Shooting Photos For Music Magazines - Types Of Shots

In this post I am going to talk about the common conventions that are needed to create a good and effective photoshoot for a music magazine in particular, types of shots/angles.

The most common type of shot used in a magazine is the Eye Level angle. This is where the subject of the image is looking directly at the camera.

This type of shot can also be a head and shoulders shot or a medium shot (however it is less effective when used in a medium shot). The reason it is a popular angle for magazines is because it gives the impression that the subject is looking into the audiences eyes which gives it a more personal feel and as if the subject is luring the audience into buying the magazine







Medium Shot

This angle is where it shows the waist and above of the model in the image. This is the second most popular angle used in magazines and is usually used if the model is holding an object in their hands/arms or if there is a slogan or image on the models top that is relevant to the magazine or if they are wearing an outfit that the target audience would be interested in etc (this applies mainly to fashion magazines). This is used a lot if their is a band featured in the cover of a magazine as it is a good way of showing all their faces/bodies





Close Up/Extreme Close Up

A close up shot is where the image just shows a persons face and sometimes neck. An extreme close up is where it shows just the face and sometimes even just the eyes etc. This is used less frequently on magazine front covers as the images aren't really the right size for a regular portrait a4 magazine.




Low Angle

This angle is used to make the subject of the image look intimidating and taller/bigger. This is sometimes used on music (particularly rock etc) magazines if the model is holding a guitar that is standing up on the ground by their feet etc but is not used regularly as it is difficult to attract an audience when on the shelf and also because it looks slightly unprofessional as their is a lot of background.






The type of shot I am most likely to use when shooting images for my magazine is the medium shot as because I want my model to be holding a guitar, I feel this is a good angle to make sure the guitar is definitely in the shot but also that the pose, clothing, facial expression etc is clear in the image also.