# Tips for taking band photos



## ddeerreekk (Jul 12, 2009)

I'm in a band and am pretty involved with the music scene in my city, so I figured merging my photography into music would be a good niche for me. I have a number of bands that I could photograph and I really want to do this seriously, since it's kinda my ideal 'job'.

Anybody have some good tips or links to tutorials that would help me out? I'm looking for photos similar to ones like those by Joey Lawrence (Joey Lawrence Fine Art - click commercial  > music) or Dave Hill (Dave Hill Photography).

I'm not really looking for technical lighting or pp tips to achieve that 'look', but rather tips on posing, location, getting ideas and stuff like that. I really want to find a cool location do these in but it also should have some plug ins available for the lights and stuff.

Thanks, any help or insight is appreciated. 
Derek


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## Garbz (Jul 13, 2009)

Oh err. Tips on location? Know the band. If it's a hiphop band then put them in a street, if it's a folk band then put them in a park, if it's a heavy metal band, then put them against a very rough looking studio. Any rock band looks awesome hunched over a mixing desk when posed and lit right.

That's the real tricky thing. Trying to convey their music with only a camera.


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## ddeerreekk (Jul 14, 2009)

Garbz said:


> Oh err. Tips on location? Know the band. If it's a hiphop band then put them in a street, if it's a folk band then put them in a park, if it's a heavy metal band, then put them against a very rough looking studio. Any rock band looks awesome hunched over a mixing desk when posed and lit right.
> 
> That's the real tricky thing. Trying to convey their music with only a camera.



What's the best *cheap* option for taking on location photographs with your strobes? Obviously if there's a plug in within extension cord distance you could use that, otherwise is there any type of alternative that's not going to break the bank?

Also, I know of some good abandoned buildings that would be cool, but who would I have to contact in order to get permission?

Thanks,
Derek


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## JerryPH (Jul 14, 2009)

2-3 speedlights... you can pick them up used between 20 and 150 bucks, that and a couple lightstands and maybe an umbrella or two and some wireless triggers are good.  

To get permission... the band's agent or the band leader themselves if they have no agent and the owner of the location where the shots happen... IN WRITING.  Abandoned buildings... you will never get permissions to get in there, so take your chances and do it, or just find better places to go to.


Positioning, lighting... impossible to give you tips short of... get the basics of photography down, practice like crazy.  Maybe visit, read, learn, master lighting from over at www.strobist.com and their lighting 101 and 102 courses.


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## ddeerreekk (Jul 14, 2009)

JerryPH said:


> 2-3 speedlights... you can pick them up used between 20 and 150 bucks, that and a couple lightstands and maybe an umbrella or two and some wireless triggers are good.



Sorry, to clarify, I'm not looking for cheap lights (I already have all my lights), but I cheap way to use them on location (a mobile power source, basically). I assume I'd have to get a generator or something? Or possibly something that you can charge up before hand?


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## Garbz (Jul 15, 2009)

Car battery + sine inverter would probably be the cheapest option but that would still set you back about half as much as for an example an alienbee's battery pack or a small honda generator.


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## AlexColeman (Jul 15, 2009)

If you have speedlights, why an external power source?


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## ddeerreekk (Jul 15, 2009)

AlexColeman said:


> If you have speedlights, why an external power source?



I just have studio strobes, not speedlights. Do they just take batteries or what?


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## jmoore7507 (Jul 15, 2009)

My husband is a photographer who does mostly bands and on location.  He uses the Vagabond.  Its a battery that you plug in to the wall to charge then take it to the location, plug in your lights, turn it on, and you're ready to go.  It's like $300 new, you might be able to find them cheaper on ebay.  The price might seem high, but my husband uses his for just about every shoot (weddings, senior portraits, etc.) and we've taken it all over the country and its awesome.   It's a great investment!  AlienBees: Vagabond Portable Power System


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## ddeerreekk (Jul 15, 2009)

jmoore7507 said:


> My husband is a photographer who does mostly bands and on location.  He uses the Vagabond.  Its a battery that you plug in to the wall to charge then take it to the location, plug in your lights, turn it on, and you're ready to go.  It's like $300 new, you might be able to find them cheaper on ebay.  The price might seem high, but my husband uses his for just about every shoot (weddings, senior portraits, etc.) and we've taken it all over the country and its awesome.   It's a great investment!  AlienBees: Vagabond Portable Power System



Approximately how many lights does he plug into it and how many shots does it last?


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## KmH (Jul 15, 2009)

AlienBees: Vagabond Portable Power System


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## Paparoksguitar (Jul 15, 2009)

KmH said:


> AlienBees: Vagabond Portable Power System



theres a vagabond on ebay right now for about 200 i checked it this morning so. You never know could be more.


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## JerryPH (Jul 15, 2009)

I own a new Vagaond II battery pack and love it for powering my studio head when portability is needed.  It was brand new for $299, and thats a STEAL compared to other products on the market.  It comes with it's own small battery and inverter and has enough "jiuce" to power my 1000 W/s head for 300 full power shots... 600 if you use 1/2 power.

If that is not enough, you can attach an external car battery to it and that is good for 1200-1500 full power blasts.

The Vagabond II is the most reasonably priced portable battery pack on the market.  As a matter of fact, if you wanted to make it yourself, all you *may* save is 20-30 bucks, but need to take the time to purchase the SLA battery and pure sinewave inverter yourself and put it all together, making the end product cost you more, if you value your time to even minimum wage levels.

Just a quick note... you want a *Vagabond II* unit, not the older original Vagabond units.  They had a few issues with reliability and longevity that were addressed with the newer ones.


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## Paparoksguitar (Jul 15, 2009)

JerryPH said:


> I own a new Vagaond II battery pack and love it for powering my studio head when portability is needed.  It was brand new for $299, and thats a STEAL compared to other products on the market.  It comes with it's own small battery and inverter and has enough "jiuce" to power my 1000 W/s head for 300 full power shots... 600 if you use 1/2 power.
> 
> If that is not enough, you can attach an external car battery to it and that is good for 1200-1500 full power blasts.
> 
> ...



lol that last note is amazing thanks jerry. umm stray away from the vagabond on ebay then its a I. i was looking at those before. pretty slick.


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## Cinka (Jul 20, 2009)

I shoot bands from time to time and it really depends on their style of music. You'll also find that most bands already have an idea of the look they're going for - if not a broad idea of what they want it to feel like. I like to have meetings with them over drinks and discuss their ideas. It's fun, you get to know them better, and it will show you really care about THEIR vision too.


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## jmoore7507 (Jul 23, 2009)

Approximately how many lights does he plug into it and how many shots does it last?[/QUOTE]

He usually just uses one or two lights depending on how many people, bands usually require two.  He uses Alien Bees B800s.  I think the battery pack only has one outlet, he uses a serge protector (is that what they're called?) with a bunch of outlets.  As for how many shots it lasts, he's done two four-hour shoots without recharging it.  It has never died during a shoot or ever really.  If you want to check out some of his photos he's done like a hundred band promos and most of them are on his site:  colbymoore.smugmug.com


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## JerryPH (Jul 23, 2009)

A Vagabond II battery pack can power multiple lights, and as long as they are not the big guns (1000 W/s and up), or are not use at full power (bands are normaly shot in low light situations anyways), you will get hundreds of shots out of a single Vagabond II.

I can get something like 600-700 shots with my Vagabond II unit with a single Photogenic 2500DR studio head (1000 W/s) at 1/2 power off a single charge.  It could likely do more, but that is as far as I have taken it in one day.


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