a nice, clean headshot for press, & maybe a profile image; a ‘wider-than-you’d-think’ landscape shot for youtube banners, etc..; you could also do with a full body shot, showing off your style or fashion sense. An awful lot of “who you are” & even what you sound like is told through your ‘look’.
Chapter 3: What goes in the photo & where do you take it?
This is kinda the hardest stuff to figure out for me. Where’s a good location? Will the light work? Will there be too many people? Will you get kicked out? Or… What kind of prop will you be using? What specific pose? What kind of story am I trying to tell with this photo? Honestly, there’s no easy way to decide these things. Like most creative endeavours, restrictions are your friend. If you know who you are, what kind of colour theme you’re going for… these things help narrow your choices. Actually, that’s a good idea, let’s make a wee list of things you can figure out to try & narrow your choices…
Colour theme (I recently went with a pink vibe)
Personality (I’m a bit playful, & sincere… at least that’s what ‘Nathan Mac’ is going for)
Existing associations (lyrics from songs, your general philosophy, a cause perhaps)
A very defined style (from the photographer, or some specific reference)
Homage (straight up copy a famous painting or photo that you like)
Environment (something urban? something natural?)
Time of year (maybe it’s snowing, or the sun is magical)
A ‘tableau’ (in theatre, we would often strike poses to suggest a story… if you have multiple people it’s easier to show relationship dynamics in an image. Using different levels can convey status, etc…)
Suggestive props (an empty chair can suggest soooo much, again, a theatre thing)
Just play your instrument (simple & clean, always works…)
Chapter 4: What’s the ‘right’ image?
It can be so hard to objectively look at yourself, past the insecurities & disappointing moments you keep in your memories… chances are you’ll be hyper focused on something that almost nobody pays attention to, & you’ll pick an average image because your hairline looks better in it. (speaking from experience) So my suggestion is to trust SOME people… if you know the photographer & they know you. They usually have a good idea for what’s a good image. Maybe someone involved in marketing… even someone with a cool looking instagram. Avoid asking your fans, your partners, or family… they all have a considerable bias. It’s awkward, but there’s no substitute for a stranger’s opinion… so maybe bother some strangers?
Chapter 5: How do I end this blog post?
A sexy summary, that’s how… At the end of the day, this is a resource guide. If you, or your friends are into photography, then go hog wild. There’s no replacement for experience with all of this. During the pandemic, I started trying to take some self-shots. For most of the album artworks I shot the image myself. Now, with the album artworks, I didn’t need to be perfect cause I had the amazingly talented Digietal, retouching & creating magic digitally. (& to be fair, of the three images that someone else shot… they are the best images) But I’m getting sidetracked! Let me just say this: be patient. Just be sure to plan your photoshoots a bit before you rush into them… & do the work, don’t expect the photographer to figure out what you want.
Okay, I’m letting you all go… it’s Sunday, & I’ve a vlog to make.
Nathan
