In this series, I explore what goes into to getting a shot. Feel free to ask me any questions in the comments and I’ll try to unlock any secrets. Thanks for reading.
Background Story
Katty Shack is one of Brevard County, Florida’s most loved bands. The band specializes in 80’s music and has a huge loyal following. I met the band through Brooke, a model friend of mine. Her boyfriend at the time –now husband– Tom is a founding member. Over the years, I’ve built a great relationship with the band not to mention Katty, the lead singer, stole my heart. When I’m in town, I make time to shoot their live events.
Finding Inspiration
One night after they played, Tom approached me and asked if I was interested in doing a special photoshoot for them. Of course I agreed. He told me DC Comics’ The Green Arrow was about to air as the television show Arrow. The band was hired to perform at a Comic Con event under a pseudonym “Oliver’s Queen” to help launch the new show. Talk about inspiration! I was lucky: Tom and the band did most of the heavy lifting. They had a great name — Oliver Queen is the lead character in the comic series — they wanted a dark gritty style to match the show. My job was to light the scene and direct them to create the look.
Putting the Look Together
Todd, the drummer, bought green shirts and long-sleeve black hoodies. He cut the sleeves off the green shirts and had the guys wear them over the hoodie. This created a great layer effect. To look different, Katty wore a black leather jacket with a low cut black top. Brooke was on set to apply black eyeliner and light make-up for the guys. For Katty; well there wasn’t much to do, she always looks good. The only problem, the odd number rule needed to be broken.
Photographs that contain an odd number of elements have been proven more visually appealing to the eye than having an even number of elements. The band has four members. To break the odd number rule, I positioned the men in back, forming an offset triangle, and brought Katty to the front, filling in the open area caused by the offset. I took a quick reference shot, then photographed them all individually. This allowed me to position each band member in the exact position I wanted. I was also able to resize Katty making her appear closer to the camera and helping break the odd rule. As an added bonus, I multipurpose their individual images. In the end, we had a blast.
Assignment
Find an odd number of subjects to photograph — reference “Sport Portrait Composite” for ideas on lighting — and pose them the way you envision the final image should be. Think about forming triangles. Once you’re pleased with the outcome, take individual images and composite them together.
Title the image and post it in the Photofocus Facebook or Flickr groups. Give a little detail about the shoot. If you would like feedback, ask the group to critique your image. Photofocus authors select a “Photographer of the Day” from our groups. This is a great way to learn and have fun!
*Feature image © 2015 Vanelli
Vanelli is a photographer, educator and author based in Florida. Currently he shoots for Inside Lacrosse Magazine, teaches workshops, and writes for Photofocus. Click here for a list of Vanelli’s articles.
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Filed under: Photography, Technique & Tutorials Tagged: Building a shoot, How to Create the Look, Photo shoot ideas, Photography Idea, Robert Vanelli, Shooting assignments, Vanelli 
