Tips for Musician Photoshoots

Sometimes a good studio portrait can tell a story for a musician. A good tip for a musician photoshoot is to think about wardrobe, not just in terms of what looks good, but what it says. You may have a plain t-shirt that looks good, but if it doesn't tell your story, the photo will fall flat. You know who Lauren is in this photo - you get an idea of her music. That's what you want.

This and the rest can be seen at jonkarr.com

Band Photographers

 I always tell people when they're looking for a band photographer, to think about mood. Mood means more than "where can we take it? What should we wear? What kind of camera do you use?". All of things contribute to mood, but should be led by mood - not the other way around. Early in my career, mostly as a music photographer, I tried to create mood with what I was handed in terms of location, wardrobe, gear, etc. As I progressed, I learned that mood comes first. Everything else is in service to it.

Musician Portraits

Probably the best way to take more musician portraits is to post musician portraits. At least then, people know what you're doing. Posting on here isn't my favorite thing, but it's a good discipline when I do it. One thing I'm always thinking about is what makes this person unique? I may get it wrong sometimes, but I can always find something. Here are some unique people:

It's been a while...

 I haven't posted on here in a very, very long time. Honestly, I don't see much point in it. There are a million social media sites and places people can digest content much more rapidly, but this has been here since the beginning of what I would call my formal photography career. So it deserves a little attention from time to time. 

One major change is that I've stopped using thatverynextthing and started just using Jon Karr (jonkarr.com obviously). So my SEO isn't quite what it used to be, but I'm actually busier than ever. My best work is ahead.

To catch up, here's a photo of me (with a beard) lifting a light for a commercial video shoot. If you've lived in Nashville for any amount of time, you know Bart Durham. This is some BTS of me filming an ad for them, which is possibly the pinnacle of Nashville Advertising. 

I've also grown my chops as a music photographer and my band photography can also be seen at jonkarr.com so check it out there!

Nashville music photographer Jon Karr