I recently had the pleasure of photographing musician Keshen in the studio, creating a new set of portraits ahead of his upcoming music project release.
There’s something I really enjoy about photographing musicians in the studio.
Unlike live music photography, where everything is happening very quickly, a studio portrait session gives us time to slow things down, experiment and really think about the images we’re creating.
And when a new music project is on the horizon, the photographs become an important part of that story.
My background is in music photography, and you can see more of my work as a Manchester music photographer here.
Musician Portrait Photography Manchester – Keshen’s Studio Shoot
Musician Portrait Photography Manchester – Creating portraits for a new music project
When a musician is preparing to release new music, there’s usually a lot happening behind the scenes.
There’s the music itself, artwork, social media, press, interviews, videos and all the other bits that go into putting a project out into the world.
Photography plays a big part too.
The right portraits can become the visual introduction to an artist and their new project. They might be used for press releases, websites, social media, streaming profiles, magazine features or promotional material.
For Keshen’s shoot, we wanted to create a set of portraits that could work across different parts of the upcoming release while still feeling personal to him.
Musician Portrait Photography Manchester – Keshen’s Studio Shoot
Musician Portrait Photography Manchester – A studio portrait session with Keshen
We kept the shoot focused on creating strong, characterful portraits rather than trying to overcomplicate things.
One of the things I love about studio photography is how much control you have over the light.
We can start with one idea, make a few changes and suddenly the whole mood of an image changes.
Move the light.
Change the direction.
Bring the shadows in.
Make things a little more dramatic.
Or strip everything back and keep it simple.
It’s quite a different experience from photographing a gig, where you’re often dealing with whatever lighting the venue happens to throw at you!
Musician Portrait Photography Manchester – Keshen’s Studio Shoot
Musician Portrait Photography Manchester – From live music to musician portraits
My background is in music photography, so photographing musicians has been a huge part of my career.
I’ve spent more than 10 years photographing live music, artists and events, working in venues ranging from small intimate spaces to large arenas and festivals.
I’ve also worked with publications and organisations including Kerrang!, NME, The Guardian and BBC Introducing, alongside commercial clients and music industry projects.
Live music photography teaches you to react quickly.
You’re looking for a moment, an expression or a particular piece of light and you might only have a second to capture it.
That experience has naturally influenced the way I photograph musicians in the studio.
I’m always looking for those little moments where the portrait starts to feel less like a photograph of someone and more like a photograph that tells you something about them.
If you’re looking for a portrait photographer in Manchester who understands how to work with musicians and artists, my experience in music and portrait photography means we can create images that feel authentic to your visual identity.
Why musician portraits matter
Having a good selection of photographs ready for a music release can make life much easier for an artist.
Instead of having to find a photograph every time you’re asked for a press image, you have a collection of images ready to go.
You might need:
- Press and PR images
- Social media photographs
- Website imagery
- Spotify and streaming profiles
- Magazine and editorial features
- Promotional material
- Tour announcements
- New release campaigns
- Artist biographies
- Posters and artwork
A single portrait can sometimes work brilliantly, but having a variety of photographs gives you much more flexibility.
That’s why I like to create a mixture of images during a session – different compositions, expressions, crops and lighting – so the artist has plenty of options afterwards.
Studio photography gives us room to experiment
One of my favourite things about a studio shoot is that we don’t necessarily have to know exactly what the final image will look like before we start.
We can experiment.
Sometimes the simplest setup produces the strongest photograph.
Other times, a small change in lighting or positioning completely transforms the image.
I think that’s particularly important when photographing musicians because their visual identity is often closely connected to their music.
The photographs need to feel like they belong to the artist.
They shouldn’t just be technically good portraits.
They should have some personality.
Photographing people who aren’t models
And, of course, most musicians aren’t professional models.
That’s completely fine.
You don’t need to know how to pose before coming to one of my shoots.
I’ll give you direction throughout the session, and we’ll work together to find poses and expressions that feel natural.
I want the experience to feel relaxed rather than like you’re being put through a series of awkward poses.
Usually, once we get going, people settle into it pretty quickly.
And that’s when we start getting the good stuff.
Looking for a musician photographer in Manchester?
If you’re a musician or artist preparing for a new release, tour or project and need new photographs, I’d love to hear what you’re working on.
Whether you’re looking for musician portrait photography, press shots, promotional images or creative studio portraits, we can create a session around your music and visual identity.
I’m based in Manchester and work with musicians and artists across the city and throughout the UK.
You don’t need to have everything planned before you get in touch. If you’re not sure what sort of photographs you need, that’s something we can work out together.
Some favourites below from the session.
Planning a new music release?
Get in touch to book a musician portrait session in Manchester.
I’d love to hear about your project and create some photographs that you can use throughout your next release campaign.
Priti Shikotra Photography
Manchester Music Photographer | Musician Portrait Photographer | Portrait Photographer Manchester
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