Promo shot development

When constructing the artists image for use on our website and album cover, we decided to create an identifiable theme which the artists always convey- this being the black and white style as represented within the music video.

we used he sketches we created (see previous promo shot post) to firstly experiment with, and then decide on specific shots to recreate- some in the studio, and some on location, to represent the alternative image of the the artists, and link in with the 'nettles' wildlife reference in their name.

Studio Promo Shots

The first opportunity which we had to experiment with studio promo shots was in our second shoot- as we had allocated ourselevs a time slot to use specifically for this.

We started off with natural lighting, as shown in the close up of vivian below, as it enabled us to reflect the artists pride in their natural appearance, and ehtnicity, however we realisedthat as the lighting was quite low, the style did not seem quite as professional as we hoped for, therefore we increased the intensity of lighting.

With the new intense white lighting, the studio seemed to turn into an infinity backdrop, we were very pleased with this new result as it presented a much more professional representation of the artist, similar to other bands promo shots.

We also used a variety of camera angles and shot types in order to create a portfolio for the artists, both solo shots and group shots- switching between the white and black set ups and costumes to provide further variation.

we later selected the best shits and compiled a studio promo shot album, where we took each photo and edited them individually to improve the look and styles of them to suit our artist image.

On-Location Promo Shots

After deciding on a wooded area for the outdoor shoot location, we each did reccees of our local areas to find suitable shoot locations. We all decided on a location both close to all of us and nearby our school- a small park with a forest area. We then created a costume list of what we would need in order to rereate the black and white style of the sudio- deciding on complete outfits to make the artists stand out in the green and dark textures, before compiling a list of shots we wanted to achieve.

In order to test the actual style we are aiming to achieve, we took the time after school to do a practice  outdoor promo shoot in the park neighbouring our school. This shot was only short, but after shooting we were pleased with the look achieved, and planned ahead for the actual promo shoot at the selected location.

For the first proper promo shoot, as we arrived at the location in the late afternoon, we had to set up and shoot quickly as to avoid losing the light. Our main focus was to achieve the extreme long shots of the artists in the corner of the forest location, which we could use on the album cover and website homepage. This proved difficult in the low lighting, we found it hard to shoot a focused image, even when operating auto focus and adjusting the shutter speed and exposure. Although we managed to get a few shots, even with a flash, the camera began to struggle focusing with the light, so we decided to call it a day.

 In review, when reviewing the images on desktop screen, the shots which we took were rather artistic looking, due to the grain and shadows on the trees. However, when attempting to edit the images in Photoshop, we all decided that the images were not clear enough, so organised a re-shoot at the same location, at an earlier time two days later.

The next shoot day, we all arived at location much earlier, with Vivian and Josh already in full costume to save time, and we also took out a tri-pod to help us achieve more stable, focused images. As it was daytime, we did not need to use the flash, however, the natural lighting through the trees cast great shadows which looked stylised on camera. We realised after takigng a few shots that it was now okay to shoot freehand, enabling more angles and shot types, however, the main focus of ELS shots was achieved.

Overall, this shoot was by far the most successful, and in reflection, after looking at the images on the desktop, we were more pleased with the shots than we had expected- with clear, focused images of both the artists and their naturalistic surroundings, and began experimenting with them in photoshop to create the final website and album background.