Photography Shooting Schedule

• 9am – Collect Camera from Tim in studio
• 9.15 am – Meet Musician
• Head to location and set up lighting
• 9.20-11.10 am - Shoot
• 11.15 – Return Camera

Equipment – SLR Camera, SD Memory Card, (Lights already fixed in the studio)

Location – TV Studio, Suffolk New College

Photography - Research cont...

This portrait is of the rock singer Hayley Williams, a member of the band Paramore. The moment at which the photographer has captured Hayley (whether it was natural or directed) shows her crazy expression which represents her wild personality, commonly linked with rock performers. We instantly connect with her through the photo as you understand who she is a little more, which is very important in music portraits especially when used on album covers or in promotion for tours etc. The colours are strong in the image to bring out her bold hair, again supporting her rock image. The lighting and contrasts are not harsh giving the photo a really true and genuine feel to reflect the genuine moment the photographer has supposedly captured. The framing sees her in the centre of the picture as the main focus, and so the viewer is instantly drawn to her face and expression in the close up shot. I think the photo is very effective as it really represents the artist well and the colours and composition are visually attractive to look at.



Photography portrait of music artist Hayley Williams



Photography - Research cont...

This studio portrait of rapper, Snoop Dogg shot by Steven Taylor captures the musician in very personal and true moment. The composition of just him tells us he is a solo singer and not part of a band. The simplicity of the framing again captures the intimacy of the photo as nothing detracts from the connection Snoop Dogg is making with the lens. The shot is very close to the artist and it creates the feeling that we are seeing behind the facade of the fame and fortune to the real person behind it all. The simple black and white style also supports this and the strong contrast levels highlight the smoke coming from the cigarette and his mouth. This is a recognisable symbol related to rap music and we can straight away tell what genre of music he is from. The lighting is quite strong, focused and harsh which allows the contrast levels to have the best effect and really exaggerates the contours of his body. The main attention of the photo is the artist himself, with his “gangster” style and image coming across in the photo rather than his musical talent. I think the image is very effective as it’s visually striking but also tells the story of the artist which is imperative in a musician’s portrait as it connects the talent, such as Snoop Dogg, with their audience. For example, if he was photographed sat behind a piano smiling, we would have a very different view of him as an artist.



Snoop Dogg portrait by Steven Taylor



Photography - Research Continued...

MICHAEL ROBERT WILLIAMS

Michael Robert Williams is from Congleton, south of Manchester in North West England. He later moved to London and had gained a photography degree. Still based in London, today Michael is well known for his portraits of musicians, including The Killers, Oasis, Kasabian, La Roux, Ellie Goulding, Pixie Lott, Biffy Clyro, Kaiser Chiefs, and other celebrities from the worlds of sport, film, and music. In addition to portraits for magazines Michael has produced artwork and promotional images for record labels and artist management, and commercial clients including Adidas and Philips. An example of his work is below...



LA ROUX - Portrait by M.R.Williams 2010

Williams’ portraits are quite the opposite of Nick Pickles’ as he concentrates on the visual image of the artist, their styling mostly. His photos capture colours, shapes and settings that reflect the artist and their music. In this photo of singer La Roux, he uses a strong colour contrast between the white of the background and the colourful styling of the singer to represent how she stands out from the ordinary scene of pop artist as a person and singer. The lighting is very bright to give the white background and her pale skin the dazzling effect it achieves. The framing puts the artist in the middle of the frame, meaning she dominates the picture, which is important for a solo singer as they don’t have a band to rely on in a shoot like this.



Music Portraiture - Photographer Research

NICK PICKLES

Nick Pickles is a london-based freelance photographer travelling across the country to cover gigs, festivals and events for a wide range of clients. His previous roles have included being the house photographer at the 02 Academy Leeds for two years, as well as working with the BBC to cover various festivals for the past four years. He has contributed to several major agencies including Getty Images, WireImage, Retna and WENN. Pickles’ work has been used in a host of national and international publications, by bands for artwork and marketing materials and for private exhibitions. He specialises in live music photography, but has also done a range of corporate work, portraiture, reportage and commercial photography for numerous clients. In his music photography he captures real moments at live festivals and his photos convey the energy and vibe of the concert/performance. In pieces of his work such as the following examples, he catches moments that connect the viewer with the emotion of the music even though they can’t hear it and this is extremely effective in a live music portrait.

Nick Pickles image of Cee Lo Green at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival. This photo captures the power and intensity of the performer and the angle of the shot supports this. The framing is stylistic as it gives the artist looking room in the frame, giving the impression that he is looking out at a vast space, in this case the large crowd. We can now establish the scale of the performance from just this clever framing instead of just looking at the portrait of the artist. Pickles has also captured the theme of Cee Lo’s performance, by not including any other musical elements in the picture (e.g. the band) and choosing a moment where the “other worldly” lighting mixes with the on stage smoke. This again connects the viewer with the live performance and conveys the energy that was at the festival in just one still photograph.

Paloma Faith at 2011 Latitude Festival. Again the energy and vibe of her performance is captured here and very effectively as the close up portrait has caught a true moment of happiness on t he artists face that is supported by the strong, positive colours in the photo.

PHOTOGRAPHY - MUSIC PORTRAITURE

This studio portrait of guitarist George Karagioules shot by Andrew Mason captures the musician in an almost backstage, relaxed atmosphere. The composition of just him and his guitar conveys the personal story of the guitarist as it tells us what’s most important to him (the guitar). The simplicity of the framing again captures the intimacy of the photo as nothing detracts from the connection George is making with the lens. The simple black and white style also supports this and the strong contrast levels highlight the textures and contours of the guitar and the amp behind the main subject of focus. The lighting is quite strong, focused and harsh which allows the contrast levels to have the best effect and also gives the effect a spotlight would have, relating to the live performance element of the backstage themed photo.The main attention of the photo is the guitar and its importance and there is not a strong concentration on the musician’s personal musician, giving the impression that he wants to be known for his talent as a guitarist rather than his looks as a “front man”. I think the image is very effective as its visually striking but also tells the story of the artist which is imperative in a musicians portrait as it connects the talent, such as George Karagioules, with their audience.



Musician Photography in London by Andrew Mason. Studio portrait shot of guitarist, George Karagioules.