Photography for musicians is a helluva lot more than just something to post on instagram.

INDEX: –The Two Art Forms.

–What Portraiture Actually Is/Means

–What Musicians Use Photography For (Album Covers, Posters, Promos, Branding, and More!)

–High Quality Looks Equal Authority

–My Process (How I’m Going To Create Your Unique Photographic Branding)

–Who I’m For

–You Know You Want Me

The two art forms– music makin’ and picture takin’- are far more intertwined than the basic promo-shots. Like book-covers your album art or or posters or images dropped in articles about your work is often what most folks look at before they even hear your music. The quality of the visiual art presented with your music- qaulity and content- establishes your music branding, your connection to listeners, and your authority in the scene. The value of having a high quailty, unique, cohesive visual representation of your music cannot be overstated. Music and photography are drawn from the same moments in life- we photograph painful things beautifully and we sing about painful things beautifully. It’s important here to remember the critical nature of photography- the purpose, the why.

What Portraiture Actually Is/Means: When most folks think of portraiture their minds immediately go to awkward, uncomfortable, everyone standing around trying to get the whole band to pose while the drummer can’t focus and the lead can’t quit looking at their reflection in the corner and half of you aren’t in focus, or senior portrait Taylor Swift wannabe shit. This ain’t that. Portraiture is the act of delving into the self. Seeking out the self. This is about finding pieces of ourselves that we’ve lost, that we have yet to find, to come to terms with who we have been, and lean into what we can become. Exactly like music. We all wear masks, constantly, and there is not form of art that’s ever going to be able to pull back all of these masks. There will always be something hidden- but the two things I’ve found that get the closest are music and photography. This will- much like crafting music- be a movement of depth. Portraiture peels back these masks, slowly, layer by layer, throughout the session. What we will be left with is a gallery of the self.

Now- what the hell does that mean? It means that this is going to be fun, but it’s also going to hurt. You’re going to find yourself in a similar position that you do when you write music, when you’re crafting an album. Some of it hurts, some of it rocks, most of it does both. Take Springsteen for example- you’ll find yourself kicking in the door with Glory Days, stirred between gasping and crying with I’m On Fire, and wishing you could go home with Bobby Jean. That’s what portraiture should do as well- it should be an exploration, a journey into the self. Into your past, your longings, what keeps you up and night and what helps you sleep and what you think about while high looking up at the stars or stone cold sober staring down the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do. Portraiture matters, and whether it’s a branding session or a self-love session or what-have-you, it should be presented to you as something that matters- something that means a helluva lot more than we give it credit for.

What Musicians Use Photography For: While this isn’t just for promo work (I’ll get to that in a moment) the value of professional promotional work can’t be understated or under valued. Promoting your work requires a visual conponet- think of articles, posters, merch, tour announcements- you need to been seen as well as heard. Photography is one of the best ways for musicians to market themselves and attract the audience that you want- and, also draw in new listeners. Your album covers should match your music, expand on who you are, and maybe even challenge the genre if it aligns with your work. Take, for example, Sturgill Simpson’s album covers. They’re versatile, represent who he is as an artist, but also pushes the boundaries of the folk/Southern/country genre. His visuals are eye-catching, intruging, but also represent exactly what his music is. When you listen to his sound it reflects the visuals- the promises of a faded old folk man meeting a sprawling galaxy are delivered. Photography to musicians is so much more than just marketing, it’s a representation, an essential part of your branding, and your inspiration.

High Quality Looks Equal Authority: What do I mean by authority? Let me be as blunt and concise as I possibly can- Shitty artwork attached to your music makes you look like an amature. I won’t call out any artists… maybe one who recently put out some work titled after two different birds who absolutely has the money to produce something better than what was offered… However, I do want to draw attention to how high quality, honest, and inspired photography can boost the reached, power, and first impressions of your work. The illustrius Miss Margo Price. Her new campaign with Alysse Gafkjen for her album Strays proves just about every point I make in this blog. It’s professional, confident, and relevant to her artistry. The body of work aligned with her album is a convergence of portraiture and branding. She stays true to the elegance for her work with flowing dresses and elaborate pinks, while also reflecting on her genre through Western/Country styled outfits. Still, though, the true reflection of her work is in the strong portraiture- she’s got something to say and makes it know that you need to hear it. You want to hear it, you want to know why she’s expressing herself they way she is in this photos, you want to listen to her.

Additionally, high quality images reflect confidence, and this has two affects on listens when they approach your work. The first being that the quality of the music from the lyrics to the production will be high, reliable, and be worth investing in as a consumer. Second, it shows that you yourself have invest in your work which is important to more than just the audience, but to labels as well. A musician who invests in their work, is honest in their representation, and not only has something to say but can say it with authority is worth investing in.

My Process: After you inquire we’ll hop on a 30-minute zoom call to get to know each other better, make sure we’re right for each other, and establish a plan moving forward. After we book I’ll send you a questionnaire, you’ll send me some of your music, and we’ll do another zoom call down the road to work out a full, complete plan forward. I do all of this to insure honesty and authenticity in our work together. I promise to take this just as seriously as you take your music, your future, and you career. This matters to me and I put in the work to make sure you’re getting everything you want and didn’t know you needed. While I won’t be crafting any logos or fonts or designing a cohesive brand, we will be working through a similar process. This will be intensive- but in the best way. We’ll dig deep, get real, get honest, and make some art.

Who I’m For: I will be the first person to tell you if I don’t think we’ll be a good fit. I want what’s best for you- usually it’s me, sometimes it’s not. If I cannot provide to you exactly what you need, want you want, and what will best serve your career.

One of the best ways to get to know me as a person- because I’m a human first, not just a service- other than reading my About page on the website is to find me on Instagram at @kbfromtennessee. I post about my family, my farm life, my travels, and a lot about the kind of musicians I work with.

I travel all over the US to work with musicians in locations that serve them best- not just folks from TN.

I don’t have restraints on genre or theming for who I work with- I’ve worked with rock, pop, jazz, blues, and folk musicians.

My work best translates with musicians who are series about their work, willing to trust me, and will show up willing to be honest- even if they’re not completely sure how.

You Know You Want Me: I could go on and on about my photographic accomplishments- but the best recommendation I can give myself is this- I know music, I know photography, and I’m ready to give you honest, athorative, professional images to elevate your branding and further your career.

Holler at me. Let’s do the damn thing.