Creative, high level product photography of a custom Washburn Telecaster electric guitar mod by commercial product photographer and digital artist Brian Rodgers Jr. This ¾ view hero shot highlights the overall vibe of the guitar with extreme detail by dialing in a solid composition, intriuging and refined studio quality lighting and complimentary colors.
Professional product visualization for boutique amp builders and manufacturers. This image features a vintage style boutique guitar amplifier sitting in a mid century modern style room with dappled sunlight bathing the room.
If you work for a company that designs and manufactures music driven products with passion, purpose and authenticity, Digital Art That Rocks™ would love an opportunity to work with you! I'm looking to work with more musical instrument manufacturers i.e. guitar, bass, keyboard, microphone and drum manufacturers, boutique guitar amplifier companies and consumer electronics brands that make products like turntables, portable bluetooth speakers, bookshelf speakers and studio monitors. If you're involved with product driven music brands, pro audio brands or music lifestyle brands, we're probably a good fit to work together! Whether you've developed new innovative products, improved on an old design or discovered new use cases, Digital Art That Rocks™ can help you reimagine and explore interesting ways to visualize your products with impact and clarity.
Magazine spread of a guitar advertisement showcasing a boutique tube amplifier
We live in a fast paced world of visual engagement and rapid information consumption, so it goes without saying that first impressions can often times make or break a potential customer’s decision. While staying "top of mind" is important, so is the visual quality of the content that you put forth. For musical instrument manufacturers, the challenge isn’t just in creating exceptional instruments to put in the hands of aspiring musicians who may eventually become the next Eddie Van Halen, but in ensuring that the key visuals that you use to represent your brand resonate and connect with your target customers. This is where professional product photography comes into play, serving as a bridge between a brand’s craftsmanship and a musician’s curiosity. Whether your need e-commerce images to sell instruments on your website, or you need a killer hero shot for an ad campaign that you're running in Guitar World Magazine, Digital Art That Rocks can help!
First Impressions Matter
Rustic boutique fuzz guitar pedal with a vintage relicked metal design sitting on a giant ball of fur to visualize the fuzz tone
If you work in this music manufacturing industry, I'm sure you're well aware that the musical instrument market is extremely competitive, with manufacturers vying for attention in stores, at trade shows, and especially online. Studies have shown time and time again that high-quality imagery can increase conversion rates significantly, with customers more likely to purchase when product images are clear, detailed, and visually appealing.
Guitar pedal hero shot showing a trio of boutique guitar pedals sitting on top of a red rock desert mountain with a blue sky background
For musical instruments, pedals, amps and other music products where the aesthetic, craftsmanship, and details tell part of the story, a simple mobile phone shot won’t do justice. Don't get me wrong, quick snaps for instant social media gratification have their place, but having professional level product photography allows the characteristics of your products to be showcased creatively with solid composition, refined lighting and much higher detail and resolution, ensuring that the first impression draws potential customers in, rather than turning them away.
Showcase Craftsmanship and Details
Closeup detail shot of a vintage Washburn Telecaster guitar mod that has been updated with new hardware, electronics and pickups
Detail shot of an electric guitar headstock showcasing hipshot locking tuning machines with a universal mounting plate.
A guitar with a unique pickguard, an amplifier built with premium materials, or a drum set with a striking finish—all deserve to be shown in their full glory. While sound is obviously super important. Musicians care about more than just sound; they also value the feel, the look, and the character of an instrument. They want to envision themselves using your products and they want to look cool while doing so. Professional product photography can be used to highlight intricate details like wood grain and sophisticated finishes but can also be used to create highly conceptual and creative composite imagery.
Detail product shot showcasing D'Addario gold elliptical end pin on an electric guitar
Highly skilled commercial photographers possess in-depth knowledge of lighting, composition, styling and set building. This expertise allows them to emphasize the nuanced details of your musical products, visually communicating their quality and craftsmanship. Beyond the standard product shots, creative commercial product photographers can help craft a compelling and cohesive visual narrative. They not only have the ability to showcase your product's visual aesthetics in a profound way, but also possess the skills to evoke the feeling and vibe of your brand, extending the customer experience beyond your typical e-commerce page.
—Check out my photo series Vintage Guitar, Modern Twist: Product Photographer Reimagines Washburn Telecaster Guitar—
Beyond Aesthetics: How Imagery Impacts Brand Perception
Studio shot of an EVH 5150iii Stealth tube amplifier photographed on a medium seamless background to emphasize the stealth design
Brand perception is everything, especially when competing against industry titans. A boutique manufacturer with professional, polished images creates an impression of reliability, quality, and expertise. In contrast, a brand with poorly lit, amateur photos risks appearing unprofessional, no matter how excellent their instruments look, play or sound. This can obviously have a negative effect on your bottom line.
Consider the premium feel of product photography for leading musical instrument brands. Their imagery isn't just functional; it's aspirational! It tells musicians: "This is an instrument or musical product worth owning." For smaller or emerging brands, investing in professional product photography can be a significant step toward competing with well-established names. And believe me, with the right imagery, it's very possible to create the perception of being larger than you actually are. This is a significant advantage, especially if you're looking to scale your business in the future.
Studio shot of an EVH 5150iii Stealth tube amplifier photographed on a dark gray seamless background to emphasize the stealth design
How do I know this? Many brands that contact my company, Digital Art That Rocks, often have the impression that a large team of people work here. Surely, the highly creative and extremely well-produced commercial photography on my website couldn't have been created by just one person, right? The fact is, it's just me at Digital Art That Rocks! I'm an artist who loves what I do and takes great pride in creating world-class commercial photography for companies nationwide. I believe that both photographing and retouching my own work has allowed me to build a solid reputation for offering my clients unique, world class commercial advertising imagery. Having control of the entire production pipeline from photo shoot to final output allows me to offer clients a higher level of communication and artistry. To reiterate, your brand is everything. Even if you're a small business.
Boost Online Engagement and Sales With Compelling Product Visuals
The Digicaster is a custom Squier Stratocaster designed, modified, painted and photographed by commercial photographer and digital artist Brian Rodgers Jr.
—Check out the entire photo series “THE DIGICASTER - PHOTOGRAPHING A CUSTOM ELECTRIC GUITAR - HOW I TURNED A PASSION PROJECT INTO MUSICAL INSTRUMENT PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY”—
Recording studio headphones with dramatic lighting on a black reflective background
Online platforms—from your website to social media channels—thrive on visual content. High-quality images are more likely to be shared, pinned, and liked, increasing your brand’s visibility. This enhanced engagement can drive traffic to your online store or retailer pages and, ultimately, boost sales.
Moreover, e-commerce platforms prioritize listings with high-quality images, which can improve your product’s ranking in search results. This makes professional product photography not just an aesthetic choice but a strategic one, influencing both SEO and user behavior. Think about it, if you're using 3rd party platforms to sell your musical products, it's in the best interest of these platforms to show high quality imagery, because it also effects the perception of their brand as well. The last thing they want to do is provide higher rankings to product manufacturers with low quality imagery which in turn leads to the perception of low quality products.
Visualize Your Brand’s Narrative With Creative Commercial Product Photography
Hero shot of a waterproof bluetooth speaker sitting in the eye of a hurricane. Product photography by commercial advertising photographer Brian Rodgers Jr.
Musical instruments often carry a story of innovation, legacy, and passion. Commercial photography allows brands to tell this story visually. A series of creative, well crafted and curated commercial photographs can effectively convey the character, spirit and legacy of a brand—from emphasizing a behind the scenes look at the innovative artisanal in-house processes to the final polished product playing the worlds biggest stages.
Photography that effectively reflects the brand’s mission, values, and unique selling points can connect on an emotional level with the target audience. Whether it’s through lifestyle photography showing a guitarist playing a riff through their favorite stompbox or macro shots highlighting a custom set of Ernie Ball strings of a bass guitar, each image visually tells a chapter in your brand’s history book.
Partner With An Expert to Unlock Your Brand's Visual Potential
Environmental product shot of an Audio-Technica studio microphone sitting in a recording studio next to a guitar interface, headphones and a computer with colorful ambient stage lighting
To effectively communicate the value and desirability of your musical instruments and music related products, it's crucial to partner with a commercial photographer who understands their nuances. This is likely, someone such as myself, who in addition to being a photographer and digital artist, is also an experienced musician. My belief is that making great art requires immersing yourself into the energy of what you’re photographing. And when it comes to photographing music related products, someone who plays an instrument and thoroughly enjoys listening to music and will certainly have a much deeper connection with the photographs that they are creating. This will help ensure that the imagery goes beyond product shots at face value and instead conveying the craftsmanship, artistry, and soul of each piece.
Your photographic partner must not only possess strong compositional and lighting skills, but also understand how to capture the nuances of your products in a way that resonates with musicians. Furthermore, professional product photographers with extensive post-production exerience offer flexibility. Whether you need images for your website, print ads, or social media campaigns, a professional can create assets tailored to different formats, aspect ratios and platforms, ensuring consistency across all of your marketing channels.
The Potential of Exponential Growth Through Exceptional Imagery
Conceptual hero shot of a stack of bluetooth speakers visualizing spatial audio sound quality while floating in space surrounded by a nebula of sound in the depths of space
In the music gear and pro audio industry, your product's visual presentation is just as crucial as its sound. Investing in professional product photography has the potential to help grow your brand exponentially, showcase your story of craftsmanship and uniqueness as well as connect with musicians and audiophiles on a much deeper level. The benefits of well-produced commercial product photography extend far beyond aesthetics, influencing engagement, sales, and brand loyalty. Brand photography can become a part of your legacy and in some cases iconic.
As a manufacturer dedicated to crafting musical instruments and musical products that inspire greatness, it’s essential to ensure that your imagery reflects that same level of dedication. Partnering with an experienced product photographer who also has an affinity for musical instruments, musical products and music culture can turn your visual content into a powerful tool that drives your business forward. Whether you've developed new innovative products, improved on an old design or discovered new use cases, Digital Art That Rocks™ can help you reimagine and explore interesting ways to visualize your products with impact and clarity.
