SMU Student Band poses for a shoot for their upcoming perfomance at the Row Fest at the University of Arkansas in Dallas Texas.

ISO 200, f5.6, 1/125s

For this assignment I was able to have some creative freedom and kind of just did whatever I wanted! I wanted to include another studio shoot,  but this time not for SMU Look. 

I’m currently writing a story about Manett Band, which is a student band here in Dallas, Texas. I took a photo of them for a graphic for the upcoming annual Row Fest at the University of Arkansas on April 15, 2023. 

I used the SMU Journalism studio in Umphrey Lee. I learned how to use the Flash lights, which make me feel like a true pro. I lose using them, but there are 3 million different settings which makes it hard to get the lighting just right. I have to play around with them to make the background shadows almost disappear. 

I feel like this photo could be the cover of a magazine or journalism piece about these guys - so that’s why I wanted to include it. My story is about how they are tapping into the music industry and what life looks like for them over the next few years. 

Most of the band are seniors, with only two junior members, Will Goodgame, a guitarist, and Griffin Vail, who is the lead singer. The rest of the band, including Jack Poncy, Nick Simpson, Wes Bender, and Jay Kynerd, all have different plans after graduation.