In this new feature, we go behind-the-scenes with a photographer at a band profile shoot, and through the process of conceptualizing and executing a set of quality images. In the first installment, commercial photographer Vikas Munipalle shares his experiences with Mumbai pop-rock act Something Relevant, and unveils the work he did with the band earlier this month.
Back when I was still in college, before I had even considered becoming a photographer, I used to be the drummer for Something Relevant. Late in 2005, towards the end of my final year, I decided to quit the band when I realized I wanted to pursue photography full-time. It was obviously an amicable parting, and we’ve remained fairly close over the years. After attending a bunch of gigs and shooting a lot of live photos of the band, in February 2009 they finally asked me to come in and do a proper profile shoot with them in a studio setting. I’ve been shooting most of their portraits ever since.
The first studio shoot that we did in yielded two group shots that have been used quite extensively in print and online. For me, the highlight from this set was the popular panoramic composite of the whole band which the boys instantly fell in love with. The widescreen image is actually made up of individual images of each member, grouped in post-production (photo below).
Something Relevant
The next set of photos I did with them was later that year for their debut album, Feels Good 2 Be Live, where I shot single portraits of them for the CD inlay. Once again, the group shot was a result of taking these singles and superimposing them in post (result pictured above). All of these images were shot with a basic two-light setup – one for the subject, and another for the background.
Earlier this month, I shot another set of photos for Something Relevant. The shoot marked a first for me in terms of the number of lights used. I used between four and seven sources to light each shot. Again, I was only shooting one band member at a time, but the thought process for this shoot was a little different. Instead of doing a traditional, posed portrait, we tried to recreate the atmosphere of a live gig in a studio environment. All of the lights used were gridded, for maximum control and to help achieve a high-contrast, moody look. The idea was to try and match the feel of an old, grungy jazz club. Figuring out how to approximate stage lighting was fairly challenging, but as the shoot progressed I think we managed to get pretty close to what we had in mind.
I find that being friends with the band gives me a unique edge during shoots. The comfort level that we share translates to better photos; there’s no shortage of goofing around and general merriment on set. I’d also like to think that being a former musician gives me an advantage when it comes to understanding and shooting other musicians. As far as Something Relevant were concerned, their brief to me was always, well, brief. “Just make us look good, man,” was all they had to say. Fortunately for me, they also happened to share my love for monochrome images. I don’t get to shoot a lot of black-and-white for my commercial work, so I loved that I could use the opportunity to experiment with STR. They were always open to new ideas, and receptive to my direction.
Overall, I was very pleased with how the images turned out. For the next shoot, I’m thinking of leaving the studio behind and shooting the boys on location. I have a few ideas that I’m itching to try out, so stay tuned!
Photos by Vikas Munipalle
Tanmay Bhattacherjee of Something Relevant
Stuart DaCosta of Something Relevant
Ryan Sadri of Something Relevant
Luis Chico of Something Relevant
Jehangir Jehangir of Something Relevant
Aazin Printer of Something Relevant
Aalok Padhye of Something Relevant
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