KILLING IT WITH THE PRESS PHOTO! a hands on workshop.

Next to the record cover, the press photo is by far the most important promo asset for any artist, if not the most important one. Any way you look at it, a press photo is a direct depiction of the artist. Unfortunately, nine times out of ten, press photos at an indie level, don’t contribute much to the artistic narrative or add any emotional texture to contextualise the release. They’re usually just a person standing against some wall, somewhere, for no reason.

In the first part of the workshop we will look at what makes for a great press photo. What is the best vehicle to communicate emotion or  narrative using this medium? What is engaging formally? What works to highlight the idiosyncrasy of a particular artist? In the second part, we will do a series of exercises that will:

    1. help overcome inhibitions during a shoot.
    2. amplify on-camera presence.
    3. give the artist a vocabulary of expressions that will make for stronger compositions / photos.

Participants will not only walk away with an expanded understanding of the press photo as a communication tool, but also a whole set of new, practical skills. Many of them will also walk away with some decent press pics!

Because we’ll be taking photos in pairs and it’s imperative that we have enough cameras for these exercises,  students who have digital cameras will be prioritised. Once we have half of the total participants with cameras, we will start accepting those without. The workshop was designed for artists, but we are also open to having photographers who are interested in working in the music industry. After signing up, everyone will receive an email with a list of things to bring to the workshop (regarding styling etc.).

NOTE:

Regardless of the status of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are trying to have this workshop OFFLINE. Since we will be shooting photos practically and actively here, interrupted by short inspirational input sessions, we can use the whole RAW area and the structures around the House of Music. The only prerequisites are good weather and no further escalation of the pandemic.