Yamaha Guitar Photography
I recently completed my Fellowship qualification with a panel of guitar photography including images of Yamaha guitars. I was fortunate to be able to work with not just modern guitars such as a Pacifica, but also a much rarer vintage model too.
The tiger stripe look to this Yamaha Pacifica is a popular finish for guitar tops. It provides beautiful details and adds an extra level of interest and sophistication to the instrument. Pacificas had humbucking pickups in the bridge position from quite early on. This model includes a humbucker on the neck as well.
I also photographed a Yamaha electro-acoustic guitar. Like the Pacifica, it had a strong blue colourscheme with a dark fingerboard. The detailing around the sound hole picked up the gradients of light nicely. I also created a shot using a rather unusual angle. This looks from the top of the body of the guitar down to the headstock. Using a tilt-shift lens I was able to keep the whole guitar really sharp instead of losing the neck with a shallow depth of field.
The vintage Yamaha guitar had an iconic sunburst finish as found on many classic rock instruments. I highlighted the curves to draw attention to the unusual shape of this instrument. It was kindly loaned to me by its owner and I enjoyed working with it. I also paired it up with the owner’s Yamaha amplifier for a more contextual shot.
For other brands and images please also see my guitar photography page.
All images © Joe Lenton 2021-2022 – all rights reserved