First Band Group Shot

[londonblue007]

Ok, here's what happened. Six Day Slide asked me to tag along on a photo shoot and interview with a local/regional paper to document the "behind the scenes" stuff. I gladly agreed, and off we went.

Well, today, we got 8 Inches of snow here in wonderful ole New England, on top of the 12 we got Friday! So, while the Interview went on (in a nice warm Starbucks), the photo shoot was canceled. The band asked that I take a few quick shots inside the Starbucks to provide to the paper. (I'm paid by the band, and will get credit in the paper for the shot, if anyone was wondering)

I had nothing with me except my 50D and my 24-70. I was expecting an outdoor thing afterall, and I was documenting.

So, first band (non-live) shot. How'd I do?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3296/3126405172_932c8bbf13_b.jpg

[DwightMcCann]

Part time bands are like amateur models, they have a fear of smiling! I would have preferred better light on the back two and no coffee cups. I think in an unexpected shoot it gets even more important to ask what each element contributes ... and if the answer is nothing, get rid of it ... this isn't a Starbucks Ad! :-) But, getting anything decent is also a big win ... so from that perspective, good job.

[londonblue007]

Part time bands are like amateur models, they have a fear of smiling! I would have preferred better light on the back two and no coffee cups. I think in an unexpected shoot it gets even more important to ask what each element contributes ... and if the answer is nothing, get rid of it ... this isn't a Starbucks Ad! :-) But, getting anything decent is also a big win ... so from that perspective, good job.


Thanks Dwight. We were actually told by our PR chick to leave the Starbucks cups in any shot. (it's a PR thing about $ or something, she was rather adamant about it. But, we cleared away the empty plates and trash. :D

Ditto on the lighting thing, and the smiles, but I agree with your last statement. (Especially since I wasn't set up at all to do what they asked me to do)

[blackshadow]

Apart from the comments Dwight made above I would have made sure that the hands weren't cut off the way they are... for some reason that disturbs me. Also it looks like it needs a bit of post processing to correct WB and give it a bit more pop.

[Compact Diss]

I would have taken them outside with the snow!

[snyderman]

I'm in a band as well. Sorry to report that your photo says absolutely nothing about 'we're in a band.' You guys don't look like musos, the setting says 'we hang out at starbucks.'

Sorry to be a downer, but you did ask! :confused:

dave

[Eyelikedurt]

I think Starbucks have apolicy that they don't actually allow any photography on their premises, so you did well to sneak some shots :D

I've been asked to stop photographing in a Starbucks before .... not sure of the reasoning though.

In your shot i'd be tempted to clone out the cups just so it's about the band, and not about a coffee chain that doesn't need any more exposure than it already has.

[René Damkot]

Framing is off: Too much headroom, and cut off hands.

Lighting on the guy in the front right is good, on the front left is okay, in the back not so.


I think I'd crop this one as a pano.
Q&D in PS, including a bit of brightening the guys in the back (which gives horrendous color shifts in the jpg)

[londonblue007]

Hey All. Thanks much for the insight and thoughts. I personally do not like the shot. But it's all we were able to do.

Compact Diss, Outside shots were out of the question with 1-2 in/hour rates, it just wouldn't work, especially with the random wind directions and almost white out conditions where we were. I would have gotten more snow on the lens then anything...

Rene, Since the photo is going to a newspaper, I'm not too worried about crops, since they are going to do their own thing anyway. I'd rather give them the wider crop then not enough to work with...

dave (snyderman), I agree with your comments, and wish I could have done something different, but my original goal in being there wasn't what I ended up doing, so from that point of view, I feel ok about the shot.