Jason Christopher, LA Commercial & Fashion Photographer Bio

I recently had the pleasure of photographing a new jewelry line by Flori Manning.  The designer herself called me from Chicago where she lives, we talked over the concepts, budget etc. and the next thing you know she is on a plane to  Los Angeles to shoot her look book with lil ol me.

We had a great model and some beautiful jewelry as well as great make up and hair.  One of my make up artists Lori Young did a great job with the make up and hair.

As for the lighting, I used my typical beauty lighting set up. One small white satin umbrella above the model and in front of her and silver reflector on a stand below to fill in any shadows and light up that jewelry.  We shot 9 different looks.  Here we see two of them.

When prepping for a photo shoot with a client who is based out of town you have got to be very thorough and write everything down from every phone call.  Ask your client to email you samples of the look they are going for.  The more specifics you get from your client the easier the shoot will flow.  Because there is no initial in office meeting, everything must be done via email and phone.  It’s not as easy as an in person meeting but it can be done effectively.

A bit more info on the technical side of a shoot like this must be mentioned.  In the first shot you see the model is wearing a necklace AND earrings.  In this situation I needed to set a very tight f stop to make everything sharp from the necklace all the way back to the earrings.  I set it to f/13, so my strobes were popping !  lol   In the second shot we don’t have earrings in the shot, however, the necklace must be sharp from the closest edge to camera all the way back to where it rests on the back of her neck.

Any questions or comments are welcome !

Recently I was asked what legal documents are required to start your fashion  photography business in Los Angeles.   There are a couple things to ask yourself.  If you are working out of your house then you actually don’t need any documents.  You don’t need a business license but if you are not using your name as your business name then you will need a DBA also known as Doing Business As.  For instance, my business is called Jason Christopher Photography.  I don’t need a DBA.    If I want to call my business something like Sharpshooter or Mainline Photography or whatever, just something other than your name, then yes you need a DBA.   When I first started I called LA city Hall and they said I do not need a business license.  Now if I had a storefront I would think that I would need one.  The best thing to do is call your local city hall and find out for sure.

What you ABSOLUTELY NEED is photography insurance that covers your gear, rental gear and liability.  That is a must have.

Other than that you just need a camera … ha ha

I have been asked many times why I choose a certain lens for the different photos I have shot whether the photos are for a campaign or a catalog or even a personal model portfolio shoot.

The answer isn’t so clear cut.  I can tell you that my most used lens is my Canon 85 1.8.  Why do I love this lens ?  For the reason that I can get full body shots to three quarter shots to half body shots, all with one lens.  And this lens is very light which does matter after you have been shooting for 5, 6, 7 , 10 hours.  The contrast and saturation is great and I always get sharp crisp images which is VERY important when shooting a clothing catalog.  When shooting clothing  you MUST capture the details in the fabric and I don’t care what kind of fabric it is, it is your job as a photographer to make sure every detail of the clothing is clear and well defined.  This is especially important now because of the internet.  A popular trend for designers is to show the model full body and when the user scrolls over the jacket, blouse, pants, jeans etc. a magnified image pops out that shows the incredible detail of the stitching or quality of the silk, denim etc.

So with just a little movement back and forth on my part I am able to give my client choices from full body all the way to half body shots.  Now granted, knowing that my client is going to include a pop out of tight close up of the fabric I will move in for a half body shot.  That brings me to my next favorite lens for shooting fashion. That lens is the Canon 100mm 2.8 Macro.

I can get as close as one inch to the garment and capture every little detail including the little fibers of each stitch !  At this point I would be on a tripod of course.  If I am shooting a beauty campaign which I just completed by the way, I will roll out this amazing lens.  I’m on sticks and got my 100 macro attached to my 5D Mark 2 and I can shoot away with full confidence.  I will even get in tight on one eye to show the clarity and quality of the eye shadow, nail polish, lip stick etc.   It’s not L glass but I will give you my opinion on L glass……… YOU DON’T FRIGGIN NEED “L” GLASS !!   Ok ?  Get over this crap that you have to have “L” glass to get great shots.  My God I get sooo irritated when I see that a photographer has just wet his pants because he just bought a new lens with “L” glass.  Do you think all the greats used “L” glass ?  No they didn’t.  Why ?  Because it didn’t exist and guess what ?  They were still hired to shoot the great campaigns and Vogue covers and their shit still looked amazing.  Helmut Newton, Herb Ritz, Sante D’ Orazio, Irving Penn, the list goes on, never shot with “L” glass and ummm well, they have gone down in history as some of the best shooters in history !

Ok enough ranting lol.  Seriously though, if you wanna waste your money and you have the money to waste and it makes you get a warm feeling all over then go for it !  Spend spend spend !!!! Canon still won’t sponsor you.. he he.

I will admit that I do own two lenses that are made with “L” glass, but that is not why I bought them.   So another favorite lens of mine is my Canon 28-70 2.8 L.  Many times when I’m shooting in a really cool location I like to capture the location and the model in the same shot to tell the story with a more dramatic effect.  So I will move in VERY close and zoom out to 28mm and capture that awesome sky in the desert or beautiful beach, blue water and blue sky and oh ya, the beautiful model as you can see in these two shots.

So there you have it.  These are the three lenses I shoot with most often.  If I want to REALLY compress my image and background I will break out my Canon 200mm 2.8 L and I ALWAYS put that on sticks.

So I’m sure some of you will disagree with my on the whole “L” series debate.  I wanna hear your side.  I would also love to know what some of your favorite lenses are and why.  And don’t forget to click the subscribe to my newsletter link.  It’s at the bottom of my LINKS section.

Cheers !!!

Follow my blog with bloglovin

I want to talk a little about how colors affect mood in a fashion photograph.  Oftentimes I see that photographers over look this fact and it is very easy to over look.  Your wardrobe stylist should not over look this however, as fashion photographer we must also be aware because ultimately we take the blame and also take the praise no matter what.

Now I’m not talking about the color of the photograph.  For example if the photo has a blue tint or a sepia tint or a red tint etc.  I am talking about the clothing that your model is going to be wearing for the shoot.  I am also talking  about the color of the make up, the shades of make up, the colors of the accessories, shoes, scarves, jewelry, earrings etc.

So when you are choosing the clothes and accessories for your shoot you must keep in mind the theme of your shoot and what emotions you want to convey.

For example: the color BLUE = patience, trust and wisdom

Green = calm, soothing, and refreshing

Red = power, strength and passion

Yellow = warmth, happiness, and optimism

Orange = confidence, creativity, and cheerfulness

Black and white = elegant, sophisticated and classic.  I think the color gray falls into this category as well  

Look at advertisements you see all around.  Take notice of the color scheme in the shot.  And if you are using props these guidelines also apply.   If you are going to shoot an advertisement for Target Spring collection, you certainly are not going to dress the model in black clothing or shoot the ad on black asphalt under a cloudy ominous sky. Your fashion model will be wearing the colors of Spring which say to the viewer fun, happiness, optimism, cheerfulness.

No, you’re going to shoot with green grass, yellow outfits , orange accessories or vice versa.  Maybe some red balloons etc.

If you have an assignment to shoot a famous football player drinking a refreshing sports drink even your lighting scheme comes into play as well as any props.  The main colors will be green, Orange and red.  Green for the refreshing sports drink, orange for the confidence of the football player and red for the power and strength a football player represents.

These are guidelines not exactly rules.  Every situation is different.  I just wanted to point out that color scheme plays a huge  role in the making of a photograph whether it be an advertisement or an editorial or even a catalog.  Don’t over look anything.   Remember to observe everything around you and take note of why that photograph works.

I am going to Nashville June 10th to shoot country singer Hannah Bethel for her up coming EP release and some promo photos.  While I am there I have scheduled a fashion / glamor workshop.  The workshop will be a full two days and I will cover my shooting styles and lighting styles as well as how to direct and work with a professional make up artist and how to direct models.   I will also be covering business practices.  The two day workshop will be just like my two day workshop I conduct out here in Los Angeles.

This one is a little different in that I am going to be in Nashville and I am accepting six photographers and offering a much lower discounted price of $650 for two full days. The normal rate is $1,650 for two days for a private workshop.  With a small group of six photographers it will be just the right number so that there aren’t too many so you can fully grasp my techniques and have my full attention.

Day one we will be covering studio lighting for fashion and glamor.

Day two will cover how to light outdoors, especially in difficult lighting conditions.  With the use of different lighting tools like a speed light on camera, to reflectors to using actual strobes and scrims, I will show you that you don’t have to wait until the “golden hour” to make great photographs.

There will be food and drink as well as a whole lotta southern fun !  You can get more information and sign up on this workshop page and you can get the full details of what I cover in  my two day photography workshops that normally run $1,650.00 here.

Check it out and please ask any questions you may have !          

Time is running out !  Reserve your spot today !

Yes that’s right.  I shot this fashion swimwear campaign with just my Canon 580 EX II and a 5 foot tall reflector to fill in some shadows on the opposite side of the model.  I went with this set up because it’s light weight and portable and that flash packs a punch !  With the tide coming in and my assistant and I getting splashed alot with water, having a heavy Profoto portable pack would have been cumbersome and just one big pain literally lol.

The model was a trooper !  Lisa Peake from L.A. Models did a terrific job as the cold and damp weather set in.  At this point the photographer and first assistant need to work fast and work smart.  There is no room for error.  As I’m shooting I’m already thinking of my next shot, call it multitasking .  The sun is going down so fast that if you are not sure of your equipment you will lose that shot and the model will get frustrated and that is when you have lost the momentum and you don’t want that to happen.  Oh and let’s not forget the client standing right in back of you barking off suggestions and of course the client knows everything about photography !  Shooting a real fashion job is not as easy as it looks.  We often look at the final photo and have no idea what was going on at the shoot, what kinds of pressure the photographer was faced with and how many different people and situations he or she had to deal with.

So just don’t forget about that.  Being a successful fashion photographer takes MUCH more talent than pushing a shutter button and shooting a couple of photos of a pretty girl in a studio where it’s just you, the model and the make up artist.  Learn the gear, take time to understand what your model is going through at the shoot, learn how to deal with pushy clients that won’t shut up and take it from there.  You will be surprised at what you can achieve when you take the time to really learn what happens at a professional photo shoot.

I was watching a great movie called Brothers the other night.  Amazing movie !  It was about a soldier that goes to Afghanistan and is thought to be dead.  His wife, brother and kids struggle to keep life sane.  Now obviously this is not the point of my post.  So many times I see great photography in a technical aspect, but there is no life in the photo.  Yes the photo is lit very nice, the make up is great, hair , wardrobe etc. is all amazing BUT,  it is the most BORING photo because the model does not know how to act.

In the movie Brothers there are many scenes where there are only a few lines of dialogue and the scene is longer than those few  lines of dialogue.  The scene is longer because each character has their own plight to deal with now that the father/husband/brother is thought to be dead.  The emotional reactions are so powerful that if they added lines to those expressions, the scene would be ruined.  Sometimes in life it’s not what we say that makes us think, but it’s what we don’t say that makes us think and feel !

Try this:  next time you watch a movie, drama preferred, look for how many times you notice a reaction from the actor without the actor speaking and note how you feel and notice how the actor who is being spoken to reacts and feels.    Then in your everyday life, when you are dealing with people in conversation face to face, notice their reactions after you have said something.  If you are with a group of people notice every person in the group.  I always say in my mind ” Cut to Joe, cut to James, cut to Holly, cut to Laura.  And in my mind it’s like a scene in a movie.  Even be nosy and listen in on other conversations and watch every person’s reaction.  You will be surprised at what you have been missing because you really haven’t OBSERVED !  And photographers are OBSERVERS of life !

Then next time you are photographing a model, or models look for subtle emotional reactions.  If your model isn’t giving you anything, then make up a story and put your model in that story, give her or him a character and watch the magic happen !

In this collage I made, I knew my model was going through some emotional turmoil.  So I bravely brought it up.  As I was shooting I was talking to her about the situation.  She let me into her soul and THAT is when the electricity runs through my body and through hers and we start making amazing photos.

We are dealing with human beings who all have something going on in their lives.  Work your way inside the soul of your model and look for the subtleties !

Yes, I realize that we can’t give away a city. However, we CAN give away a photo of the Nashville Skyline autographed by Jason Christopher . Printed on metallic paper, this 16 x 24 professional photo captures each and every glorious detail of Music City.

The contest is open to anyone but you kiddies have to tell mom and dad so we can ship it to the right house… ok? Just to make it fair, we won’t let anybody associated with Dream Row or Jason Christopher Photography to enter the contest.

The winner will be chosen at random and announced on April 13, 2010. Good luck!

Recently I had the pleasure of giving an interview about my  style of fashion photography and a  recent advertising shoot I finished that was challenging and fun.  Matt Haines, a photographer himself  has a wonderful photography site here, called me and asked me some great questions for his photography blog called Fashion and Light.

You can read the interview about my advertising shoot and the challenges it presented as well as my career and how amazing my fashion photography team is as we work each shoot and plan everything from set design, to make up and hair, lighting etc.  Casey Robinson my make up artist is also interviewed.

Matt shows you some photos from the ad campaign and the great behind the scenes video shot by Drew Maw.  Read all about this great fashion shoot here.

And as always any questions or comments are always welcome !

Thank you everyone for making my blog so special.

For some reason, the guys at Dream Row wrote a big article about me. They are good friends of mine and doing a really cool thing. They offer resources for people trying to make it in the entertainment industry. If you want to know about my bumpy road in fashion photography, check out the write-up here.

Please check it out and make some comments on the article as I’m very excited for this exposure.