You’ve Got to Have Music During the Shoot

Ask any pro who shoots people for a living, and they’ll tell you that they have music on during the shoot. Having that music playing in the background goes a long way toward making the people you’re shooting more relaxed and comfortable, which usually translates into better looking images (if they’re relaxed and having fun, the photos will look that way, too). All you need is an iPod (or any other portable media player)—go download some songs, get a small iPod-compatible speaker, and you’re set. Now, here’s the thing: for this really to make a difference, don’t just play your favorite music (that will only make you feel relaxed and comfortable), you want to play your subject’s favorite type of music. The type that will have them on the set saying, “Oh man, I love this song!” For this book, I shot with a number of professional male and female models, and I’d always ask them what type of music they liked. Sadly, they never choose old school funk or ‘80s big hair rock, or I would have had them covered. Instead, they wanted the same music they listen to at home and in their car: R&B, hip hop, rock, rap, and alternative. So, I called another photographer I know (my buddy, Terry White) who always has great music playing during his shoots, and I asked him where he got his music. Well, no surprise, he had one of his models pick it out, and he said, almost without exception, he gets raves from models in the studio about his musical taste. He made an iTunes iMix of his collection for me to download, and he was nice enough to let me share that iMix with you. Just go to www.kelbytraining.com/books/digphotogv3 and click on the link, which will launch iTunes and take you to that playlist, where you can buy one or all of the songs with just a click.