One of my photographic goals this year is to shoot images for a specific end use. One of my reps works within the publishing industry, so when I’m out shooting I’m trying to keep this in mind and look for images which would be well suited to music and book cover art. I want to keep my own artistic goals and projects at hand too, so there may be times when I’m doing a bit of a juggling act. Or there may be periods where I concentrate strictly on personal projects, and others where I concentrate strictly on commercial projects. A lot of times an image can serve both purposes equally well.

Good cover art is important. Music and art go hand in hand. The best way to get the attention of potential customers and music executives is with a creative album cover. You need something that on first glance will make a person want to pick it up and learn more. The cover design can convey the message of the album and be just as expressive, catching the buyers eye and piquing their interest. And don’t think just because the music industry is moving more towards digital and downloading albums you can skip having a cover design. Look in any digital download market – the graphics are still important. Your cover acts as your calling card in the music industry. It can make or break the success of your album.

People in passing often say to me “that would make a great cd cover” or “I could see that photo on a book cover”. Indeed…..my hopes are that someday you will; or that you already have.

This image was taken in the fall during a photography outing with friends. I did shoot it specifically with cover usage in mind. Textures used in this image were Andreas Achenbach and Van Gogh both with Overlay blend mode at 100% Opacity.