This article was written by, and photos by, Mark Maryanovich.
When prepping for an upcoming shoot, sometimes a good place to start is by looking at other photos and album covers to see what you like. Having verbal discussions with band members, your team and the photographer to make sure everyone’s on the same page and after the same outcome is key. Having a cohesive style and image that all involved are happy with presenting is important
Try to avoid getting a haircut or doing anything that radically changes your appearance just before the shoot, in case you’re not happy with it
Always bring lots of options when it comes to clothing and accessories to the shoot, more is always better than less; if it’s a band shoot, each member should bring as many options as possible
In terms of clothing, generally solid colors work best, no patterns or logos. I usually try to stay away from purple, as I find it tens to cause unflattering skin tones. Black is always great and really highlights the face, which should be the first thing someone sees in the photos
When photographing bands, it’s nice when things coordinate in terms of color and style, though lots of colors can also work great, as long as they don’t clash
Keep in mind that fit is the most important thing. How clothes hang is more important than the actual garment itself
Also, bring stuff you’re comfortable wearing, and what you wear on stage. The photos want to accurately represent who your fans will be seeing when they come to your shows
When wearing makeup and planning on makeup changes, it’s best to start with a light application. It’s always easier and more time efficient to apply more, than to take away or start over if the makeup is looking to heavy in the photos
Bring your instrument if you play one and it’s possible, along with a cool case (worn, weathered, with stickers, etc.) if you have
Being on time really helps the photographer do the best job possible; having all band members present and ready when the light is perfect is a great way to start the shoot
Coming to the shoot with good energy and an open mind can make for incredibly photos, because you never know what’s going to work
The five members of My Darkest Days had spent days in a darkened tour bus traveling throughout the Unites States, though they wouldn’t have known it, the bus was without any windows.
Monster Energy Drink commissioned me to meet up with the band while on tour in the middle of Texas for a few promotional shots. knowing the situation, i arrived a day early and scouted the state from Odessa to San Antonio. i wanted to find a spot that was cool, interesting and above all, inspiring. From my musician friends, i know how important it is to keep the energy up while on tour, so may plan for the shoot was to give the guys a much deserved and energizing break during their windowless marathon.
I discovered the Monahans Sandhills, the perfect place to escape the tin can walls of the bus and spend some time under the sun in the wide open desert.
It also happened to be where ZZ Top shot the iconic album cover for El Loco. knowing that the guys from My Darkest Days are ZZ Top fans, i thought they might find this interesting.
When i met up with the band they were tired. they crawled out of the bus like zombies, squinting from the sunlight. we spent the day shooting and relaxing, sitting in the Sandhills with their instruments, while they took a few moments to breathe the fresh air, have a few drinks and decompress between setups.
When the sun finally set, they were ready to embark on the rest of their tour, letting me know they felt energized, refreshed and excited to get back at it.
Probably my favorite part of my job is when I hear that our photo shoot has inspired the artist or band to create more music, come together and/or take off in a new direction with a fresh, inspired energy.
I love hearing this, it makes me feel like our time together created more than just new photos, it created new artistic energy for the band to take forward and flourish. i feel truly fortunate to be able to be a part of this memorable experience. most definitely one of my brightest days.
I first met Randy Bachman when he came by my studio to do some promotional shots for Peavey Amplifiers. He was calm, watchful, kind and quiet, and had just finished a radio interview at the CBC.
A few months later i was called to do promotional photos for his autobiography Vinyl Tap Stories. he requested the shoot take place at his home on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia, as he was working on a few things he had to finish.
I think i drove past his house a few times, it was sort of hidden and the roof was covered in long wild grass. when I finally figured out i was at the right place, i was blown away.
His entire studio and home were made of compressed earth, the first of its kind in Canada. apparently a structure of this sort is great for your lungs and breathing. on certain sections of the walls, Randy had commissioned artists to create wood carvings of flowers and intricate designs that he had pressed into the sediment ass it dried, leaving imprints of the art on the walls. it was beautiful. we shot with one as a backdrop, and it ended up being the image on his book cover.
I discovered a complete set of drums in the bathroom, the whole room enclosed by a rounded wall. Randy let me know this circular compressed earth wall was the first ever of its kind in the world, and he recorded all the drums in there because the acoustics were phenomenal.
As I cleared some things for a few portraits in the studio, I couldn’t believe the priceless rock’n’roll memorabilia that surrounded me. i cleared a horse blanked in one corner to unveil a set of bongo drums with the handwritten message “To Randy, Wow! Ringo Starr”
Randy has the largest collection of Gretsch guitars in the world. So large, that he was in the process of sending them to Gretsch for safekeeping. treasured guitars such as the ones in his collection require special handling and care, and should be kept in a humidor like environment to ensure their quality maintains.
Randy wanted to be photographed with a few of his favorites, and throughout the shoot he would bring in a rare and gorgeous handmade guitar, and his calm, astute demeanor would melt away to a childlike excitement and glow as he explained the intricate, unique details, handling each guitar preciously, it was thrilling to see.
As i set up for different shots, Randy would disappear to another clay building, where his office was. at sixty something years old, he was constantly working. even between setups, he was still taking care of business.
On my location scout, i found a café wall in the small city center, painted with musical notes and frets, as well as a wooden bench sitting in the water at the side of a lake Randy’s property overlooked.
When i mentioned to Randy’s managers that i had these two spots in mind, they warned me that Randy most likely wouldn’t be interested, he wasn’t much for going out, or sitting in a lake, he had too much to do.
After we finished photographing his studio and guitars, i ran both location ideas by Randy. he was a tremendous sport, and came outside to the musical wall and nodded and waved at the locals as they recognized him and shouted hellos.
At the end of the day, he spent forty five minutes with his pants rolled up and feet in the water as the sun set, and i was treated to a rare, intimate concert as he strummed on one of his favorite Gretschs. he told me incredible stories, one of them being the secret to the uncommon sounds of Neil Young’s Harvest.
I’ll never forget my day with Randy, and how inspired i felt at the end of it, and truly thankful for the opportunity to be around a legend, and a living encyclopedia of music history. every time I hear a BTO or Guess Who song in a movie with Michael Cera, Jonah Hill or Ben Stiller, it makes me feel glad that his genius and talent and everlasting contributions to music are appreciated. he truly is an outstanding man, whose talent and knowledge I’m sure of which, we ain’t see nothing yet.
I’ll never forget the day i got the email. it was December 12th 2012 (12/12/12), and i literally pushed my chair back and jumped up, before double checking the email to make sure i read it right.
Gibson Guitars had contacted me to photograph Chris Cornell for his signature ES-335 guitar.
A huge fan of Soundgarden, Audioslave and Chris’s solo work, i immediately set out on doing my research, and my admiration for Chris only amplified.
He had a four octave vocal range (rare for a male singer), pretty much invented Screamo, was heavily involved in charity work, and played for the president. let alone the countless iconic songs he created that encapsulated the 90s and early 2000s music scene. i’d say “grunge,” though one of the treats to doing the shoot was that i was copied on the email correspondence between Gibson and the band’s management. the term “grunge” was at first going to be used in the ad copy headlines to describe the guitar made for Chris, the creator of “grunge,” only to find out that the band Soundgarden hates the term “grunge.” true irony.
The shoot date was set and the night before i would steel my nerves and get ready to meet an idol. i’d go through this at least four times, as the shoot was pushed numerous times due to scheduling.
Finally, it looked like the shoot day was set. i showed up early at the Gibson Showroom in Beverly Hills. i was told that i had 45 minutes with Chris to get two different setups while he did an interview. i chose my two spots and set up the lights while Chris’s manager frantically searched for a Diet Coke, (Chris’s drink of choice).
Chris showed up early and from moment one he was a force walking through the door. he was larger than life, tall, and all around just a big human being. intense almost doesn’t seem like a strong of enough word to describe him.
After his death Bono described him as “a lion,” while Perry Farrell called him “a complex soul.” these two descriptions really captured Chris, and there was a disquiet, sad energy about him, like his mind was constantly grinding on a whole other level. behind those clear blue eyes a storm was brewing, and caught between conversations and photos, he’d be lost in an anxious, somewhat vulnerable world of his own, that he would snap out of when asked the next question. the one time the clouds disappeared was when he
Mentioned his daughter was auditioning for Annie, his face and eyes lit up with a proud smile.
We shared another proud moment when he happily discussed how pleased he was with the flat green color of his custom guitar, (he called it “Army Green”) and also when he talked about his love for cars with flat black paint jobs. he modestly claimed to have started the trend, taking a few spray cans of flat black paint to the first car he ever owned, a rusted old lemon for which he paid less than the couple hundred dollars he could scrape together.
When i heard the news about the tragedy, i felt sick with sadness. it was like the bottom dropped out of the world, and a black hole covered the sun. another true artist was lost to creative desperation. i’ll always be thankful for the opportunity i had to be in the presence of greatness. RIP
