The Yahs
As well as being damn fine musicians, The Yahs were playful and had a sense of the theatrical, which meant when we came to shoot their album cover they were the...
Read more
As well as being damn fine musicians, The Yahs were playful and had a sense of the theatrical, which meant when we came to shoot their album cover they were the perfect models - happy to absorb themselves into the appropriate roles
Read less
Read less
Jan, 2016Views
1518
Likes
Awards
Featured
Winner in Creative Groups Photo Challenge
Winner in Not a Snapshot - People posed with skill Photo Challenge
Winner in Rock n' Roll Inspired Photo Challenge
Curator's Choice
Peer Award
Outstanding Creativity
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
All Star
Love it
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
Virtuoso
Top Ranks
Top 20 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 30 rankTop 20 rank week 2Top 20 rank week 1
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at Comlongon Castle in SW Scotland - it was an ideal location to create a slightly imperial feel for the lead singer of The Yahs, while he was being waited on by the other members of the band.Time
It was shot in the early afternoon, but that was unimportant as it was indoors and I was using speedlites.Lighting
I used 2 separate speedlites for the lighting. The main light was shot through an umbrella to make it softer and wider. The second was placed behind them and helps separate them from the background. You can see it creating an edge on the hair of the 2 guys on the left, but it also came through between them, lighting up the back of the hand of the guy holding the cup.Equipment
I used a Canon 7D with a Canon f/2.8 24-70mm L lens, and 2 Canon speedlites.Inspiration
This was the cover for The Yahs' debut album. The lead singer - the guy looking at us over his sunglasses - was an amazing front man. He would strut his stuff around the stage like a cross between Mick Jagger and James Brown, while the guitar, drum and bass pounded out good old Rock 'n' Roll. However, part of the story they liked to project was he was a real "Diva" and expected everyone to run around him all the time, so we took this idea and constructed the photo from it.Editing
In its basic state, the white shirts of the band members were too overpowering, so bringing them down was a high priority. I used one of my favourite techniques in Photoshop, which is to go to Image > Adjustments > Shadow/highlights - this brings the shadows up and the highlights down, reducing the contrast. The next stage is to create a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer, tick the "Colorise" box, and drag the Hue slider to approx 190, then change the layer mode from normal to either soft light or overlay. This brings the depth back into the image. You can then adjust the opacity of the layer, and move the Hue slider about until the balance feels right for your image. After that it was just a case of selective dodge and burn.In my camera bag
For nearly 4 years I was happy with my Canon 7D, but now I'm even happier with my Canon 7D mk2. The 3 lenses I use most are my Canon f/2.8 24-70mm, which is pretty much my workhorse lens; a Canon f/2.8 70-200mm which is fantastic for shooting live performances - getting in close in low light conditions; and finally a wide angle Canon 10-22mm for when I need to take in a lot in a small space. I also usually have 2 or 3 Canon speedlights to hand and an assortment of softboxes and modifiers.Feedback
Gaps and spaces get hugely exaggerated in photography, so to make this kind of ensemble piece work, everyone has to stand much closer to each other than they would naturally. The other thing to keep in mind is the composition - it needs to have diagonals and a flow to the way the eye moves around it.
