Since our recent discovery of the local band Secondhand Sound, through a friend, we were able to collaborate with the group in a portrait session in the studio. This process took about 3 weeks to align schedules up and produce a picture-perfect session. Secondhand's sound is a unique twist on everyday alternative music. All of the members attend Belmont University, where they have grown most of their fan-base from. Before we began the session, both parties suggested ideas for poses and looks to really bring a cohesive feel to the final product.
We decided to start off with some single shots of each band member, Sawyer Estok (lead singer), Cameron Schmidt (lead guitar), Teagan Proctor (bass guitar), and Collin Plank (drummer), to get them all acquainted with the camera and studio lights. These guys had no difficulty opening up and getting comfortable in front of the lens.
Next, we got them all together for a few group shots in their first outfit.
As you can see, they were at ease posing together as a unit. Secondhand even did their research and had ideas of their own, which I really admire.
Once we finished with the single and group shots in the first outfit, the boys went and changed into their second outfits. Come to find out, they ended up mixing and matching each other's items to make the shoot look like it was meant to be.
While both, accommodating the outfit and wanting to switch things up, we set up a custom painted grey canvas backdrop. This allowed us to change the look and feel to go with the new outfits. By changing the backdrop to a canvas one, it allowed us to get a little bit of texture on the floor.
Yes, I know what you're thinking... you should never have wrinkles on the ground. However, in this case it works. This helps bring texture all the way through the image, from the floor up to the top of Sawyer.
Who said all of the shots we got have to be serious because we never did. If you were curious about what it was like in between shots, then here you go.
Getting creative in the studio can sometimes be difficult. Therefore I tested both, myself and Secondhand to a different kind of posing/shooting. I grabbed the tallest ladder in the studio and instructed them to lay down on the floor below me. The boys were skeptical at first but when they saw the end result they couldn't believe their eyes.
Speaking of getting creative, the boys wanted some more single shots in their second outfits on the cyc wall so this is what we came up with.
As a way to end this session, us over at Stand Still have curated a short 1 minute video of the session for social media purposes.
Recap
After the long, well-worth wait, this session came to a close with both ends of the party happy. This great group of guys are some of the most genuine human beings we have worked with. Their sound is incomparable to anything I've ever heard. If you haven't heard of them please look them up and show some love and support. They will be releasing an EP within the next couple of months along with a possible music video done by the Stand Still Solutions team to release on the date of their EP. Keep your eyes peeled for future updates and projects on the blog with this group. Until next time... thanks for reading.
Keep up with them on their Socials:
Sawyer Estok - @sawyer.estok
Collin Plank - @collinplank
Cam Schmidt - @cambschmidt
Teagan Proctor - @teag_Proctor
Secondhand Sound - @secondhand.sound