New York Music Photographer Chris Owyoung - The Best Concert Photography & Band Portraits » Music Photography

Photoshoots for bands

Chris Owyoung — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 03:05:11 +0000

I get a lot of questions from artists about what they can expect from my promotional shoots. To get a small taste of what’s possible, visit my portfolio.

Here’s what’s typically included in my solo musician shoots:

A production meeting either online or in-person to nail down the exact creative concept for your shoot
Approx 2.5-4 hours in studio or on-location (includes setup/hair/makeup time)
Proofs ready within 4-6 business days via private online gallery
Between 100 – 600 total shots (depending on time and the complexity of the concept)
3 final retouched images of your choice provided as high resolution digital files
Unlimited usage rights for all retouched images you order

The following additional options are also available:

Hair, makeup, and wardrobe styling
Additional high resolution retouched files
Copies of retouched images and/or proofs burned to CD
Copies of your retouched images specifically optimized for print, web, email and social media
Long-term image hosting for PR and management use

Artists, if want your photos to rock as hard as you do, request a quote!

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Portrait: Seether

Chris Owyoung — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 17:50:08 +0000

Here’s one of my favorite shots from my recent shoot with Seether. This photo was taken amongst dozens of pianos that are being transformed into musical art installations as part of the Pop-up Pianos project. Pop-up Pianos is a public arts project founded by Sing For Hope that places pianos throughout the public spaces of New York City. The pianos, which can be played by anyone who passes, have been filling the NYC with music for years.

Sing for Hope is an amazing non-profit organization that mobilizes professional artists – from classical musicians to photographers to Broadway performers – in volunteer service programs that benefit schools, hospitals, and communities.

If you’re an artist interested in making a difference, you should definitely learn more about Sing for Hope and consider volunteering.

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Preview: Bamboozle 2011

Chris Owyoung — Tue, 03 May 2011 14:00:36 +0000

I admit it, whenever I pull a festival assignment I piss and moan with the best of them. The days are long, the gear is heavy, the food sucks, and something expensive always ends up covered in something cheap and sticky. Despite all this, there’s a rare and beautiful part of music that only exists at festivals, which is why I’ve attended The Bamboozle three years in a row.

The highlights of year’s lineup included Wiz Khalifa, Dashboard Confessional, Das Racist, New Found Glory, Travie McCoy, A Day to Remember, and a no-holds-barred (or is it no-bars-can-hold?) performance by none other than Lil Wayne.

Here’s a preview of my favorite photos from The Bamboozle 2011.

Behind the Scenes: Neil Davis Promo Shoot

Chris Owyoung — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 03:30:34 +0000

I had a great promo shoot with Neil Davis this weekend at Attic Studios. Over the course of the day, we shot 9 nine looks with 6 different lighting setups for Neil’s album cover and press kit. Check out the behind the scenes video and stay tuned for the finished images.

Foreigner

Chris Owyoung — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 03:54:26 +0000

I love my job.

I was recently shot the legendary Mick Jones with Foreigner, a band whose music I’ve been listening to for literally my entire life. It’s hard to believe, but this year marks the 30th anniversary of Foreigner 4, the #1 album that in 1981, solidified the band’s place in rock’n'roll history. Foreigner celebrated the event with an intimate live show for some of their biggest fans. My assignment included portraits and live concert photography; here are a few of my fav’s from both halves.

The stage door shot (above) is one of a handful on my client’s “required shot” list. Normally, I avoid shooting the same location like the plague, but the door is the only original part of the building left after renovation, so every band at the venue does a shot in front of it.

I wanted something more dynamic than a flat wall shot. Accomplishing this meant packing the guys tightly and lighting them low such that only a small amount of light hit the door. I further removed the band from the background by shooting wide open at f/2.8 and dimming the ambient light as much as possible. The soft light quality and crazy catch lights are thanks to a large Westcott stripbank positioned directly underneath the lens.

Sometimes you come across things on set that just beg to be incorporated; cheesy as it is, I had to include one of Foreigner’s road cases. Here, the band is cross-lit by a Profoto head fired into Westcott’s new 7′ silver parabolic umbrella, and a Dynalite 2050 head fitted with barndoors and a 1/2 CTO gel. The Westcott parabolic umbrella is quickly becoming one of my favorite lighting modifiers. It’s easier to set up than the Paul C. Buff version and the quality of light is superb.

Whenever I’m on a tight schedule (and/or budget), I try to keep the lighting simple so I can get multiple arrangements out of the same setup with as few adjustments as possible.

For their live set, Foreigner pulled out all the stops. The band performed a 13-song set comprised of the greatest hits from their nine album catalog.

Portraits: EMEFE

Chris Owyoung — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 04:01:21 +0000

I don’t know too many musicians, let alone eleven-piece bands, who are willing to spend an entire day shooting promos in the freezing cold. Enter EMEFE, an indie groove band from New York. I first met the guys at a wedding of all places. Other than the fact that there are eleven of them, two things immediately stood out; one, every member is extremely talented and two, they collectively kick some serious afrobeat ass.

As is typical for my band portraits, we worked together to nail down the creative direction in advance. If everyone isn’t on the same page on shoot day, it’s a colossal waste of time and money. Add to the mix temperatures in the low 30s and you’ve got yourself a downright mess. So, in order to maximize the number of looks and avoid frostbite, we planed the entire day from start to finish.

Here are a few of my favorites from our chilly promo shoot.

This is one of my first portraits with the Nikon’s new 85mm. It’s a tiny bit slow to focus, but as they say, “Good things come to those who wait.” 1/500, at f/2.0, ISO200. Nikon D3 + Nikon 85mm f/1.4 AF-S.

How do you fit eleven guys into a hallway that barely passes NYC fire code? Clearly, I have absolutely no idea.

This is “the band shot” – easily the largest group of musicians I’ve photographed for a promotional portrait. The spacing is a little tight, but I’m happy with how all of the guys look.

It’s important not to rush things. After all, some of the best shots are taken during the downtime either in between locations, or while taking a break for lunch.

The Pierces @ Mercury Lounge

Chris Owyoung — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 13:36:02 +0000

The sister duo, The Pierces charmed a packed house at Mercury lounge with their sassy lyrics and smooth folk melodies. I’d heard there was something special about Allison and Catherine Pierce and from where I was standing, all of the rumors were true – The Pierces have an effortless and endearing stage presence and a rare mix of beauty and talent.

Photographers Notes

Cameras Used:

Nikon D3

Lenses Used:

Portraits: Pint Shot Riot

Chris Owyoung — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 04:47:46 +0000

I caught up with the UK’s Pint Shot Riot mid-way through their 4-day/3-gig musical assault on New York City. These portraits were taken in The Studio at Webster Hall just a few minutes before the band went on. They look good big so click to see them larger.

The lead shot was taken with the Nikon D3 and the 50mm f/1.8 using ambient light only. The room was lit by an overhead fixture and a single tungsten floor lamp that provided a nice edge light on Rob, the band’s lead guitarist. I would have loved another lamp for an even edge light on the right side of the image, but when you’ve only got a few minutes, you make due with what’s at hand. More photos and notes after the break.

I usual favor color photography and only move to black and white when the color actually gets in the way. The original version of this photo has a lot going for it in terms of the red velvet chair and the purple wall, but the ambient light was simply too warm for my tastes. The shot was exposed for the light coming from the floor lamp and augmented with an amber gelled SB-900 on-camera fired over my right shoulder to fill in the shadows. Final conversion to black and white was done in Photoshop.

August Burns Red

Chris Owyoung — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 23:58:53 +0000

I caught up with August Burns Red at the NYC stop on the 2010 AP Tour. I’d photographed the band’s double-header at the same venue in April, and even though it had only been a few months, it was amazing to see the guys soar to new heights in terms of their stage presence and sheer mob scene of fans they’re drawing.

The band put on an absolutely bone-crushing set for a sold-out crowd that was, at times, completely out of hand. I took more than a few licks in the pit during this one, but I’ve got some serious love for these guys so I’m happy to post this extended photo set.

Shooting Notes

If you’re thinking photographing an August Burns Red concert, you better like getting spit on and getting hit in the back of the head by black converse or, you better be good at dodging both. I consider myself good at avoiding the surfers and getting the photographic goods but still found myself getting hit at this show especially after Jake pointed at the security guards at the pit and told the crowd to “put these guys to work!” (thanks Jake.)

In terms of lenses, you’ll definitely want to have a wide angle in the bag. There’s literally so much action at the front of the stage that you could almost photograph the entire show in the 14-24mm range.

Mad props to Josh, Matt, Jake, Bret, Dustin, and JB.

Cameras Used:

Nikon D3

Lenses Used:

Portrait: The Doobie Brothers

Chris Owyoung — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 23:28:49 +0000

Here’s a quick one from my shoot with the legendary Doobie Brothers earlier in the week. It’s hard to believe that Tom, John and Pat have been rocking it for 120 years combined and they’re still absolutely killing it on stage. I was simply astounded by their performance and delighted to work with such truly nice guys.

Lighting diagram after the jump with the full set and shooting notes to follow.