This blog is designed to be a useful guide for anyone interested in creating engaging and relevant album cover photos.
Martin Creates has a lot of experience in London’s vibrant music and dance industry when it comes to photography and videography. This means Martin has conducted numerous photoshoots for single and album covers as well as played a big part in music video productions around the world, especially in London and other parts of the UK.
To keep things simple, let's focus on three main photography genres worth exploring for professional music cover stills: cinematic photography, lifestyle photography and portrait photography.
Cinematic Photography:
Vision and sight are not the same thing.
At Martin Creates, we consider consider visual storytelling and cinematic photography to be a multi-sensory experience that goes beyond just "human sight". Consider senses such as touch, hearing, taste and smell as well. A lot of emotions and human senses are tied into the lyrics so the image you create and choose for your music album cover needs to reflect that. Especially when you notice that a lot of professional music videos are produced in a cinematic way, choosing cinematic styles of photography is usually going to lead to great results.
With this in mind, maybe cinematic night photography like the image below is something you really like but it won't fit all music genres.
Other photography styles linked to cinematic might be documentary style, vintage or analogue and even monochromatic.
Musicians can also opt for a more abstract image for an album cover photo. This can be very powerful and helpful in instances where the artist doesn't want their face / appearance to be at the forefront. It is common for musicians to differentiate between their music and the messages they want to convey through music. If that is indeed the case, consider colour tones, textures and camera settings to create interesting effects such as light trails.
The example below is a cinematic photo of Piccadilly Circus in London. I took it a while ago for my print collection and it has been a source of inspiration for many private commissions.
I used an old Canon 6D Mark i with a 50mm 1.4. It was pouring down with rain and the surface on the floor became a reflection of the stunning billboard signs that Piccadilly Circus is iconically known for.
Superior equipment isn't always necessary for superior photography. It just helps if you know what you're doing.
Portraiture Photography:
We’ve covered studio photography in another blog. Usually it’s a very sensible and professional option for projects like music album covers because you can control a lot of key variables such as lighting. This might be better suited for some genres and personalities vs others. Portraiture photography can also be outdoors, however for the purposes of this blog post, we'll consider studio environments.
The other thing worth considering and remembering is that you can also book studios with weather simulation and other technologically advanced setups to emulate various environments.
This example is a simple black backdrop almost emulating an editorial or professional headshot. For certain music genres, it can work amazingly. Be sure to include music instruments where possible.
Lifestyle Photography:
Music is a commodity just like precious metals; the value is derived from perception and mutual agreement.
In business, there is something called "The Red Thread" which means when you tie together all relevant components of an organisation with logical and intention, it will lead to consistency and optimisation. It's what helps brands stand out and perform as well as the product and other key departments of large organisations especially.
Music is no different.
Music requires all the same components as a typical organisation from production, to release, to communication, to branding, to merchandising, to financial planning and more.
Do you want to grab attention? Increase number of "clicks", "plays" and "views"? If the answer is yes, then be sure to consider everything holistically.
Lifestyle photography speaks to the people who appreciate the story and lifestyle being expressed. It coincides with musical expression in a powerful way which, when it's consistent and meaningful, it means the musician or band will succssfully echo their audience's motives in life. Music is often considered a safe space for people to escape to.
In summary, whichever photography genre you'll end up choosing for your music album cover, remember that a wealth of planning and preparation are needed to express what needs to be express. Less can be more but the key is to prioritise the most important visual messages.
Why take my advice?
I am a professional freelance photographer and videographer based in London, UK.
I started Martin Creates in order to help empower people and brands worldwide. One of the
ways I do that is by publishing blogs with free information to help any creatives out there reading this.
I welcome you to check out my work on this website as well as my newly launched site: martincreatesweddings.com.
If you’re seeking advice from a professional photographer and videographer in London, don't hesitate to get in touch.
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