Comments on: Shooting latest job

By: Jason Christopher

Jason Christopher — Wed, 26 May 2010 20:29:14 +0000

LOL yes it was a huge pain. Not in terms of physically re lighting but in terms of having to think on the spot of how I was going to make my client’s vision come to a reality. Basically the head ache starts to set in lol.
I actually have a standard lighting package and a few extras but there is no way that you can bring EVERYTHING. And sometimes you find yourself at a location like maybe in the middle of no where and you just have to make it work.
In this situation I had to make use of the gear I had and get creative the best way I could. It ended up working and it always does.

By: Danilo

Danilo — Sun, 23 May 2010 20:15:09 +0000

Wow, changing the lighting scheme last minute must of been a pain….
So in terms of your lighting package, do you just use what you have or do you find some way to get any needed new gear to set? Or do you have a standard lighting package that you always order and it covers everything? Just in case of situations like this one?

Danilo

By: zhangke

zhangke — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 13:41:10 +0000

Thanks for your share, Learn a lot from you. I am a Chinese photographer, I will go on focus you blog

By: Jason Christopher

Jason Christopher — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:58:54 +0000

Hey Mojo,

Actually I am just making a circle with my hands. No special piece of gear lol. It helps me simulate a viewfinder without having to look through my camera which is heavy and I pick my camera up as little as possible.

Now it’s interesting you ask this second question. Yes before a shoot I already know the lighting scheme. Sometimes the client dictates this or it’s a decision made by both of us. Now in the case of this shoot the client and I scouted the location days before and went over the lighting scheme. So I prep my assistants via phone and tell them how to set up the lighting. We get to the shoot and the client decides to change the lighting scheme in a TOTALLY different direction.
This is where a photographer MUST be on top of his or her game. I had to totally rethink everything and adjust in my head every single shot.

So my assistants went to work and I made my client happy which at the end of the day is my ONLY goal. I am sure you want to know what the original lighting scheme was. Originally my client wanted soft lighting with some flair and low contrast. On the day of the shoot she told me she wanted hard lighting with hi contrast lol. So part of the value of a great shooter is being able to adjust in any given situation. It is not about being able to use a camera and pushing a shutter button which anyone can do. Doctors don’t give you a shot, the nurse does. But the doctor knows which medication to administer. That is the value you are paying for when you pay a doctor.

By: MoJo

MoJo — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:57:53 +0000

Thanks for sharing, we get to see the master at work.

In the second shot it looks like you are using some kind of eye piece.

Are you just using your hands to block the light or are you using a photographic device?

When doing a shoot do you already know how you want the lighting setup or is it determined by what the clients to portray.