30: Preparing for a photo session
with Beth Stewart
How should an artist prepare for a photo session?
Hmmm, so I think it's super important to find a photographer that you have the vibe with. Someone who you can talk with easily someone who has a good understanding where you're going and someone who isn't going to just impose their own artistic vision on you. You want that to be a collaboration. I always recommend putting together a Pinterest board, pulling together lots of different visual ideas. It's the same way as when you go in for a haircut, right? You want to show them what you're thinking, so that you make sure you're speaking the same language.
I think that in the process of putting together that Pinterest board, you're also doing research, and you're getting inspiration for different color palettes, and different lighting ideas, different poses, or locations. I think that I would recommend a variety of looks.
So I'd say at least three: one in sort of whatever your typical concert gear is, one in something more approachable, and then a third that sort of whatever pleases you. I'm a big fan of what I think of as personality-driven shots. So I love a genuine laugh. I love it when you feel like the person is mid-sentence, and you can get a sense for like, what excites them where they're headed.
I think that unless it's just a disgustingly stunning shot or just a truly gorgeous vista that the photo should be about you. So I want to see your face. I want to have a sense of your expression. I think that there are instances when, you know, vertical shots make sense, but they're few and far between. I see so many artists come through with vertical shots that can't be used that often. Websites almost always want horizontal sort of banner image feel. Programs often are cut into squares. Social media often has to crop vertical images to meet their kind of most vertical maximum (that wasn’t good English, but you guys know what I mean). So I always recommend shooting horizontal – you can always crop the vertical if you want but it's a lot trickier to Photoshop in the horizontal background from a vertical shot.
I would also highly recommend, and I think that's something people talk about – you need some negative space. I one of my clients have this gorgeous shoot with like these incredible personality driven photos. And almost all of them are vertical and like cutter off mid arm, which meant that there was no amount of Photoshopping that could make those photos more usable. You want to have negative space around your body in the images, both so that you have some room to work with cropping, and also so that if this photo has been used to promote an event that text can be added around you or other people's shots can be Photoshopped in. You want to give yourself room to work. So I would definitely advise asking for some negative space.