How to photograph musicians with their musical instruments?

Most professionals require certain tools or instruments to be able to perform or create their work. Musicians included. As creators, their musical instruments are an inevitable part of their everyday life and quality of their work. They spend hours in practice and usually carry their own instruments for their performances or rehearsals.

When photographing musicians with their music instruments you should keep in mind that it’s important to capture the essence of the artist, but also to compliment their pride towards their craft and tools.

Here are a few tips of what to keep in mind during your photoshoot:

• Don’t hide the person behind the object
  Not every professional (especially in the early stages of their career) is confident to be photographed. Some might try to hide their body or expression behind the instrument. Your job as a photographer is to capture the passion, the movement, but also the performer. Make sure you have enough frames of your subject with their instrument in movement/performing and also of them proudly posing with their instrument. Keep in mind how you crop your frames, how natural the image looks and how both musician and instrument stand together. Even if your sitters might not feel it at the time, later on they will thank you for sure.

• Reflections, reflections, reflections
  Most music instruments have glossy, shiny finishing that reflects not only the light but also the objects surrounding it. So, while you’re thinking about the framing and position of your subject, you should also keep an eye on the reflections that appear on the instruments. You don’t want to see a selfie of yourself or the backstage on your amazingly lit and positioned professional photographs. And more often than not, it’s easier to correct it on the spot, than later in Photoshop.

• No fingerprints
  One way to make your life and job easier is to make sure the instruments that you photograph are well polished and clean. This will not only save you a good amount of time in post production, but it will bring the best out of the item. It’s like when you like your shoes but if you polish them you fall in love with them again. Also the performer would feel more proud while posing for their photoshoot when they see their instrument shining bright. After all this is not a performance, but a photoshoot and you can take your time with every detail on the set. (Of course, this is not the case when you want to explicitly show the work marks of the craftsman on its equipment.)

• Environment
  A photoshoot of musicians with their instruments doesn’t necessarily mean live, stage performance. But the place where you do your photoshoot might be the same. When planning your shoot be clear with yourself and the brief (if there is one), what is the feel/effect that you’re going for. In or out of a music environment, your photographs can capture the essence, the vibe, even the sound…

How to photograph objects in a more creative way?

Why not in a way you would usually capture portraits?

As a portrait photographer, sometimes I find it hard to photograph images of still objects. Even during the quarantine this year, I challenged myself to experiment and shoot something outside my comfort zone. Interestingly enough, I found out that I’m definitely not a still life photographer. I’ve tried to move the positions of the object or the light, but something always wasn’t right in my opinion. In the end, I found it easier to arrange objects similar to the way I would usually position human beings.

This summer, during my photoshoots of musicians, I’ve met one of the three luthiers in Bulgaria, who make guitars. I was blown away - never seen or met anyone who makes musical instruments. His name is Stefan Kudef and he goes under the brand Qdeff Guitars - custom made boutique pieces, that sing in an incredible way. You can follow him and find more about his work on his Facebook page.

Beautifully crafted pieces, made with love and attention, but unfortunately not photographed in the best, most complimenting for them way. It hurt to see how such beautiful objects don’t have a proper online presence, so I’ve offered Stefan my photography services. We worked together on coming up with the place and time of the shoot. He insisted to be outdoor, by the sea or in a forest, so it matches the feel of the guitars and complements the wood they are made of.

We did the shoot at sunset, at a small out of town beach. As locals, we know many of those spots, so it was easy to just come up with the location and just drive to it. When we arrived, there were a few people that were about to leave, as the sun has already passed the horizon.

Even though we shot on one location only, I wanted to capture each guitar on a different background, complimenting its beauty. We had 3 guitars, 3 variations of Izabel.

I’ve used:

• 1 light

• Natural background

• Last colours of a sunset sky

• Natural stands, such as stones and broken stumb

How to give your location shoot a Spanish feel

Location shoots can be an endless playground for creation. From background variations and light scenarios to unexpected situations and interesting probs. Despite how prepared you are, sometimes it’s good to just go with the flow and enjoy the ride.

My Spanish inspired shoot was done in the busy, industrial city of Birmingham (UK), way away from Spain or anything that can bring the feeling of it. But - when you put your mind and skills into something you image, you get rewarded at the end.

It was all done with minimal equipment and a small budget:

• 1 model

• 1 dress

• 1 location

• 1 light

That’s it! Really, a photoshoot doesn’t need to be complicated to look beautiful. Your desire for creation is stronger than you might think. You just need to get out of your own way, as they say, (wink, wink).

> Model

It’s good to know your preferences even choosing a person for your photoshoot. When I think of Spanish women, I automatically imagine a dark-haired girl with red lips. However, this is my personal preference and you feel free to experiment with all looks and backgrounds you like. For this shoot, I’ve worked with the British singer Siobhan, who went into the Latino mood with ease.

> Styling

The styling for this shoot was brought up by my model, who had a quite clear idea of how she sees her playing the beautiful señora on a hot summer day. I give her my trust and we went with it. We used 1 dress by Pretty Little Thing and a few of her personal accessories. The look was finished with a bright red lipstick by Fenty Beauty, that complimented beautifully her face and gave the look that classic Spanish feel.

> Location

Believe it or not, this wasn’t something fancy or outside of town. In fact, is a local pub near my place, which I had my eye on for some time. The shoot was done during the lockdown for Covid-19 and the pub was just about to reopen after a long break. It’s a big branch of Toby Carvery in a beautiful old building with a spacious courtyard, beautifully arranged with flowers and trees. I chose a few different spots that can give us the feel we were going too, but distant enough from the reality of the location. Not as a cheat, but more like a personal preference.

> Light

Last but not least and in fact the most important - the light! Unlike the typical recommendations of using the golden hour, this shot was done at noon on one of the hottest days in England this year. I’m a huge fan of daylight and used to take it for granted when growing up in Bulgaria. During most of the year on a sunny day, you can shoot from sunrise to sunset without a problem. No need to check the forecast or stress around it - the sun is not going anywhere. But in the UK is quite different - you need to use the sunlight when it’s there and not when you feel like it, because more often than not the forecast changes like, I like saying a woman’s mood.

So for this shoot, I’ve used the sharp noon sunlight and 1 strobe light to fill out the shadows. That’s all. I positioned my model in front and behind the sun, and also under trees so I can use the shawls of the leaves making her look like she is in an out-of-town county house. Yes, the red English bricks are still part of the picture, but despite being a traditional park for British architecture, I think it macked the Spanish feel we went for.

Additional tips…

> Poses - positioning your model to match the feel you’re going for is an essential part of the process too. When I think of the Spanish theme, I imagine sensual, feminine poses, flowers, and dress that compliments and sculpture in a beautiful way the model’s body. So be aware and look where hands, feet, and hips go. Don’t be afraid to ask them to move or adjust. When photographed, most people are focused on the camera and don’t think about how their hands and legs move. It’s your job as a photographer to make them comfortable and adjust their physique in the best way for beautiful results.

> Keep it simple - Be mindful of the number of accessories you add on. I like to keep it minimal, focused on the model and their captured energy than overlapping it with accessories. It’s your vision and preferences, but be mindful of how busy your location background is and what catches the eye first when looking at the photographs.

> Play! - Remember to have fun and enjoy the process. Experiment, move around your model and use the sun in different ways. Take breaks if you need to, and wait if you can for the perfect position of the sun.

This is how I did a Spanish themed photoshoot in England on one of the hottest summer days for 2020. You really don’t need much to create anything you put your mind into.

Location shoot with the music band LSDD

Despite the global situation with Covid, I’ve managed to travel back home and make the most of my time there. My home city has always been an inspiration to me - form the beach, to forests and cityscapes all the way to… old airplanes? - why not!

I’ve had already arranged with the music band LSDD to photograph them on location. And “strangely” enough their upcoming second album is about a story involving a plane crash in an area around Varna. So it couldn’t be more perfect! The only big thing I needed to figure out was how to arrange everything and everyone. This was my very first time photographing a band and I can’t lie - I did feel very nervous. But what a better way to release a fear than facing it straight on? Luckily they are such a funny bunch of people and I’ve had way too much fun doing my job than I actually expected.

The plane itself was on my location list for a long time. I didn’t know how exactly it looks like, how big it is or what else is around it. But from what I had seen from others who had been there, I knew I want to go and create there.

I stared my preparation advance. I was going home only for 3 weeks and I had to fit everything in. I arranged the time, styling and feel of the shoot with the band in advance. Once I landed in Varna and before the actual photo shoot, I went to see the plane to gain an idea about the size and space around it. To see how I can work with this massive prop, that later on we turned into a photography set.

So 1 week later with 4 cars full of equipment, snacks and drinks, 7 of us went and had a blast. As it is an unsupervised area, there was a lot of rubbish I didn’t wanted on my photographs. So firstly we cleaned up the ‘set’ and covered up a few bad graffiti.

We shot in front, at the back, on the side, inside and on top of the plane from afternoon to after dark, catching the gorgeous, gold sunset light in between. As it usually happens on sets, we had some technical issues, but nothing major than could stop us of achieving the desired result. We brought a smoke machine and colourful stage light with us to add on to the feeling.

I had a great support by my assistant Jivko Manev, without whom it would’ve been much harder to achieve the results I wanted. Plus he did a great #BTS drone video of the whole shoot.

Overall, the shoot went well, we had loads of fun and I learned a lot more about woking on location, with group of new people and patiently managing every obstacle that comes round. I can’t wait to work agin with L.S.D.D. and Jivko Manev!

You can listen to L.S.D.D. on YouTube or Spotify.
And also make sure you check out Jivko’s music band

First Online Shoot via Facetime

Last weekend I did my first online shoot with the inspiring yogini Lena. And we went like that from Birmingham to Barcelona in no time!

Lena is a passionate yoga teacher based in Barcelona. Her classes are very gentle and easy flowing. Even though she teaches mainly in Spanish, I love joining them online. The calmness of her voice is very relaxing to listen to when practicing yoga. The environment every teacher creates by the way they teach and interact, even being online, matters most to the person experiencing it. You can find Lena on Instagram as @yoganidrasana and even join a live practice.

Our initial photo plans were canceled due to the Coronavirus situation. Lena and I had already scheduled a shoot in Barcelona for the end of April, so despite the whole madness the power of the internet actually made it happen, but just in a slightly different format. Furthermore, creativity on its own is a savior, despite stressful situations and limited resources. It has helped me many times before. I have days when I just want to throw my camera away and move to my village house, but I find a way and go back to creativity, sometimes defeated, miserable, and needy. But the creative force gives me back something every time. It’s like the relief when you slide down into the hot bubble bath and feel hugged by the warm water.

This online shoot was done via Facetime, with no camera tethering. I saw a few online shoots done around social media, but I wasn’t sure if it’s for me. However, we have some time so why not give it a try.

I’ve had a great session with Lena. Seeing how the sunlight interrupts our conversation with its mighty beauty, I truly felt Barcelona <3

The quality of the images does remind in a way of a film negative. I guess it has been long enough now that we‘ve developed a nostalgia for low-resolution webcam photographs. And let’s not forget the emotion. That those aren’t just someone’s low res photos randomly taken but are captured moments of a time when you arranged, prepared, and did something that looks like this. Yes, you can take images all by yourself, but the feeling won’t be the same. There is a special moment when you’re being photographed - you’ve been seen, you’ve been acknowledged, you’ve been recorded.

I’m still not sure if this is something I like doing more of, simply because I don’t feel helpful enough. I don’t like the fact that the model is responsible for most on the things “on set”. I believe they need to be most relaxed actually so they can have a great experience. On the other side, it is a challenge when you’re not aware of the actual space around the subject. I’m a touch person - I like the physical side of things. I prefer to go to the place and see it with my eyes so that I know how to position the model in the space.

As a whole, I’m happy I tried this lockdown type of photoshoot. Even though I’m still not sure it’s for me, I’m keen to try some more times while the quarantine lasts. Sometimes I need a second or third try of things to make my decision.

I hope you’re safe and sane!