Stepping out of the Shadows: A Bright Studio Session with The Rules

Last week, I had the absolute pleasure of getting The Rules into the studio for a fresh batch of promotional photographs. I was also chuffed to be able to hang out with an old friend who, unbeknownst to me, was the guitarist in the band!

If you follow my work, you know I’m often drawn to grittier, high-contrast, and moody aesthetics. But when The Rules booked their session, we decided to go in a completely different direction. The goal was to deliver a clean, bright, and punchy look that would really pop on their social media and press kits. It was certainly a fun challenge to switch gears!

To achieve this ultra-clean look, I rolled out the pure white vinyl backdrop. The thing is, lighting a five-piece band evenly against a white background without casting messy shadows everywhere is trickier than it sounds.

It transpires that my newest piece of gear was exactly what was needed. I recently picked up a Westcott 7-foot umbrella, and I paired it with my Godox QT600IIIM flashes. For those of you who aren't camera geeks, essentially, this massive umbrella creates a huge, soft wall of light that wraps beautifully around the whole group. No harsh shadows, just crisp, professional illumination. It worked an absolute treat.

One of the best parts of this job is collaborating with the artists, and The Rules came prepared with a fantastic concept. One of the lead singers brought along an AI-created image as a reference for a specific shot she wanted to try, featuring a classic mirror ball. Attempting to recreate the impossible lighting and physics of AI in a real-world studio—especially within a limited timeframe—is always a bit of a tricky one.

My strategy was simple: prioritise the essentials. I wanted to make absolutely sure the band got four solid, highly usable promotional photographs in the bag before we started experimenting. Once we knew we had those "safe" shots locked down, we turned our full attention to the AI reference photo. We taped the mirror ball securely to the floor (to avoid any rolling disasters!), dialled in the lighting, and set up a striking pose with the singer resting her foot on it in that vibrant blue jumpsuit. We pushed to recreate the AI concept as best we could in reality, and honestly? It ended up being my absolute favourite shot of the entire session.

The band ultimately chose a 5-photograph package. I always find this is the sweet spot for bands who just need a targeted visual refresh—giving them the perfect variety of full-band lineups and focal shots without overwhelming them with hundreds of proofs to sift through.

My takeaways from this studio session were several-fold:

• A 7-foot lighting umbrella is an absolute game-changer for group band photography.

• Secure your essential shots first before diving into the experimental concepts.

• Always encourage bands to bring their own props and ideas—using AI as a visual mood board was a triumph.

• As much as I love the dark, gritty, and high-contrast shots, producing bright, high-end studio promos is incredibly satisfying.

  
  

A massive thank you to The Rules for being so brilliant to work with. You can check out their upcoming gig dates on their socials!

If your own band is still using out-of-focus iPhone pictures for your Spotify profile or gig posters, it might be time for an upgrade. Feel free to get in touch to chat about my Isle of Wight studio photography packages, and let's get you in the diary.