The Mojo Farmers

One of my friends at work is managing a local band on the side. They have a new CD coming out in a few weeks and so I asked her if I could photograph them and would be happy to let them use the photos on promotional material or their website. The band is called the Mojo Farmers and they have a really good sound. I got a chance to shoot with them last Sunday.

One of the things that I am learning about photography is that it is not just the technical aspects (lighting, exposure, post-processing)that you need to learn but also the ability to bring creative ideas to your subjects so that there is a collaborative effort in producing the final image. So as I started out to photograph the band I was thinking more about an edger, ultra-modern look like Dave Hill or Joey Lawerence. I wasn't able to take the time to really learn what type of image or feel these guys were going for. They are more of a laid back group, in the same genre as the Grateful Dead. As you can see by the near by photos I'm pretty sure I did not get the image that they were looking for. I pushed the limits even further with the individual head shots that I took. I was going to line all five of the shots up side by side with all five band members. I took these extreme close ups and then post processed them with an edger effect. The feedback that I got back from my friend from the band was not the greatest: they thought I made them look like meth addicts. Nearby is Darin's before and after picture, and no he doesn't work in a coal mine and is not a meth addict. Sorry Darin!

Overall these guys were really good people, friendly and great to work with. I just wish I could have connected better with them and gotten them photos that they would have liked, well, there is always next time.

My friend the band manager gave me permission to blog about the shoot and post the photos; as she said: "any publicity is good publicity'.