It’s hard to build a website or create a social media presence without photos. And not just ‘photos’ but high quality photos. Because we are a rookie band, there’s a bigger need to ensure people took us seriously.
I picked up guitar again as my 2020 resolution. By summer, aka after the pandemic started, I felt inspired to try putting together a band again and make my teenage dream come true. It’s the last thing on my initial bucket list and I just can’t let it rest!
Ptollemy was in my first band attempt from 2015 (we only had one rehearsal) and he was open to trying again. Chu was a good friend as well, and after some convincing, she agreed to join as a singer. I thought I had other members, but they flaked/ghosted when we booked a rehearsal room that summer.
The pandemic got worse so I had to put it on hold on meetups. I did post a few ads, but no one was willing to commit until they met us. So in June 2021 when numbers died down, I held an audition/rehearsal, and that’s where we got our last two members, Norman and Suspense. It took me a month to set up everything, and we started rehearsing in late July.
After we had a few rehearsals, and it was clear that everyone was practicing and coming out without an issue, I had the assurance I needed to invest in a website and book us a photoshoot for September.
I contacted Samit, a local photographer who I used a couple times prior for personal photos and professional headshots. He has photographed musicians/artists before and he’s cool enough to make beginners feel comfortable.
I asked my bandmates what date worked for them, and after finalizing, I made sure to write a detailed document letting them know what to wear, what to bring, what to expect, and so on. They had freedom for their outfits (as I wanted it to fir their personality), as long as it fit the colour scheme.
As the day got closer, I did follow up to remind them and ask if they were ready in the chat. Some said yes, some were quiet. I had a hunch that they weren’t being very honest with me, so I asked each of them directly if they an outfit ready. That’s when some said they didn’t have a chance to shop or really find something they liked. I didn’t want to push them if they weren’t ready for it.
BUT I’m not one to cancel a few days before an appointment. If I say I’ll be there, I’ll be there. Everyone knows that. I also just got my hair done (braid extensions costs a lot and take time. It won’t look as good in a few weeks), so I decided to keep the appointment and do a solo shoot. I quickly re-arranged another for my band a month later.
I was anxious about Covid and was constantly keeping an eye on our cases. As much as I wanted to get this out of the way, I didn’t want to put anyone at risk by meeting up if it got bad. Luckily, numbers were still low through the fall.
We only had a two hour booking, and I know photoshoots can be awkward with people around, so I did give everyone a different time to come. I knew some liked to sleep in and had to take the bus, and I wanted Suspense, the drummer to come last so we can immediately go into the group shoot with photos.
That didn’t really go as planned. Everyone came earlier than expected (except Norman who got stuck in traffic), so we just shot them in the order they came. Starting with me, followed by Suspense, Ptollemy, then Chu.
Ptollemy went third, and he really surprised me. Not only was he super photogenic, extruding enthusiasm and confidence, but he was able to pull out some really cool poses. I was dying of laughter at the switch, but he really gave off main character vibes. We were saying he should have gone first so the rest of us can get ideas from him!
We couldn’t do the group shoots without Norman. Since we had a few moments to kill, Ptollemy called Suspense to do some duo shots. Suspense was a bit more shy for his solo pics, but he was a lot more open and relaxed alongside the protagonist of the group
Me and Chu decided to do the same after, pulling off some hero and Sailor Moon poses. Ptollemy came to photobomb us too.
Norman is the baby of the group, and he’s also quite tall. I’m sure it was a bit more awkward for him as everyone else was around, but he got into it pretty quicky. He gave himself “Jester” as his trope, and only then did I really see his clown side. He’s adorable.
Samit was also impressed with his playing skills and asked me to record a part of the shoot for his Instagram.
We finally got to the group shots. The set isn’t that big, so it took a bit of adjusting to get us all in the shot, but once we figured it out, we had some fun. Considering how big the rehearsal studio is, this was definitely the closest we’ve been, but it wasn’t awkward.
We still had a bit of time before Samit had to head out, so I also called Norman for duo shots of our own, as we were both guitarists.
Now, I got a lot of tall family members. My dad and cousin is 6’2″, my brother is 6’4″….and I’m 5’4″. Thus, while I am short/average, people’s height usually doesn’t stand out to me unless they’re taller than my brother…but standing beside Norman…I didn’t like it haha “How dare the maknae tower over me!” (Is this how members of Twice feel with Tzuyu? XD)
I’m the leader, and I’m older, but he’s taller and has more experience with his instruments. Our colours are also very close, so I thought it would be fun to do some rivalry shots.
After the shoot, we all grabbed some lunch (first time we all ate together), then headed off to practice. We didn’t go as long as we normally would as it was a long day.
All in all, it went pretty well. I not only got to see another side of members and build a deeper bond with them, but having everyone come out without an issue gave me more security and faith in my band. I’m sure we will succeed and that motivates me to work hard on promoting us via blogging and our social medias.
I’m really happy with the shots we got. This is the first of hopefully many photoshoots though! We would love to do some outdoor ones when the weather is nicer, along with cosplay ones in the future.
And if you’re interested in a photoshoot, whether for a project, or simply because you don’t have any decent non-selfie photos, it’s totally worth the investment. Definitely check out Samit Works if you’re in Toronto. Let him know I sent you, and you may get a discount 😉