hi guys! well i am so excited today because i just was offerred a job to take photos of a very popular local band. they have classy gigs every week and are wanting some new images to use for promotional reasons. i just about fell out of my chair when i realized they wanted to "hire" me...for MONEY!!!! LOL! one of the medical assistants i work with is lead singer of this band, and she's seen my photography and was impressed with it, and she's also seen some of the images that were printed out (not by me but by another RR member who printed some of my images and mailed them to me for Christmas!!!!) He's been encouraging me to print some of my images onto notecard paper and then sell them. anyway, i was showing the doctors and my coworkers what he did with my photos. (two of our docs are artists). anyway, i guess she liked what she saw. well, with only having one arm, i can't take photos for her now. she wanted me to take pics next week after i get my cast off!!! i told her i want to wait until my arm heals because i don't know what kind of range of motion i'll have once i get my cast off. i'm told it won't be good and that's why i need physical rehab. anyway, we've decided to wait until april or may for me to take the photos. they play outdoor gigs a lot in spring and summer, and that's what she wants to me photograph!!! I'm glad i have some time to prepare because i'm REALLY nervous. I told her no way would i take money from them. This will be great experience for me, and besides, i'm worried i will flop!!!!! she kept insisting they will take care of me. Anyway, i know this is not like getting hired for real since i work with this lady, but still, I'm verrrrrrry excited (and also nervous!!!) i asked her if kemal can come and shoot too, and she said yes! It'll be fun!! And maybe if we do good, the two of us will land some other jobs!! I'm sure if we do well, she'll recommend us to her other musician friends and to people who need wedding photographers!!! so besides getting more familiar with shooting with my new cam, i need to do some practicing of action shots with people. so that's gonna be my own personal challenge these upcoming months. For those of you who have taken pictures of bands, i would love to have advice or for you to tell me about your experiences!!! I don't wanna fail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thanks guys!!! hugz, sheila

WAY COOL!! Be careful - it's liable to become addictive! If you ask me, details is where it's at when shooting something like this. Instead of just a shot of the lead singer, maybe something closer up showing the bead of sweat rolling down his/her cheek as the lyrics get belted out. Try to capture the personalities of the musicians (and cover you butt with plenty of "generic" shots of all members of the band). It's pretty easy to get locked into one or two members - they may be mode animated, prettier - whatever - try to give a fairly even representation of all the members (at this point, their paycheck is your paycheck - you don't want to spark animosity within the band with a bunch of "How come YOU always get YOUR picture taken and there's none of ME?" Another thought - hit them up with a full presentation of your capabilities - probably a bit more than just shooting. I started shooting for a local band a while ago - simply on spec. I went to a local concert at a local restaurant, asked them if they minded if I took a few shots - afterwards, asked them if they had an e-mail address where I could sent the shots I took. I mocked-up a flagrant rip-off of the Beatles' Let It Be cover, and they went nuts! (Of course, I had to let them know that this was strictly a "capabilities" image - not for reproduction - but it landed a promotional image shoot) You're pretty lucky that your group plays outdoors - these images were taken in an extremely low-lighting situation inside a musty bar. Hope the best for ya! Wolf

How exciting!

thanks so much for your advice and thoughts, Wolf!!! oh yeah, i'm SURE it could be addictive!!! Yeah, i too believe if i can capture the personalities of the band members that's what'll make the shots!! and making sure all members are given attention is definitely important as you say! And what i love is I'm give full artistic expression. My friend told me to wild if i want!! so that's exciting! You have a great attitude and i love how you just went about landing that promotional image shooting!! Great idea to show them my stuff!!! I will definitely do that! i want to get to some of their practice sessions and shoot, but after sunday, i won't have a day off until April...AND i'll be working 2nd shift. they'll be practicing when i'm working. *sigh*. That's really cool what you did with that cover!! you have any more pics of that band i can see? yeah, i'm really lucky they play outdoors!! Well they play in dance halls and stuff too, but in the summer, they play on the riverfront, at the pavillion at the zoo, and also at parks. and last summer i remember they played outdoors at some summer festivals. so I think that will really increase my chances for some successful shots!! here's a pic i took of the lead singer at work. she's just a fireball, always acting silly and is always totally hilarious! I don't think i've taken any cool action shots of people yet, so this will definitely be a challenge for me, but what an exciting one!! Thanks again, Wolf!!!!

Congrats! and take the money and save it for more equipment. Thats what I do. sell my work to support my addiction!

ooooh congratulations to you :D sounds like a lot of fun :D good luck with it and i hope it leads to more work for you

Sigh.... a star is born. Just don't forget us little folk when you're rich and famous. Lord I hope you don't become a member of the paparazzi.

"Yeah, I knew Sheila back when she was posting oranges and pears on Renderosity".

Hey... can you introduce me to Rod Stewart???

Message edited on: 01/27/2005 10:10

I read the tittle and imediately thought OH COOL!!! Congrats. Needless to say make sure you can use the photos for your portfolio if you want. IE. Ceep the negatives if you can and all that. I've heard some great horror stories about artists who are paid but whose art was literally CUT UP for the band ablum cover. Bsteph

Salutations and Celebrations! Congratulations....the Ding Wing has not held You back at all....the Lead Singer looks a Riot!

Special thanks to jim (b2amphot) who's been encouraging me for how many months now to print my photos and get them exposed to the public!!!! He's also the one who showed me what was possible if i took the time to print my images!!! he printed some of my images and sent them (and some other images) to me for Christmas. They turned out beautifully!! and i took them in to the doctors' office showing them off!!! and look what happened because he did that!!! Yippeeeee!!!! THANKS Bubba Jim!!! Me? a part of the paparazzi??? LOL!! Hey, I'll tell you what...when i sign a contract with Rod Stewart, I'll tell them i HAVE to have another media pass for you, okay!!!!!!! :) Hugest Hugz!!! Bsteph, you know i have NEVER printed any of my images?! Well, i guess i need to invest in a grrrrreat printer and start doing it. get a portfolio like you said. dr. magik...well, if the band decides to donate something to me i'll take it...but only if i do a bang up job. but i'm not gonna charge them. all if want is a sh_t-load of referrals if i do helluva a job for them!!!! that'll be payment enough for me!! shazz and tedz, thanks sooooo much!!! yep, brian, she's a riot alright!!!!!!! you come in sick to see the doctor, you'll leave with a huge-a_s smile on your face!!! she's the BOMB!!!!

Have a blast Sheila..... sounds fun!

I am, therefore I create.......
--- michelleamarante.com

Wowow, congratulations! That's fun! Earning money with it is nice, and a welcome aspect of photography! But not necessary. But see it as an expression of her admiration! Don't worry to flop. Just do what your mind gives you in, try it, point and shoot and look what you make! You CAN do it!

Hi Sheila , all the best for your job ! i an sure you will enjoy it. its wonderful to work with peoples. !!!!!!!!!!!! #:O) !!!!!!!!!!!! gerhard

always good to hear when one of our own makes the limelight!! :] congrat hugz sweetie

Sorry - you asked for me to post a few pics of th band I was shooting - got wrapped up in a bit of "overdue work" here are some pathetic shots from a very low-light situation (was forced to use a flash on a couple of them - but I really don't like "blasting" people with th eflash too often.

Another...

Did a quick outline of the previous shot and dropped it into a different envionment...

Wow, Wolf!!!!! I totally LOVE what you did with that second image!!!!!!! That was such a COOL idea to put him in that incredible environment!!! his reflection like that is is the BOMB, and that spectacular image you've dropped him is is just fantastic!!!! It totally ROCKS, and I can bet that guitarist LOVED this as much as i do!!! It would make a really neat poster!!! did i hear you say the word "pathetic??" 20 lashes with wet noodle!!! I think you did a helluva a job!! I know how hard those lighting conditions are!! that first one is pretty cool too!!! I love how you captured his stick like that!!!! Thanks SO much for sharing these, Wolf!!!!!! Thanks so much to the rest of you for the support and congrats!!! I just hope i do a bang-up job!!!!!!

Congrats Sheila, That was how I got my start in professional photography - shooting bands [with my camera of course]. Remember a couple things - be mindful of what they are wearing - if you are shooting for an album cover, make sure the members are not wearing any T-shirts with trademark logos, or other bands on the shirt - believe it or not, that can get you into problems if the band would ever want to use the image in a commercial venue. Also, don't forget to get out of the studio - I have shot in abandoned buildings, on railroad tracks, and even had the band members climb a telephone pole. If possible, get to know the band before you set up your shooting date. Listen to them play, or better yet - meet with them and find out their likes and dislikes. Most important - Have Fun! Dee-Marie

Wow, Dee-Marie!!! That's totally awesome that you got your career launched that way!!!!! Oh, I'm sooooooo glad you told me about watching out for trademark logos. I never even thought of something like that!!! I'll be sure to find out what their wardrobe will be ahead of time. Yeah, that would really suck to end up getting in trouble or the band getting in trouble because of something like that. The band members do want us to shoot outdoors. They have gigs just about every weekend, and in the warm months they play a lot of outdoor venues. So Kemal and I will shoot them in outdoor locations probably in May or June. They practice on Tues/Thurs, and after I get off light duty, I'll be back to having Wed/Thurs off so we can go to their practice sessions and jam with them. I know the lead singer very well from working with them, but I still haven't met the rest of band. I agree that getting to know everyone...their personalities, likes/dislikes is very important. I think when that happens, the photos are better. Wow, I can't believe you some band members climb a telephone pole!!!! How in the world did you ever come up with that idea???? Do you still have any pictures that you can share??? I would LOVE to see some!!!!!! Thanks so much again for telling me all this, and believe me, I definitely will have fun with it!!!!! Hugz, sheila