natural light can be your friend !
June 18th, 2008Don’t be afraid to shoot outdoors with ONLY the sun ! I hear it so many times, photographers tell me they like studio light more because it is more beautiful or consistent etc. Well what they are REALLY saying is that they are afraid of shooting outdoors in natural light. If they knew how to manipulate the natural light I am positive they would agree with me that natural light can be so friggin beautiful ! I LOVE shooting outdoors in natural light. Yes the studio is more controlled, no wind, no clouds no dust etc. But you know what ? Don’t always take the easy way out. We must continuously challenge ourselves otherwise we can’t move up that ladder of success.
Imagine a client calls you and asks you to do a shoot outdoors on location and it’s a BIG payday. I’m talking 50k or more. Wouldn’t you like to be able to take that job and produce great results with confidence ?
Ok so look at this shot. The model is back lit by the sun of course. So now you ask how did I get light into her face and body? I wore a white t shirt, that’s it ! Just a plain white Haines t shirt that cost me 10 bucks or whatever it was, lol. I was acting as the reflector ! So the next thing I did was make sure my meter in camera was set for center weighted. What that does is meter the center portion of your scene and takes into consideration the strong back light. Now granted, her hair will be blown out but you can control that with your exposure. If you did not want her hair to be blown out, you scrim her. But then it starts to look like a portrait, blah boring !
Ok so now days you shoot digital so you can see if you exposed correctly right away ! You have NO excuse to get out there and try it. If you don’t want to embarrass yourself by taking a model out there at first then here is what you do. Find a tree, a big oak tree or any tree that is large in circumference. It doesn’t have to be a tree but the color of the bark is close to skin color and it is not shiny or metallic. So make sure the tree is being back lit by the sun and shoot away. When you dial in your exposure with the results you like then your ready to take a model and shoot. Make notes of your exposure etc. Please don’t be afraid to ask me more questions or share your thoughts !
June 18th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Great information. Thanks for sharing. I”m a budding photographer and I mainly shoot outdoors. Love the t-shirt idea as a reflector.
[Reply]
June 19th, 2008 at 2:01 am
Just wanted to say thanks. I really enjoy your blog.
[Reply]
June 19th, 2008 at 11:20 am
AMAZING, I thank you so much for your tidbits on how you create your amazing images, it helps me so much!
[Reply]
June 19th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
What lense? And what lense do you prefer for full length traditional fashion?
[Reply]
June 19th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Hi Jessica,
I used a Canon 100mm 2.8 for this shot. For full length fashion shots I use an 85mm 1.8
[Reply]
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:07 am
Thanks for the tip, never thought about the power of the t-shirt before. Just found your website and I love the blog, and your pictures are truly amazing!
[Reply]
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:20 am
You’re very welcome Didrik. Thank you so much for the compliment. I looked at your site. Really great shots !
Cheers, Jason
[Reply]
June 25th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
PS- thanks for having a fashion blog that does not suck!
I really wish that natural lighting was coming back in- but as you know, working outside can be really hard on the clothes and models. Sweat+dirt=bad for the wardrobe stylist.
Anyway, I did see a lovely catalog from bloomingdales, I think last year that was shot all outdoors in natural light and it did not even look like it was done in the 70′s- so there is some hope afterall.
Here’s another BTW- the acting headshot world has almost completely shifted to natural light. I think it is because it is easier- but don’t tell the clients that.
[Reply]
June 25th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Hi Huan, Thank you so much for your comments. I am very flattered. Please spread the word about my blog. I really want to share all my knowledge !
[Reply]
July 6th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Jason,
Thanks for the response back! I really do enjoy your blog, and find it very informative… I remember some of your images from several years back (namely the ballerina shots)… I feel a sense of deja vu that we knew eachother previously when I was only modeling (through OMP?) I remember some of your images so sharply, but it was several years back so the memory is faint, but I think we might have chatted a bit through that site. Alas.. the blog is great! Thanks again!
[Reply]
July 6th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Also, it’s a bit uplifting to see you use your canon macro so extensively. For a photographer like myself, who has zero to no budget and is still trying to pay off college debts and can’t afford three thousand dollar lenses.. its good to know the one decent lense i was able to afford can get some beautiful results, and I’m not the only one who thinks so lol.
[Reply]
July 6th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
great shots, thanx for sharing. love the t-shirt idea.
keep ROCKIN that lens!
[Reply]
July 7th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Thank you everyone for the compliments ! I am so happy that you find my blog helpful. Please spread the word !
[Reply]
August 22nd, 2008 at 10:43 am
Hello Jason,
Thanks for posting such great images and information to your blog and also for being kind enough to respond to questions in such an encouraging and constructive manner.
Thanks,
Monroe
[Reply]
August 23rd, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Monroe you are VERY welcome ! I LOVE doing this. It’s funny because I actually went to college to get my teaching credentials. I love to teach !
[Reply]
April 18th, 2009 at 6:54 am
I’m a beginning DSLR photographer and I stumbled across your blog while researching natural light techniques. Do you remember how many shots it took to come up with your final image? Thanks for the tips!
[Reply]
April 20th, 2009 at 10:39 am
Hi Ron,
I took about 50 shots of Heidi. It didn’t take 50 shots to get this image. I nailed it within the first 10 shots. Heidi and I are friends, I have shot her for some ads and catalogs and I just LOVE shooting her. It was fun and I didn’t want to stop shooting because every shot is so amazing. She gives me all of herself. The energy is actually addicting when the photographer and model connect so well.
And by the way all Heidi had on for make up was some mascara. She did it herself, she didn’t have any foundation on. It was just me and Heidi and my white t-shirt lol.
[Reply]
November 13th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jason Christopher , jaimehough. jaimehough said: RT @fashion_shooter natural light can be your friend ! | Fashion Photography Blog – Learn from one of the most respe… http://bit.ly/16J1f9 [...]
February 27th, 2010 at 5:42 pm
Hi Jason,
Great shot! How high was the sun in the sky or time of day during the shot?
[Reply]
Jason Christopher Reply:
March 1st, 2010 at 10:41 pm
Hi Danny,
Thank you for the compliment ! This photo was shot in mid June at 4:30 p.m. If you look at the hot spot on HER LEFT side of her hair you can gauge about how high the sun was. It was roughly in the 1:15 ish position if you think of a sun dial. Since her hair shaded her face this shot worked perfectly so I didn’t need a scrim.
It’s the little things like this that a good photographer must notice in order to make a shot work at any time of day.
Thanx for the question Danny.
[Reply]
March 26th, 2011 at 5:42 am
[...] (Jason Christopher : http://jasonchristopher.com/blog/2008/06/18/natural-light-can-be-your-friend/) [...]