Behind the scenes of the first Subhustle T-shirt photoshoot
Making the tees looking their best.
It's been a long time coming, but finally, it feels amazing to have some top quality photography of all my house music t-shirts. These new shots really make the tees look their best, hopefully encouraging and reassuring new customers how great these designs truly are.
Seems a no-brainer to have some model photography, right? I couldn't agree more, but it's taken me a while to get to this point. Now I’ve finally completed my first ever Subhustle photoshoot I just wanted to share a little of what went on to achieve the images of my house music t-shirts. Perhaps it might even help you if you're ever consider doing some t-shirt photography of your own, or perhaps you're just interested to know a little more about what was all involved to achieve my final shots.
ACID SMILE /// T-shirt / Sky Blue
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
Although it might sound super-boring, the first thing to consider is preparation and planning. It really will make all the difference when it comes to the day of the shoot, allowing you the time to focus on capturing the best t-shirt images, safe in the knowledge you put all the effort in beforehand to save lots of stress!
I started with the inventory, deciding what t-shirts were the most crucial to shoot, and then making sure all the garments were ironed immaculately and then ordered in terms of the shoot list. That way, should anything go wrong and I run out time on the day, I've definitely got all the best-selling t-shirt designs covered first.
CLASSIC HOUSE /// T-shirt / White
Location, location, location.
Finding a great location is next on the list for the shoot. I wanted somewhere local, flexible and accessible. It’s important to find the location beforehand and do a good recce. Again, the time spent beforehand can be invaluable to allow you to work quickly and smartly on the day of the fashion shoot. The last thing you want are models standing about wondering what’s going on - not very professional!
So once you’ve found a great location that meets the brief, now’s the time to take some test shots, explore the area, discover great backdrops, check how light is going to affect your shots and basically be ahead of the game as much as possible before the day of the t-shirt shoot.
The day of the t-shirt shoot.
All the effort beforehand to be organised really did make the difference on the day. The nervousness of the unknown washed away, and we all really enjoyed the shoot, which in turn hopefully comes across in the t-shirt photography. Although it would have been lovely to be shooting in Ibiza, a windy dry day at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh was the ideal location to get all the tee images I wanted.
ACID REDUX /// T-shirt / White
Help, I need somebody!
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Roping in people to help you out really can make all the difference to your shoot. I was lucky enough to have my partner Elaine behind the scenes, organised with what house t-shirts and what locations were next up on the shoot list. All of which allowed me the time to focus on getting great shots.
Likewise, I was lucky enough to get friends Gordon and Laura to be models for the day. Super patient, massively supportive and much better looking in front of the camera than me!
SUMMER VIBES /// T-Shirt / Yellow
Some of the gear and big ideas.
You don’t have to spend a fortune to get some good kit to do the job. I’ve got my trusty little Panasonic Lumix GH4 camera for shooting. I picked it up second-hand on eBay and it really does cover all my needs. I love the flexibility it gives me for great photography and also 4K video.
In terms of lenses, for this shoot I stuck with a 50m prime lens. The ‘The Nifty Fifty’ is a great lens and super-flexible. You might think not having a zoom lens is limiting, but I really find the 50mm prime lens really helps with composition, making me move with my feet, rather than rely on the zoom. I love being able to get in close on my subject and get some tasty shallow depth of field. Plus it also means I can travel light without the need for a big, heavy lens.
But whether you’re shooting on a DSLR camera, or perhaps just your iPhone, the kit you use is just part of the process. As a super-amateur photographer I’d recommend just get out there and experiment, take lots of shots, get to know your camera and have loads of fun doing it.
All the house music t-shirts featured are available to buy at the Subhustle shop