Fallen Mafia chose the sleaziest bar to shoot their latest publicity shots. The car park had "Police Line: Do Not Cross" tape all around it, dead rats were lying in the gutter and the biggest dog I've ever seen was watching me from the roof of the pub. I certainly wouldn't have to work hard at capturing "atmosphere"... ha ha!
The band needed a new set of photographs showing their new line-up ahead of some upcoming gigs and new recordings in the works. Unusually (for most bands I work with), they had some specific shots in mind ahead of the shoot. This is always a big help as I can plan shots in advance and make sure I have the correct equipment on hand to achieve the desired results.
First up was a traditional band portrait. The pub interior was an excellent backdrop for a sleazy rock band look. After a quick change and make-up the band were ready – they looked the part immediately, this was going to be a great shoot! I used three lights for this set-up. Key light to right front and two behind the band (one with an orange gel, the other blue). I had in the back of my mind a similar look and feel to Prince’s Purple Rain album cover. Once I added the smoke machine I think it referenced it quite subtly. #inspiration
Purple Rain (Not my image)
The band wanted some images with a fisheye lens. The references they used were distorted to the extreme. My take on this would be to use a fisheye lens to add interest to the portrait rather than total distortion, after all, the band still needed to be recognisable. Similar lighting was used to the standard band portrait to keep the theme running but this image really suited a monochrome conversion. The band were naturals and pulled of the look brilliantly, don’t you agree?
Next up I was asked for a shot which referenced Queen’s iconic “Queen II” album cover. This shot was taken in the same room as the others but lighting limited to just one to give a very low-key look. We finished off this image by pulling the poses from the original album cover. Overall, I think our shot also references the Guns ‘n Roses cross from Appetite for Destruction, especially given the image of the band.
Finally, we moved to the corner of the room for a grungy/abandoned look. Similar lighting set up to the original band portrait but with the rear lights gelled yellow and green.
Thanks to Chris, Hannah, Adas and Jack – you were brilliant and patient as ever, always a pleasure.