New pics based on your tips

[serissolutions]

OK, just a refresher:
1) I am a newbie but fast learner (only shooting for 2 months)
2) I did some self portraits which were disliked by almost everyone!
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=67110
3) I shot some new pics some based on your tips.

This is our drummer. Please critique.

Improvment? (BTW I like artistic dramatic shots, not portrait style shots)

http://www.serissolutions.com/photos/images/Fine_Art/Jack.jpg

http://www.serissolutions.com/photos/images/Fine_Art/Cant_See.jpg

http://www.serissolutions.com/photos/images/Fine_Art/Rock_Drummer.jpg

ok SORRY I EDITED THIS ORIGINAL POST. I CHANGED 2 AND 3. THESE ARE FAR BETTER

[drisley]

These are MUCH better than the first batch.
I really like #1.
#2 and #3 would be better if the hat didn't block most of your face.

[jfrancho]

These are nice shots, but they won't seperate you from the crowd.

[serissolutions]

These are nice shots, but they won't seperate you from the crowd.

Agreed. Man this is hard.

[jfrancho]

I still say go with the glamour thing. Don't worry about what everyone else says about "image," I'm sure the music speaks for itself. At least that is what I keep telling myself...
BTW, I'm in a band too, more of a lo-fi, indy/jazz thing though. In my neck, you gotta do whatever you can to get noticed. We've taken to erratic set lengths and communist imagery to keep clubs/listeners/soundguys/mySpace dorks/booking agents... on their toes. I think it probably just annoys them. At least we are in their thoughts....

[smittymike19]

These are nice shots, but they won't seperate you from the crowd.

hey I think just being in the crowd is pretty good. :) but really the first one is the best, i love the lighting. 2 and 3 are ok, but they are giving off that air of cheesiness again. (sorry). if you need just one shot, go with number 1 and call it a day, it kicks butt. how did you do the lighting?

[jfrancho]

Take some inspiration from these: http://www.knuthaugen.no/danseband/

[serissolutions]

I have several high watt lamps I use. Mostly garage lights. Those work awesome and are far cheaper than studio lights...
Dont worry about the cheesy comment, no need to be sorry, I need to hear this to improve.

How about my second set?

[serissolutions]

Take some inspiration from these: http://www.knuthaugen.no/danseband/

OMG thats so bad man

[jfrancho]

hey I think just being in the crowd is pretty good.Yeah whatever works for you. I'll be watching TRL for you.

[jfrancho]

OMG thats so bad manSee what what I mean! Quit getting down on yourself. BTW, The last one is kind of cool.

[serissolutions]

HEY I JUST CHANGED PIC 2 AND 3 FROM THE ORIGINAL POST.
SORRY!
I THINK THESE 3 ARE BEST

[jfrancho]

What the!!??? Oh. I like number 2 then. Quit doing that.

[Jackal]

The pictures aren't that bad.

You remind me of my friend josh in those pictures. You wouldn't happen to live in Miami would you? JOSH IS THAT YOU? Heh.

[serissolutions]

Actually these arent self portraits. I have given up on them. My first set (other post), the cheesy ones were me ..lol!!
These are shots of our drummer...

[smittymike19]

Yeah whatever works for you. I'll be watching TRL for you.

hey i meant the shots were way better than the first ones, so now he is at least in the game. i think all of these shots (the2 new ones) are all great. i like 1 and 3 best. these are actually pretty cool. good job.

[smittymike19]

kinda remind me of photos for like cold play or an english band of some sort.

[smittymike19]

quick questions. how did you get these shots off in such low lighting? did you use a backdrop? how was the lighting done...u said you used some high powered light...can you elaborate? my nieces are spending the weekend..they are both very cool 11 year olds ( they both play guitar) , i try and do something cool with them when they are over, . they LOVE it. i have a million ideas that could utilize this lighting technique, as i want to get some cool shots with their guitars, and i dont have good lights.... imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...lol,

[DocFrankenstein]

I think that for 2 months and homebrewed lights the guy is a genius.

Kudos man

[smittymike19]

hey amn i had a brainstorm. i was thinking about how to do some cool shots for my nieces and i thought to my self, "who is famous for rock pics????" hmm, rolling stone? yeah they seem like they would have done 1 or 2 pics in the last 50 years...lol they ahve TONS of pics of the artists they have featured...I mean TONS...all searchable by names...check this out...
http://www.rollingstone.com/photos?pageid=rs.PhotosGallery&pageregion=nav

[Feihung08]

Agreed. Man this is hard.
Big difference from the first set my friend! And #1 is just damn cool! The pose is great (no glare into the camera or hand in the pocket ;)) I like the others too except for the nerdy "adjusting the glasses thing". The lighting works very well for me, because as you stated earlier, this is angled for a CD cover. #1 is great for this as it leaves some blank canvas for band name and title on the left. Although I'm not sure if your looking to put the drummer on the cover? Which I LIKE as I used to drum myself, but usually not the selling point for most bands. Great job man! Guitar player next?

[Feihung08]

hey amn i had a brainstorm. i was thinking about how to do some cool shots for my nieces and i thought to my self, "who is famous for rock pics????" hmm, rolling stone? yeah they seem like they would have done 1 or 2 pics in the last 50 years...lol they ahve TONS of pics of the artists they have featured...I mean TONS...all searchable by names...check this out...
http://www.rollingstone.com/photos?pageid=rs.PhotosGallery&pageregion=nav
Thats too damn funny Smitty! After looking at his first post, I jumped right over to RollingStone.com as well! But I didn't see any studio shots there, only "live" pics, so I didn't post it. Great minds think alike huh? ;)

[smittymike19]

Thats too damn funny Smitty! After looking at his first post, I jumped right over to RollingStone.com as well! But I didn't see any studio shots there, only "live" pics, so I didn't post it. Great minds think alike huh? ;)

you better get soem professional type help if you are thinking like me..:) If you look through the site, there are photos of each person/band.. There are live as well as posed shots. definitely more live stuff, but there are alot of posed pics too.

[serissolutions]

Oh man your comments are so encouraging. Thanx so much.

Ok someone asked about light setup. Here is mine:
1) Two 1000watt garage flood lights
2) Two 500 watt small garage flood lights
3) long black material hanging from my basement cieling

For these shots I used one set of my flood lights and I set the light tripod as high as possible. I used iso200, I forgot my shutter speed 60?, aperture was at 11 or so (sorry I dont know much about this stuff yet) just to lower the light exposure. My set up was something like that regarding my camera, I didnt write it down. Just trial and error.

Oh, I also used some cardboard to narrow the light to where I wanted it.

http://www.serissolutions.com/photos/studio.jpg

http://www.serissolutions.com/photos/hardlight.jpg

[symes]

For these shots I used one set of my flood lights and I set the light tripod as high as possible. I used iso200, I forgot my shutter speed 60?, aperture was at 11 or so (sorry I dont know much about this stuff yet) just to lower the light exposure. My set up was something like that regarding my camera, I didnt write it down. Just trial and error.

Just go into either Irvanfiew and I and then E and it will tell you the data on each pic. Or go into the software that came with the photo and it will also tell you all the EXIF data...

Cheers...

[smittymike19]

gotta love the ingenuity .. great job.

[exposingmyself]

there you are!

these arent self portraits. I have given up on them

NOOOOOOOOOOOO, you were doing so well! Keep looking at yourself and keep shooting. You should be your best inspiration. You're a handsome young man (gosh, i feel so old) and are very photogenic.

I still say go outside and try natual light. If you're looking for that dark mystique look go to a old landmark (i'm not saying go exactly to a place like this i'm just suggesting a mood). I'm thinking you're going for a dark mood. This can still be accomplished with natural day light (keep in mind different times of days, weather create different beautiful and natural lighting).

that second pic with the priority mail envelopes looks like a fire hazard. :evil:
i like what you did with the yellow playskool chairs though. :D

My photography Professor swears by this book (i haven't read it, i'm scheduled for studio photography in fall 05-can't wait!):

Matters of Light and Depth by Ross Lowell,
Publisher: Lower Light Management (April 1, 1999)
ISBN: 0966250400
$25 aprox.

[exposingmyself]

My professor also suggest his book:

Photographic Lighting: Essential Skills
John Child
Price: $29.95
ISBN: 0-240-51964-7
Published: 12/30/2004

GOOD LUCK!

this posting is weird, when i go advanced it takes me somewhere else. :confused:

[exposingmyself]

oop "this book" my prof is not John child.

[serissolutions]

there you are!



NOOOOOOOOOOOO, you were doing so well! Keep looking at yourself and keep shooting. You should be your best inspiration. You're a handsome young man (gosh, i feel so old) and are very photogenic.

I still say go outside and try natual light. If you're looking for that dark mystique look go to a old landmark (i'm not saying go exactly to a place like this i'm just suggesting a mood). I'm thinking you're going for a dark mood. This can still be accomplished with natural day light (keep in mind different times of days, weather create different beautiful and natural lighting).

that second pic with the priority mail envelopes looks like a fire hazard. :evil:
i like what you did with the yellow playskool chairs though. :D

My photography Professor swears by this book (i haven't read it, i'm scheduled for studio photography in fall 05-can't wait!):

Matters of Light and Depth by Ross Lowell,
Publisher: Lower Light Management (April 1, 1999)
ISBN: 0966250400
$25 aprox.


OK I will try self portraits again, just because you think it was a good start. I just feel like such an ass in front of the camera. I dont know why.
No one to motivate me and I have a little remote control in my hands. Cant SURPRISE myself with a shot... I will post them asap.

[drisley]

I think these 2 newest ones are great, especially considering they are self-portraits.
#1 and #3 are my favourites now.

[jfrancho]

Just thought I'd post this here:

http://www.knuthaugen.no/danseband/32madox81.jpg

[serissolutions]

Just thought I'd post this here:

http://www.knuthaugen.no/danseband/32madox81.jpg

Thats horrible man... Thats what I call cheesy... No offense. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Heres band photography that I think is excellent:
http://www.evanescence.com
http://www.godsmack.com/
http://www.eisley.com/
http://www.switchfoot.com/extrasmain.htm

[smittymike19]

Thats horrible man... Thats what I call cheesy... No offense. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Heres band photography that I think is excellent:
http://www.evanescence.com (http://www.evanescence.com/)
http://www.godsmack.com/
http://www.eisley.com/
http://www.switchfoot.com/extrasmain.htm

dude they are mor ephotoshopped than picture. great stuff, but its all collage and PS tricks. you could pull something like that off, but put away teh camera and get out the ps books. I think the godsmack one kicks arse. (the one on the home page). cool stuff, but heavily ps'd.

[jfrancho]

Another:

http://www.knuthaugen.no/danseband/5gertjonnys.jpg

[exposingmyself]

:lol: :lol: jfrancho:lol: :D

serious: i'm loving your progress. keep at it!

[exposingmyself]

:oops: oops, serissolutions

[serissolutions]

dude they are mor ephotoshopped than picture. great stuff, but its all collage and PS tricks. you could pull something like that off, but put away teh camera and get out the ps books. I think the godsmack one kicks arse. (the one on the home page). cool stuff, but heavily ps'd.

Dude I know that those are PS'd. But in order to do that I need good material, not portrait style shots. I need dramatic photography.
I have been working with PS for years in design.

[smittymike19]

yeah well maybe you dont need the great pictures that you think you do. take another look at the godsmack one. there is nothing special about the band, they are just shot straight on and then heavily processed.

[serissolutions]

yeah well maybe you dont need the great pictures that you think you do. take another look at the godsmack one. there is nothing special about the band, they are just shot straight on and then heavily processed.

Makes sense.
You are right... I will see what we can do.
We are launching our album next month and then we go on tour, the East Coast USA...

[Feihung08]

Oh man your comments are so encouraging. Thanx so much.

Ok someone asked about light setup. Here is mine:
1) Two 1000watt garage flood lights
2) Two 500 watt small garage flood lights
3) long black material hanging from my basement cieling

For these shots I used one set of my flood lights and I set the light tripod as high as possible. I used iso200, I forgot my shutter speed 60?, aperture was at 11 or so (sorry I dont know much about this stuff yet) just to lower the light exposure. My set up was something like that regarding my camera, I didnt write it down. Just trial and error.

Oh, I also used some cardboard to narrow the light to where I wanted it.

Hey man, love the set up! I too have been thinking of the same thing, but I just can't get myself to do it because those lights are too 'golden' and I really want a more 'white' light look and haven't been able to find a good 'frugal' alternative to studio lights. What kind of material is your back drop made of?

[Feihung08]

Another:

http://www.knuthaugen.no/danseband/5gertjonnys.jpg
jfrancho, your KILLING me with all those 'band' pics & links!! LMFAO!!!! :lol:

[markubig]

Another:

http://www.knuthaugen.no/danseband/5gertjonnys.jpg

Robin Hood Men in Tights?

http://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/images/smilies/tongue3.gifhttp://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/images/smilies/tongue3.gifhttp://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/images/smilies/tongue3.gif

[serissolutions]

Hey man, love the set up! I too have been thinking of the same thing, but I just can't get myself to do it because those lights are too 'golden' and I really want a more 'white' light look and haven't been able to find a good 'frugal' alternative to studio lights. What kind of material is your back drop made of?

No man theyre not yellow at all. Look at this one shot with the same set up:

http://www.serissolutions.com/photos/images/Promotional/08.jpg

Thats a self portrait.
Look at the light off my right hand, shoulder, hat, face.. Thats got a nice white color to it.
The reason why my other shots (guy with glasses) came out yellow was because of my camera settings. It was intentional. I could have made it look blue, if I wanted to, by changing my white balance.

I disagree. These lights are very white.

Regarding the backdrop material, I am not sure of what its made of. Seems like cotton polysester mix. Nothing special.
It looks very black in my shots because its far from the subject (6 feet) and my aperture is set to blurr it. Also, there is no light shining on it. I have makeshift barn doors on my lights.

[jfrancho]

Robin Hood Men in Tights?

http://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/images/smilies/tongue3.gifhttp://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/images/smilies/tongue3.gifhttp://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/images/smilies/tongue3.gifNo, Creepy Swedish Rockers with bad hair and matching outfits.

[Feihung08]

Oh, ok. That is definitely more white than what I saw before. But don't get me wrong, the pics of your drummer came out good....I like the lighting on them quite a bit. Methinks I'll have to hit up Home Depot on the way home!

And I gotta give ya big props for taking the time to post up the pics and descriptions of your creative set up! Ever since I've been here I've been hoping to run into more of that as I'm on a 'poor mans' budget!

Thanks!

[serissolutions]

Oh, ok. That is definitely more white than what I saw before. But don't get me wrong, the pics of your drummer came out good....I like the lighting on them quite a bit. Methinks I'll have to hit up Home Depot on the way home!

And I gotta give ya big props for taking the time to post up the pics and descriptions of your creative set up! Ever since I've been here I've been hoping to run into more of that as I'm on a 'poor mans' budget!

Thanks!

I thought Walmart had the best price. I paid $35 for each double flood light.
Also, they come in 500 watt (250 watts each light) and 1000 watt (500 each)versions. I have the 1000 watt version. Works great.

Also, I have a translucent umbrella I mount on each light for portraits and evan lighting. I am also planning on buying a third and maybe fourth light. Sheesh my wife is gonna kill me.

http://www.serissolutions.com/photos/studioshot.jpg

[Feihung08]

I thought Walmart had the best price. I paid $35 for each double flood light.
Also, they come in 500 watt (250 watts each light) and 1000 watt (500 each)versions. I have the 1000 watt version. Works great.

Also, I have a translucent umbrella I mount on each light for portraits and evan lighting. I am also planning on buying a third and maybe fourth light. Sheesh my wife is gonna kill me.

Thanks again for the info!
Do you reflect the light up into the umbrella which shines down on the subject?
And at this point are you even considering some 'actual' studio lights? I'm not sure what the pricing is , but maybe at least one at a time could fit into the budget?

[RbrtPtikLeoSeny]

Great improvement, number one is pretty damn good. I think you need to drop the whole in the dark sort of thing though. I think you need something that stands out, catches peoples eye. You want them to walk by that picture, see it in the corner of their eye so that they stop and look at it. Then go.... WOW! Be creative, use color, dramatic lighting, and most of all ACTION! Get your drummer slamming some drums, guitarist jumpin in the air doing his thing, the singer bent over backwards with the mike screaming out his lyrics. Something like that....... just be creative. :-)

Keep at it man, your getting better, and better.

[RJSorensen]

Ya done good . . .

[serissolutions]

Great improvement, number one is pretty damn good. I think you need to drop the whole in the dark sort of thing though. I think you need something that stands out, catches peoples eye. You want them to walk by that picture, see it in the corner of their eye so that they stop and look at it. Then go.... WOW! Be creative, use color, dramatic lighting, and most of all ACTION! Get your drummer slamming some drums, guitarist jumpin in the air doing his thing, the singer bent over backwards with the mike screaming out his lyrics. Something like that....... just be creative. :-)

Keep at it man, your getting better, and better.

Funny you say that, I just tried out some brighter shots. I will post a new thread in a minute.
Thanx for the encouragement.

[saltwater]

definately get an artist model! Like smitty said, check out other successful bands, and ones you personally- then you have a style you can work to rather than coming up with the whole lot yourself, just work with it and make it your own. Sometimes its hard to just go, "we need a photo, where do we do it!, Arrgh!"

But, in saying that, the above pictures have a lot more going for them than the first ones. I would have liked to seen a little more of the person though... but it depends what your going for... for a cd cover those would make cool shapes running along the sides of the blurbs, for example.