Boston Musician Portrait Photographer

Editorial portraits, press kit photography, and album art for musicians, bands, and performers. The kind of image that anchors the next chapter of your career — not just the next press release.

"Craig takes such profoundly human and intimate portraits. He has a real intuition for this medium — it's actually kind of startling." — Carlos Dengler  |  Founding Member, Interpol

The portrait does the introducing

The press shot lands before you do. The editor sees it before they read your bio. The booker sees it before they hear the record. The fan sees it on the Spotify canvas, the Instagram tile, the magazine page, the back of the album. And every single time, it speaks first.

Most musicians end up with a press shot that doesn't quite represent them. Maybe a friend with a camera. Maybe a session that felt rushed. Maybe a year-old image that no longer matches the music. The work moves on; the image gets stuck.

This studio exists for the portrait that finally catches up with you. Editorial direction, intentional lighting, full presence on the day, and a final image that anchors a press cycle, an album drop, or a complete reintroduction to an audience that thinks they already know you.

One shoot at a time, by appointment, in a private studio in Boston's SoWa arts district. We do this seriously, and we do it for one person at a time.

Who this is for

• Solo musicians — about to release, between albums, or rebuilding the press kit.
• Bands — group portraits and individual member images for press cycle, label requirements, and tour materials.
• Touring acts coming through Boston — sessions can be scheduled around your dates if you're in the city.
• Singer-songwriters moving from local rooms into national press.
• Performers and dancers — Boston Ballet's Principal Dancer Viktorina Kapitonova has worked here. So have actors, theatre performers, and creators outside the traditional music world.
• Established artists with a record deal and a press machine that needs feeding.
• Independent artists doing it without a label — in some ways, the image matters more, not less.

Past subjects

What's included

The session fee for solo artists is $650. It covers the experience — not the images. Each session fee includes:

• A pre-session phone consultation about your release timeline, the markets you're submitting to, and what your label or PR team is asking for
• A wardrobe guide sent ahead of the shoot
• 60–90 minutes of studio time, with 2–3 wardrobe looks — useful for press kits that need range
• Direction throughout — there is nothing you have to "do" except trust the process
• A hand-selected gallery of your strongest images, presented at a Zoom ordering appointment a few days after the shoot

Images are purchased separately at the ordering appointment. You'll choose your favorites from the gallery, and pricing for individual retouched files, press-kit packages, prints, and licensed usage is reviewed at that time. Most artists invest beyond the session fee — in the right set of images for the release, the press cycle, and the platforms they're feeding.

Bands and group portraits are quoted by project. Group sessions can include both a full-band portrait and individual member shots in a single booking. Contact for tailored pricing.

Album art commissions are quoted by project — these run longer, with more conceptual development, multiple looks, and licensing built into the fee depending on usage rights.

A 50% deposit secures your date.

The studio

The studio sits at 1140 Washington St, Studio 2B, in Boston's SoWa arts and design district. Private, controlled space — full lighting flexibility, paper backdrops in editorial tones, no walk-ins, no overlap. The kind of room that lets you arrive, exhale, and actually work.

Easy to reach from across the metro. Close to the Orange Line (Tufts Medical Center stop) and the Green/Orange (Back Bay). Touring? We can help with parking, gear storage during the session, and making the booking work around your dates.

How a session works

1 — Phone consultation. Before booking, we have a real conversation. What's the release? Who's seeing the image? What's worked or not worked in past press shots? What does your team need it to do?

2 — Wardrobe + creative direction. A guide goes out before the session. For album cover work, we'll discuss concept, palette, and references. For press portraits, we'll talk through 2–3 looks that read across the markets you're submitting to.

3 — The session. You arrive, we look through the wardrobe options together, get to know each other for a few minutes. Sessions run 60 to 90 minutes for solo artists, longer for bands and album commissions. I direct everything — lighting, expression, micro-adjustments. You don't pose; you respond.

4 — Ordering appointment. A few days later, we meet over Zoom. I walk you through a hand-selected gallery of the strongest frames. You choose your favorites with my input.

5 — Delivery. Final retouched files arrive within two weeks, sized appropriately for press, streaming platforms, web, and print. We can deliver in formats your PR team or label is asking for.

Selected work

What clients say

"Much of a successful photoshoot is what sort of 'bedside manner' the photographer has. Invasive? Easy? Gear prepared? As an especially gifted portrait photographer, Craig William Johnston is terrific on everything that counts. I consider him Rembrandt with a Camera. His work speaks for itself." — Rick Berlin  |  Boston musician (Orchestra Luna, The Shelley Winters Project)

"I had an incredible time during this photoshoot — a moment where I felt completely free, open, and real. Grateful to Craig William Johnston for creating such a natural, safe space where nothing had to be forced — just me in this moment." — Viktorina Kapitonova  |  Principal Dancer, Boston Ballet

"Craig takes such profoundly human and intimate portraits. He has a real intuition for this medium — it's actually kind of startling." — Carlos Dengler  |  Founding Member, Interpol

Common questions

Do you do album covers, or is this just press shots?

Both. Press portraits are the standard 60–90 minute session. Album cover commissions run longer, with more conceptual development, multiple looks, and licensed usage included. Quoted by project.

Can you shoot a band, not just a solo artist?

Yes. Group sessions are quoted by project and typically include both a full-band portrait and individual member shots in a single booking. We'll discuss your label or PR requirements on the consultation call.

I'm a touring artist coming through Boston. Can I book around my dates?

Yes — this happens regularly. Send your dates on the consultation and we'll find a window. Sessions are by appointment, so we work with your schedule, not the other way around.

What about wardrobe, makeup, and styling?

Wardrobe guidance goes out before the session. Hair and makeup are not in-house, but I can recommend Boston-area artists if you want that level of polish — useful for album work, often less necessary for press portraits where rawness is the point.

Will the images be cleared for label or magazine use?

Standard sessions include personal and press usage on owned channels (your website, socials, EPK, streaming-platform headers). Editorial publication usage is generally cleared on request. Paid media campaigns and album cover licensing are quoted separately depending on scope and territory.

Can I bring my band, my manager, my partner to the shoot?

Manager or partner, sure — one trusted person in the room can be useful. Whole band? Different story unless we're shooting the band. The studio works best with one focus at a time.

Book the call

Sessions book 4–6 weeks out. The portrait you make this month is the one introducing the next album, the next press cycle, the next chapter.

A 15-minute call. No commitment. Tell me what you're working on, who's seeing the image, and what you need it to do. We'll figure out from there if we're a fit.