How To Photograph Group Portraits For Music Album Cover

Part of the culture of music is the album cover design which is use as a promotional tool and as an expression of art. The creativity of many photographers from both inside and outside of the music industry have been used to make a huge selection of memorable album cover. The most captivating music group photography images are those where the viewer will see some dynamic action. Professional music group portrait photography sets a group apart from being a music group looking smooth and stylish from a music group looking like total amateurs.

According to Wikipedia, legends from photography and video/film who have also produced record cover images include Annie Leibovitz (John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith), Richard Avedon (Whitney Houston, Teddy Pendergrass), Norman Seeff (The Band, The Rolling Stones, Kiss, Aerosmith), David LaChappelle (No Doubt, Elton John), Anton Corbijn (U2, The Killers, Depeche Mode), Karl Ferris (Jimi Hendrix, Donovan, The Hollies), Robert Mapplethorpe (Patti Smith) and Francesco Scavullo (Diana Ross, Edgar Winter), David Michael Kennedy and others.

Group Portrait Photography For Music Album

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1. Get to know the music group or band’s personality.

   Meet the group and buy their album to know what kind of music they make and what type of people they are. Make it a point to remember the names and faces of everyone in the group ahead of time for building relationship and confidence. Ask their requirements for the photo shoot and how it will be use in the music album. Shoot one of their stage performance or rehearsal then show them your photos to know the style of pictures they would like.

2. Scout for interesting location for the photo shoot.

   Ask the group if they have any preferred location in mind. Pick a location that actually suits the group depending on their type of music. Get creative with bars, the street, or concert venues for the photo session. Find a spot where the light will come from and decide the position of the strobes for your lighting setup. Take a lot of snapshots from different angles for your chosen location.

3. Be creative with posing and lighting.

   Try looking for inspiration in music magazines, album covers, mySpace, and websites. Develop a theme. Suggest some creative concepts you have in mind. Pose and move them around. Play with the rapport among the group within the frame. Try some mood lighting over portrait lighting. If you come across photographs from other music group that they want, emulate them in your photo session. Consider the space in your photograph where text will be put for the album cover title. Position the music group or band members in the photograph in the same style as they would show on stage.

30 Group Portrait Photography For Album Cover

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01 Maroon 5

 
02 Pussycat Dolls

 
03 Simple Plan

 
04 Dave Matthews Band

 
05 The Cardigans

 
06 Coldplay

 
07 The Black Eyed Peas

 
08 Matchbox Twenty

 
09 Westlife

 
10 The Cranberries

 
11 The Corrs

 
12 Jon Bon Jovi

 
13 Sugar Ray

 
14 Hoobastank

 
15 Linkin Park

 
16 Collective Soul

 
17 U2

 
18 Take That

 
19 All Saints

 
20 Hinder

 
21 Lifehouse

 
22 Mumford and Sons

 
23 The Beatles

 
24 The Glee

 
25 Jonas Brothers

 
26 Backstreet Boys

 
27 No Doubt

 
28 Spice Girls

 
29 Bone Thugs and Harmony

 
30 Paul McCartney

Lead image via Michael Robert Williams Photography

Tagged as: group portrait, photography, Tips and Techniques