Image Combination for Album Cover

[Mattj]

I got to shoot this fantastic band 'Good Night States' a few weeks back, and put together an album cover from the live performance. I was looking for inspiration and came across this tiled photo. I want to know what people think about the layout. Is there any area that is to distracting? Did the grid system work? Do you like the overall look and feel with the muted colors, and the dark shadows?



Let me know your thoughts/suggestions.

[PhotoPhix]

I like the photos and the color tone you chose,but I find it very difficult to see where one photo ends and the other begins.

Armando

[wulf]

I'm not so keen on the photos. Some of them don't show the players at their best (eg. the keys player has been caught in one of those gormless looking mid-word expressions), there's a lot of clutter (eg. guitar headstock over the face of the guy in the top right) and none of the shots (except perhaps the bottom right square, because of how close it crops in) really seems to engage the viewer. Maybe it suits the music but I wonder if a different set of photos would work better? Perhaps a bit less of the guy I imagine is the bandleader, too, unless it really is a one-ego project.

I'm also not sure about the grid (seems cluttered - is there some organising principle? Perhaps less variety of shapes would work) and the colour and font for the text.

Sounds like a downer, eh? I like the overall tone of the photos though, if that makes you feel any better!

Wulf

[Mattj]

Thanks Wulf...I can really see what you mean with the one guy getting most of the attention. It would be really nice if I could have moved around more and captured more members of the band. I have that problem of getting infatuated with one person and sticking with them. I agreee the background is a little cluttered. It was a special house concert, so the background is an actual persons place. It may also have been the lense choice. I had 2 cameras going a 30D with a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L and a Canon 5D with a Canon EF 50mm f1.4. Would you have recommended using a telephotic lens? I was maybe 10 feet from the guys.

[wulf]

You would probably have needed the speed; most longer lenses tend to be slower unless very expensive.

Wulf