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Music for cinematic inspiration

First up... you’ll want to hit the big play button, then scroll to bellow the playlist to read the rest of this article.

Let me state emphatically, music and specifically the right music is essential to everything I (and most likely you) do as a photographer & artist... and I'm not speaking figuratively!

It's well documented that music has an effect on our emotions. Athletes use music to raise their adrenaline production, sending them into a trance like state ready for competition. Equally there has been research into the effects of music on animals, particularly those in welfare or captivity.

So it comes as no surprise that if you’re photographing a portrait, and you’re not getting the right emotion from your subject, chances are they’re not listening to the right music.

The playlist you’re listening to right now isn't one I crafted for pre-production or production (it’s probably not up tempo enough for a shoot) but it's a selection of songs that I will listen to (usually on repeat) during the post-production stage of artwork creation.

I use this music or similar tracks by the same artists (usually film scores) to send me into a cinematic trance if you will. In such a trance I feel inspired, I feel like I can creatively solve difficult post-production problems, I feel energetic, and I will easily find myself working productively for hours.

If you're not getting the results you’re after, try changing up your playlist.

Let me know your results on twitter, facebook or google+.