Is Professional Photography Important for Bands, Artists, and Musicians?
I was in a record store the other night, and someone held up a record laughing at the super cheesy cover art, showed it to their friends and immediately put it back. I happened to know that was a great album - and it all hit me at once. That album art is going to turn people away from getting the chance to listen to some really great music - what a bummer!
So, I did a little research, and I found a couple of things that might help you consider taking the extra time to make all the other art that goes along with your music just as good as your music! So, why do you need professional photography?
- Often times before your music is even heard, you’re seen. Whether this be in a record store, on social media, a flier, whatever. That’s just what it is.
- High quality, professional imagery shows that you’re not willing to skimp on every detail. And that you’re taking the whole experience of your listeners into consideration.
- Getting the attention of your listeners is important. Your music will for sure get their attention, but you want your first visual impression to be a good one.
- Your music or whatever else you create is your art, letting other artists into your art with you can be a lot of fun and can expand what you’ve made into other mediums.
These are four points that I think are really important, and I think every band, musician and artist should think about. You don't want to be passed up on the record store because you either don't care what your record looks like, or when it came time to start producing you had nothing left in the budget or just totally forgot.
Also, don't try to do it all yourself. I was in a band once with a guy who was OK at drums and AMAZING on the bass. He really wanted to play drums, but it caused our music to suffer. Once we convinced him to play bass we were able to find an amazing drummer and the band really found it's sound. It's the same for making all of the art that goes with your music. Find someone who is better at it than you are.
Also, to this point - find someone you can start small with and can grow with over time - just like you would any other member of your band. If you can find a photographer to work with you and grow with you as your music changes and grows, just think about all of the ease that will come down the road. My encouragement is to find the best music photographer, the best band photographer, the best (fill in the blank) photographer, FOR YOU! And just start working with them and see if you can develop a relationship.
For more information on the importance of high quality imagery for bands, musicians and artists, I defer to the following:
- Are Photography and Cover Art Important for Musicians? - REVERBNATION*
- What Your Band Photo Says About You - sonicbids
- The importance of good band photography - Revelator
- Professional Band Photos, Do Musicians Really Need Them? - Music Industry How To
*The REVERBNATION post is especially good, I thought.
Now: all of this being said, there are two hard things about getting high quality professional photography that come to mind:
- Going about finding the right photographer for you can be tricky. Especially since there are so many of us out here!
- Buying photography can also be tricky, and sometimes expensive.
Check out these two posts in regards to these sticking points: Who's The Best Photographer? (For YOU!), and Clearing Things Up: How Photography is Bought and Sold
If want to discuss this further, leave a comment below or drop me a line and I'd love to chat with you!
As always, I’d love to work with you! Hit me up and let me know what you might need photography for!
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