The Mozes (promo shots) C&C

dazftw

1st time doing proper promo shots! Quite happy with the results.







Anything you dislike? I don't like shooting at night.. Its not as easy as shooting in daylight.

For more of the little details go here: http://daz0rz.wordpress.com/

stabo

Good work,the last pic looks the best.1st pic the guys seem to far away.

Morrisseeee

My humble opinion, since you asked The 2nd one is my fav. On the last one> I don't like the fact that the frontman's face is much brighter than the other guys ! On the 1st one> its an interesting angle, but the fact that nothing 'grabs' me on the left hand side leaves me going...."mmmm....not sure about this one".... (sorry!!).

magicbastarder

they look bored, which doesn't help the photos.

AnimalRights

I like the overall effect/ideas you had, not quite there IMO though.

#1 They do seem a bit too far away and a tad too much empty space to the left, the vocalist's (I assume) face also seems a bit blown.

#2 Pretty good but the least favourite compisition for me, I don't quite know why.

#3 My favourite but again the vocalists face seems blown.

Btw would've been so much better to C&C these on a larger size.

oshead

Very good for your first time. Probably their first time too. They look like they are posing for the shots and are waiting for the shutter and flash. It's making it look slightly unnatural.

#1 The light looks off in this. It's hitting the grass on the left of the group. Is this on purpose? Maybe adding a prop to that area would help balance the image. The guy in the middle with the red top cuts the image in half and makes it quite uncomfortable to look at. He should be standing on the right side of the group. This would help to keep your eye from straying out of the image. The horizon is a little slanted.

#2. The composition is wrong with this. The horizon is intersecting with their heads. Thus, too much detail surrounding their heads. Head's of your subjects should be clean. You could move them either up or down. The horizon is a little slanted here too.

#3. I like this the best. It's easy to look at and the positioning of the heads look natural. The only thing I can see with this is the imbalance with the exposure. The two guys on the left seem to be standing in the shadows of the others.

AnimalRights

That is a quite brilliant C&C Dave, I think the things I wasn't sure of you basically supplied the answers but obviously I hadn't worked it out or knew enough about lighting/flash.

challengemaster

Nice attempt for 1st time anyway

I'd say, if you were shooting #2 on seamless, it'd be perfect... apart from what dave pointed out, it seems perfect.

Don't like 3 at all, exposures aren't equal (on purpose?) and they're all not in focus. You've also managed to give the main subject a double chin....

To get them all properly exposed, you need to create as large a lightsource as possible... Umbrella/Softbox as the main light (preferably a MASSIVE softbox) and move it back enough from them so you get high enough f-stop to have everyone in focus.

From flickr:
Exposure: 0.3
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 22 mm
ISO Speed: 320

First off....22mm, even at f/4...you were too close. Back off, use a zoom. After that, you're talking f/5.6-f/8 to get them all in focus due to staggering.. I don't know why you were working at ISO320 either...could be the cause of blow-out areas?

mehfesto

I really like them.

Can see the point of them in context too - which helps. The first is a perfect band promo, I think. There's space there for their logo/name etc. It's different and it gives a feel of the band too. Really like it. It's a bit different too and the background is nice - especially if there was a write up on them and it talked about their hometown etc. (Which you get a lot with new Irish bands)

The second one is okay, but the clash of the colour and their faces in the background is all that's wrong with it.

The last one is great. Really nice. Only thing is if it was going to HotPress or what-have-you, it wouldn't really set them apart from any other band (photo-wise, like), other than the quality of the light.


I think they're great. People will always critique you here, but there is a common idea here that there is a perfect picture. Which when you dissect it, usually boils down to being something very bland/safe/unoriginal. That's not what bands are about. You need to push their image with your images!

You have your own style. I wouldn't change anything you're doing if I were
you!

dazftw

Thanks for all the comments lads.. A few answers to it.

1st off this wasn't the planned area I wanted to do it. We were supposed to get onto a dock beside it. It would have been way more ideal a lot more level and no pointless grass. The fence had been welded shut since a few days ago I reckon so I was essentially shooting in an overgrown field.

The guys wanted a "city look" with a skyline in the background. They wanted some dead space to the right and left (for website plans) and the 3rd shot they wanted something like THIS The darkness and focus was intentional. As for being a blown? I can still see details in his face I would say a lot brighter but not blown.

magicbastarder said they looked bored that's probably cause I told them to look natural and they were all having a laugh and I took about 50 shots. They came out great. The only problem was I had to leave the shutter open for 2 - 4 seconds for the skyline in the background to come into the shot. So 99% of this had some sort of blur. Its only when I told em keep as still as possible I got good ones. I do agree though they look bored and I hate that. I was explaining to them that's one thing I didn't want.

I think that answers all? If not say so ill answer some more.

melekalikimaka

i like them, cept i think its a wee bit ott on the contrast/saturation, personal taste maybe

Thecageyone

2nd one stands out for me. The third would be better if you lifted the other faces, as said, the front man's face is too bright [or the other's are too dark]

Some dodging in Cs or exposure adjusting in LR would fix it in seconds though.

I shot a band recently too, but in daylight. They were much younger, and very nervous. Your guys look confident enough. That surely helps.

smelltheglove

Ok so nice shots, heres my 2 cents.

Number 2, did you use a starlight filter? I can see the starry effect on lamposts or something between heads of the first guy to the left and the other 3, it draws my attention away from the lads.

My other issue my be a non issue. I take it you are bringing the singer to the forefront? Now as the wife of a singer this may be strange to some but I honestly believe the band are better treated as a unit than singer and band and here it just seems that the singer is the main point of focus.

Now, although the lighting is more harsh on the first 2 than some would like I like it, makes them that bit more edgy. The first is my favourite and as above there is room for the band logo too. I think for a finished product personally I'd add a texture to the image. Usually doing this I create a texture layer then on the background layer I would select an area around the point of focus, oval, square, circle whichever suits but I usually choose an oval, 250 feather, copy and then paste above the texture layer so as the texture is not covering the band. I know Im not the best at explaining things but I hope you can understand that, try it, if you dont like it bin it.

Oh one last thing, I dont like the last one, mind the band might, I shot band promo shots and the band in question used my least favourite picture for the back of their album.

dazftw

smelltheglove wrote: »

Ok so nice shots, heres my 2 cents.

Number 2, did you use a starlight filter? I can see the starry effect on lamposts or something between heads of the first guy to the left and the other 3, it draws my attention away from the lads.

My other issue my be a non issue. I take it you are bringing the singer to the forefront? Now as the wife of a singer this may be strange to some but I honestly believe the band are better treated as a unit than singer and band and here it just seems that the singer is the main point of focus.

No filters on number 2. I reckon it was just the shutter was at 2 seconds.

Having the singer in the front was something they wanted. I have a few more with them all together but I decided to only upload 3 and not be having loads you know?

smelltheglove

dazftw wrote: »

Having the singer in the front was something they wanted. I have a few more with them all together but I decided to only upload 3 and not be having loads you know?

If thats what they want then thats what they get. I just know so many bands that hate it this way, as each member is irreplaceable in their own way.

I'd probably clone out the stars but again its up to you, just that these were really the thing that drew my eye most.

Barname

they look vacant and depressed.

was that what was sought?

dazftw

Barname wrote: »

they look vacant and depressed.

was that what was sought?

What I said earlier

I told them to look natural and they were all having a laugh and I took about 50 shots. They came out great. The only problem was I had to leave the shutter open for 2 - 4 seconds for the skyline in the background to come into the shot. So 99% of this had some sort of blur. Its only when I told em keep as still as possible I got good ones. I do agree though they look bored and I hate that. I was explaining to them that's one thing I didn't want.

Barname

dazftw wrote: »

What I said earlier

I told them to look natural and they were all having a laugh and I took about 50 shots. They came out great. The only problem was I had to leave the shutter open for 2 - 4 seconds for the skyline in the background to come into the shot. So 99% of this had some sort of blur. Its only when I told em keep as still as possible I got good ones. I do agree though they look bored and I hate that. I was explaining to them that's one thing I didn't want.

dont be so hard on yourself

you may have caught them perfectly

off topic.... in 2010 I dont know how much room there is for another jaded, bored, not willing to share some energy band there is...

dazftw

Im going upload a happy one onto pix.ie and post it here give us 5 mins.. I was just comparing them there.

grass is pissing me off more and more though

AnimalRights

There is some black type halo behind them now?
and while they are happier in this pic they don't like like a band now but just a few mates having a laugh.

AnimalRights

Don't feel too pee'd off, you've learnt alot from this experience and thread....I know I have!
What makes Photography so addictive, always room for improvement, I mean I have no more improvement in my footy skills.

dazftw

Yeah there some good advice and not so good advice. Under the circumstances I reckon I did alright.

The haloing is probably the flash thats behind them point at there backs its supposed to make them "stick" out a little more.

DotOrg

dazftw wrote: »

quite like this, nice space for use on the website/posters etc. modern lighting, great colours, love the texture of the grass. horizon isn't straight and band look either bored or inexperienced at doing shoots. it's the photographers job to relax the band and help them look a bit more interesting/cool

dazftw wrote: »

good press shot. again, horizon not straight and the light on their faces is too harsh, a simple umbrella would have softened this up. but like the light on the sides of their faces

dazftw wrote: »

terrible exposure, far to wide angle, hard light on the front mans face, leading to double chin etc. again, needs a more subtle softer light here. if the guys in the background aren't the main focus of the shot, they shouldn't all be looking at the lens like they are.

overall, some good ideas, need to flesh them out, play with light modification a lot more. add in some umbrellas, reflectors etc