My friends the Upright Animals headed into the studio to lay down two tracks, and I tagged along to provide a little documentary photography. While I've worked with the Animals on promos and live music photography before, their time in the studio was a great opportunity to do a little photojournalism that I couldn't pass up.
Photographer's Notes:
The Upright Animals were one of the very first band that I ever photographed, and I've shot them a number of times over the last few years. As a music photographer, I feel fortunate to have a band like this who are up for involving me in anything and everything they do – on stage, off-stage, and in the studio.
Over two days, I spent about eight hours with the guys while they worked on a couple of tracks for a forthcoming EP.
While there was some action while they laid down various parts and tracks, a huge part of studio work is more contemplative, which I find a nice opportunity for candid photography. A lot of my favorite shots from these two days were made while the guys were in between records – either taking a break, listening to the mix, or when they first arrived in the early afternoon.
Technical Details:
Overall, lighting was very low in the studio. I shot around ISO 6400 for most of the two days with just a few exceptions. On top of that, about 80% of the shooting was done with primes – the Nikon 50mm f/1.4 saw the majority of the use, but I also twisted on the 85mm f/1.4 and an old manual focus 28mm f/2. For the indispensable wide shots, I turned to the 14-24mm f/2.8.
End Notes:
Big shout out to the guys of The Upright Animals. I'm really looking forward to continue working with them over the next year. Also, thanks to Jason at Sawhorse Recording. Pure class act.
For the most recent live shots of these guys, see the set here:
