Earlier this year I was approached by my friend Grant who asked me to shoot some promotional photos for his band, NAYSA. Within a few days I was pointing my camera at the five members on the top floor of a downtown parkade; battling extremely harsh sunlight and a wind that never wanted to give up. Needless to say, we could have picked a better day. I found out when dealing with unsavoury shooting conditions and a group of people, snapping a shot where everyone looks exactly like you want them to is near impossible. Every photograph that seemed to have potential had one or two people looking awkward in some way. So I dusted off my masking and clone stamp tools in Photoshop, chose three of the best photos, and went to work.
*the outcome*
I started off with this first photo because I especially liked how Hayley, Dave, and Graham looked. Sean and Grant? Not so much. (Although, I did like their relaxed feet placement)
*photo one*
In the second photo I only liked Grant (but I kept the more relaxed foot placement from the first photo). I wanted this to have a more candid feel, so I felt it was essential to not have everyone looking right at the camera. I still needed to find a shot of Sean though. The sun bothered him and Graham the most. Graham remembered his sunglasses, Sean did not. Whoops.
*photo two*
After finding a photo of Sean I was happy with (a squinty wink), I blended them all together (matching the plaid in Sean’s shirt was done with painstaking effort) for a band photo that I think showcases the band member’s personalities.
*final photo*
With a little bit of added grain and a metallic b/w treatment, I was happy with the final image (and so were they). Later some faded font was added and the image can now be seen on various websites, buttons, and even stickers!
Give them a listen here.
Until next time. Brett.
Tagged: photography
