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

Matt Brown - Musician Portraits

Did a recent shoot with Matt Brown. Incredible artist and all-around cool guy. I've worked with him several times in the past and it's always fun. More work available at That Very Next Thing.

by Nashville music photographer Jon Karr

by Nashville music photographer Jon Karr

Musician - Genuine Joy

Recent photoshoot for Nashville musician and artist, Genuine Joy. Mostly 2 light setups and lots of smoke machine. The rest are available at thatverynextthing.com

by Nashville Music Photographer Jon Karr

Photoshoot

This is a photoshoot from a while back that I thought might serve as a good lighting example. This was taken in a space with high ceilings which allowed me to light from above. Normally, I work with musicians, but this was an interesting change.

This is a 3-light setup which is pretty basic in its formulation. One key above, off to camera right, then two in a kicker position off to either side. There are some subtle differences however. For one, neither kicker is pointed directly at the subject. The kicker at camera right is lighting up the window and hitting the top of the model's head.

Although there are two different post-processing treatments here, you can see that the lighting stayed the same.

I wanted to stretch the idea all the way through, which is how we got the backgrounds for the final image. Of course it may not be to everyone's taste, but I like it.

More on That Very Next Thing

Mobb Deep in Nashville

Rap icon Prodigy from Mobb Deep passed away recently. I had the opportunity to photograph them for Red Bull when they came through Nashville at Exit/In. It was a memorable show (not just because I broke a lens). They got to the venue right before their set, no soundcheck, and left right after. Just a brief passing backstage. Also, there was the guy at the front of the stage flipping everyone off the whole time. RIP, Prodigy.

Mobb Deep

Snow-themed photoshoot

Since it's nearly 100 degrees here, I thought I would share a shoot we did a while back when it was much, much colder. Jessica really stepped up, given the freezing conditions. We worked for several hours outside and in a non-temperature controlled environment. Thanks again to the team:

Suzi Daggs - Assistant (www.instagram.com/qofsuzi)
Amanda Dang - H/MUA (www.instagram.com/danggbangg)
Jessica Bounedara - Model (www.instagram.com/jessicabounedara)
The rest, me (like Neil Breen) - (www.instagram.com/jon_karr)

Here's a BTS shot to give you an idea. For these, we were outside using two AB 800's. The key with a beauty dish and the rim with the 7" reflector and a grid (I don't remember what size). Did I mention it was snowing?

All of these and more can be seen on That Very Next Thing

The Eyes and Ears - Interview

I was contacted recently by The Eyes and Ears to discuss my work. I love talking about photography and it was nice to be on the other side of the interviewer's desk for once. It's good to periodically stop and look back.

If you're interested, I discussed this shoot with Brooke Waggoner, photographing my heroes, and the value of baby steps.

Article here.

Mick Jagger visits Nashville

When The Rolling Stones came through town earlier this year, I got to meet Mick Jagger during his private tour of The Parthenon. I was impressed by how engaged he was during the tour, and how gracious he was to all of us. Here is the photo from that visit.

I am thankful that he allowed me to take this, although I had to promise to let his folks review it before publishing. Given the situation and the private nature of his visit, that was completely understandable. Fortunately, they liked it - so here it is.

Mixed Lighting for Fashion - Nashville Photo Shoot

Recently did a photo shoot just outside of Nashville that utilized a lot of mixed lighting. These were shot in mid-afternoon sun, bright enough to cast deep shadows. We balanced that by using strobes and I wanted to share the process and the results. 

Stephanie was willing to climb up onto a tree branch and wait. I used a gridded softbox, high camera left to light her face and fill the front somewhat. The natural light coming through the trees did the rest and I embraced the lens flare. To enhance that, I had [hair / makeup artist] Amanda pull some leaves close to the edge of the lens. They caught the light and added some of the edge glow you see. Very little Photoshop on this image. 

Since we were at the lake, we continued over by the water. This image was taken with Stephanie facing the sun. Still had the bright glaring sunlight, but I wanted to underexpose the background. I used a neutral density filter to allow me to darken it all down, while keeping my settings where I wanted them. With a .06, I could shoot at ISO 100, f5.6 and stay under sync speed. This way, I had a dark background with shallow depth of field, and I could control the strobe. The light was a beauty dish, high camera right. I wanted the punchiness of the beauty dish with a rapid fall-off. It was close to Stephanie, with a diffusion sock, so the shadow transitions are still soft.

Ok, it wasn't super cold, but it wasn't that warm either. Stephanie was a champ, and managed to look relaxed. Again, these were facing the sun, which was now low on the horizon, and shot with a beauty dish. In this case, we left the strobe on shore, so it was a little further away. I had to be very careful with the ratios to prevent them from looking like they were hit with a flashlight. The last one, for example, had a lighter background, which was partially necessary because I had the flash so much further away.
 

I would argue that even if you don't like the look of these, they at least demonstrate the value of understanding strobes. They could not have be done with 100% natural light or a reflector. Don't rob yourself of creative possibilities.

This also wouldn't have been possible without a really talented model and hair / makeup artist. The jewelry, etc, was on loan from a local designer. It's essential to have a team like this if you want to get higher level results.

#nashvillephotoshoot #nashvillethebeautiful

Behind the Scenes - Nashville Photo Shoot

Our recent photo shoot in East Nashville was captured by Unwritten Pictures. Her work is amazing and I'm so glad to finally have something that shows what we do. Be on the lookout for much more video work from her in the future. Also, it features a really superb song by k.s. rhoads.



BTS with Jon Karr from Unwritten Pictures on Vimeo.

Band Photo Shoot with: The Vespers

As part of a feature for New York Minute Magazine, I did a short photo shoot with The Vespers. I was fortunate enough to be invited to their studio space, which is a very cool spot. I've seen them perform multiple times, and I'm always more impressed each time. For the review, I got a pre-release copy of their latest album, Sisters and Brothers, and I've been wearing it out. I expect really great things from these folks.

The interview is here.

The Vespers

Nashville Fashion Shoot

Taking a break from my music work, I recently did a spec shoot, working with color and some hair / makeup tests. 

For anyone interested in the lighting, most of it was a beauty dish on a boom, high and only slightly off camera axis. The effects mostly came from gels. Some shots had side-lights, others with a light directly behind the model.

Model: Jessica Bounedara

Hair/MUA: Amanda Dang

Second / Assistant: Suzi Daggs

Video: Lindley Atkinson (unwrittenpictures.com)

Nashville Band Photographer + Margot & The Nuclear So and So's

I've been listening to Margot & the Nuclear So & So's for around nine years. This is about the sixth time I've seen them live. These are from right before they had to cancel the rest of their tour because of health problems. 

I also got to do an interview with Ronnie and Tyler before the show, which you can see here: http://newyorkminutemag.com/nymm-margot-nuclear-sos/

Super nice guys, and although it wasn't my best article (at first, anyway), I was still proud to have done the interview.

Nashville Band Photography + MNSS

Nashville Band Photographer + MNSS

Nashville Band Photography + MNSS

Nashville Band Photography + MNSS

Nashville Band Photography + MNSS

Nashville Band Photography + MNSS

Nashville Band Photography + MNSS

Nashville Band Photography + MNSS

Nashville Band Photography + MNSS

Nashville Band Photography + MNSS



Nashville Band Photographer + Phantogram


Thanks to the lovely people at Tiny Human PR, I had the opportunity to shoot Phantogram at their recent show in Nashville. I did a write-up of their new album, Voices, for New York Minute Magazine as well. A good time was had by all.

Phantogram in Nashville




Phantogram in Nashville




Phantogram in Nashville



Phantogram in Nashville



Phantogram in Nashville



Phantogram in Nashville

Phantogram in Nashville

Musicians Corner - Spring 2014

I have been super busy. Just had a baby (a little girl, yay for me!), and I have been working my butt off on some really exciting projects for New York Minute Magazine.

However, That Very Next Thing (that's me) has still been honored to act as the official photo sponsor for Musicians Corner in Nashville. The event has grown like crazy, and this year's artist lineup was one of the best ever.

You can see full albums of the good times on their Facebook page here.

Below are some of my favorite moments from the Spring 2014 season. Enjoy!

18 South

AJ & The Jiggawatts

Andy Davis

DNK

Half Brass

Holly Williams

Honey Honey

Jars of Clay

Jillian Edwards

Jon McLaughlin

Kansas Bible Company

Katie Herzig

Nathan Angelo

Paper Bird

Paper Bird

Regi Wooten

Sam Lewis

The David Mayfield Parade

WHIT

Part of what's fun about this is that I have interviewed several of these folks for New York Minute Magazine as well. You can find a few of them here:

Interview with Katie Herzig
Interview with Jars of Clay
Interview with Jillian Edwards

They're worth checking out. Not because I wrote part of it, but mostly because they have such interesting things to say. Seriously, you can skip my part altogether.