You're gonna laugh, but another CD cover hits the streets.

[Lefty Ray]

I had 3 CD covers come out last week. Here is the best one of the bunch. They are Los Enmascarados, a Conjunto music group from Kingsville, TX.

2 days to go before the Latin Grammy nominations are announced. At last count I have several in the ruuninng.

[jkoc]

hahahahahaahhaha

awesome

nacho libre! vlolll

[bacchanal]

there are times when a man must wear...stretchy pants

[kenyc]

Good Luck!
KAC

[LeesaB]

Scary...lol

[simonSE15]

conjunto4life! :)

cool shot - congrats on the album cover!!!

[René Damkot]

Do they sound anything like Slipknot? ;)

[kenyc]

Any recommendations for getting into the album/CD cover business? I've always been interested and fascinated by various album cover art.

KAC

[Mary Alice]

great cover.Good photo

[DwightMcCann]

Superbo! Given the weird outfits the Anglo metal groups wear this is very tame. Congrats, too! You do great work.

Kenny, it's a who you know not what you know game ... that or a Pro Bono thing, whichever comes first. Lefty has paid a lot of dues to get where he is as near as I can see and it's not a lot of payback.

[kenyc]

Superbo! Given the weird outfits the Anglo metal groups wear this is very tame. Congrats, too! You do great work.

Kenny, it's a who you know not what you know game ... that or a Pro Bono thing, whichever comes first. Lefty has paid a lot of dues to get where he is as near as I can see and it's not a lot of payback.

I'm sure you are right Dwight, just curious about others approaches etc. And particularly as I'm beginning to get more serious about making some money from my photography. (got that MkIII to pay for :) ) Currently just working on building up credits so I can keep moving towards the goal. :)

KAC

[SingingSabre]

Awesome!

Singing luchadors!

[DwightMcCann]

I'm sure you are right Dwight, just curious about others approaches etc. And particularly as I'm beginning to get more serious about making some money from my photography. (got that MkIII to pay for :) ) Currently just working on building up credits so I can keep moving towards the goal. :)

KAC
Again, it's not the credits (at least not the photocredits) that gets you work like this. It is networking, making friends with the bands, making friends with management, getting known at venues, knowing promoters, knowing label people and more networking ... making a reputation with the people with power. They don't care (usually) if you've won awards at the county fair or been published 20 times in the local papers, or once shot John Wayne. Are you a friend of someone is much more important. After all, just look at the junk that usually gets published as CD covers compared to Lefty's artwork here ... it is usually trash with crappy lighting and soft and over processed. Hell, I bet they take Lefty's work and downgrade it a LOT before it becomes a cover. Lefty's lucky he knows people who like him as a person ... and my take is he worked hard to get there.

[kenyc]

Again, it's not the credits (at least not the photocredits) that gets you work like this. It is networking, making friends with the bands, making friends with management, getting known at venues, knowing promoters, knowing label people and more networking ... making a reputation with the people with power. They don't care (usually) if you've won awards at the county fair or been published 20 times in the local papers, or once shot John Wayne. Are you a friend of someone is much more important. After all, just look at the junk that usually gets published as CD covers compared to Lefty's artwork here ... it is usually trash with crappy lighting and soft and over processed. Hell, I bet they take Lefty's work and downgrade it a LOT before it becomes a cover. Lefty's lucky he knows people who like him as a person ... and my take is he worked hard to get there.

I understand that, thanks, true of many undertakings, particularly in the creative areas. I'd still like to hear Lefty's take on this though. :)

KAC

[Lefty Ray]

1. Ingrain yourself with a (viable) band that records. I shoot live performances of these bands and they see I shoot from the heart and put them in the best light (no pun intended). In other words I make them look good on the fly (concerts) so they can imagine what I can do in a setup enviroment (studio, on location, etc)

2. Do great work. You gotta recognize what will work and what does not. I find the magic in a location or a pose. You never find the same magic twice. You cannot learn this in school or a book or in Photoshop. Shoot, shoot, shoot. Learn what your camera will do and most importantly, not do. I never stop learning.

3. Charge double. Yes, I charge double from what my competitor charges. My competitor has already pigeon-holed himself as doing the same format, same colors, same pose over and over again. I try to come up with something different all of the time. The first thing I say to a band is "Yes, I am expensive, but it is worth it." Once you start saying that to everyone, they start saying it to other bands because it is true and they do not mind paying it. I give every band more than their moneys worth and we have a great time doing it. At the end of a photo shoot, I put my camera on a tripod, gather everyone present (band members, makeup person, flunkies, relatives, managers, girlfriends, wives, etc) for a final "Wrap Shot." Currently I have run out of space on my refrigerator door, but each picture shows everyone having a great time and smiling. See below.

4. One of my goals is to establish "Lefty Ray" as a brand and as the go-to guy for a CD package shoot or live event. Fortunately this genre of music (Tejano, Conjunto, Norteno) allows cameras in every venue I have ever been in. Point & shoot cameras will not work due to resolution issues, lighting issues, etc. You gotta go DSLR. Getting the "Media Pass" is an entirely different subject, but my approach is as a Pro and not a fan. Once you start to fawn over an artist, you have lost your credibility. My website has very few pics of me and an artist together and that helps in that regard. I regard my work as "art" and some performers get that point some do not, but at least I do not have the "Fan" tag hanging over my head. At some point you have to put a value on your name or brand. This will not occur by doing it for FREE. That is why I can charge double, I have established I can do outstanding (oh oh sounding a little big headed here) and quality work.

5. Persistance and stamina. For a "Live" Cd I once stood perched on top of a 10 foot ladder for 5 hours to get above the larger than normal crowd to be able to shoot it. Thta is too high for a monopod so I had to brace myself on the top step holding a 70-200 lens all night. I avoided drinking even water because I knew that going to the restroom would be imposible in that crowd. Another time I had "gorditas" (proverbial short fat women (I mean no offense)) bumping me all night, had a beer spilled down by right leg, and had to shoot overhead because I was too lazy to bring my stepchair along. On top of that, this is primarily dancing music (envision a C&W nightclub with cowboy hats and starched jeans, except the people are darker) and I like to dance but do not get to because I am shooting. Oh did I mention the earplugs I wear because in most instances I am positioned right in front the biggest speakers ever made.

Anything else you wanna know?

[kenyc]

Thank you Lefty! Much appreciated. Keep up the great work!
Do you do the graphics as well as the photography.

Love those masked banditos btw!

I guess I do have one question, If you don't mind answering, how much DO you charge?

:) :) :) That way I can double it and know what I should charge. :) :) :)
KAC

[Lefty Ray]

I prefer not to answer that, but I would try to get as much as you can in your market. Granted I could get much more if I lived in NY or LA, but it depends on what your music category will support and then some. Some bands will piss and moan, managers will give you the "we don't have any money" routine, but yet the studio gets paid, the CD manufacturuer gets paid, and the graphic artist gets paid. I do not hear moaning so much since March because one of my artists won a Grammy in thier music category with my photos all over their package

Check this out www.leftyray.com/portfolio.htm

Here is one strategy I heard from some watercolor artist. They were told in a seminar, "If you work is not selling, put a 1 in front of your current price." In other words if they were pricing their stuff at $500 change it to $1,500.

[S.Horton]

Sweet!

Title vote: Under cover

[kenyc]

I prefer not to answer that, but I would try to get as much as you can in your market. Granted I could get much more if I lived in NY or LA, but it depends on what your music category will support and then some. Some bands will piss and moan, managers will give you the "we don't have any money" routine, but yet the studio gets paid, the CD manufacturuer gets paid, and the graphic artist gets paid. I do not hear moaning so much since March because one of my artists won a Grammy in thier music category with my photos all over their package

Check this out www.leftyray.com/portfolio.htm (http://www.leftyray.com/portfolio.htm)

Here is one strategy I heard from some watercolor artist. They were told in a seminar, "If you work is not selling, put a 1 in front of your current price." In other words if they were pricing their stuff at $500 change it to $1,500.


No prob. Just curious, I probably will not be getting into this area anyway with my photography (I'm more of a landscape and nature photographer but have interests in many areas) and I do definitely appreciate creative CD covers and the effort it takes to create them.

Thanks Again and congrats on the notoriety from the Grammy, that's gotta go a long way!

Best Wishes,
KAC