Jason Christopher, LA Commercial & Fashion Photographer Bio

I decided to post this photo in the Lighting On Location section because location doesn’t just mean outdoors.  Many times I like to use the available light that is in the room.  In this instance it was a bathroom.  Now  this is something I learned from Helmut Newton.  When he first started shooting he couldn’t afford professional lighting.  He was very poor.  So he used the lamps in his house as his lighting source.  Of course back then he used film and did all his color correcting in the darkroom or used the correct film for such lighting conditions.  But I have come to like the warm color cast that results from NOT white balancing my camera.  This is the original shot.   I was on a tripod using

available indoor photography lighting

a very slow shutter speed and a high ISO.  The model has to keep very still OR even a little blur is ok.  It makes it more artistic.  Again, remember there is no right or wrong UNLESS the client doesn’t like it.  In this case my client, Deliverance Poker did like it.

Now I also wanted to try something else so I made the image black and white in Lightroom.  I also cropped it much tighter.  I like both versions.  I just want to show you how you don’t ALWAYS have to use additional lighting to capture a great shot.

This is the black and white cropped version.

black and white conversion photo

They both look great.  I would love to know your thoughts and opinions.

So I recently shot  a fashion shoot advertising campaign out in Las Vegas and on one of the days we had to go find a long strip of road with very little traffic.  I had five models and about an hour before the sun went down.  Instead of setting up a really complicated lighting scheme I just worked with the sun and my Metz 54mz on camera flash.  I had my assistants park the car so the sun would be behind the model or at least coming from the side of her.  Taking out the Metz I had so much going on in my head, how should I pose her, expression, how much longer til I lose my light etc., I said screw it !  Let’s just shoot !  I was up close, about 4 feet from the subject on a wide lens, this creates a grand look.   It took about 3 shots to dial in my exposure and this is what I ended up with.  The client loved it !

Fashion Shot for Deliverance Poker

This photo shoot was great.  I let the model just get into her own head and forget I was even there.   Your model doesn’t always have to be looking into the camera.  A great photo is about capturing a moment, a moment that evokes a feeling inside you  and makes you think.  Sometimes when I see a photo it brings me back to a time from my childhood, or even evokes feelings that I never even felt.  I share this with you in hopes that you feel something to inspire you or just make you fee good about life.

golden hour light through sheer shirt

Hi everyone !  December was crazy busy for me.  I was out of town shooting, getting ready for the holidays etc.  Now let’s get  back to work and keep learning !

So this beautiful model is Holly.  We shot out in the hills of Simi Valley.  As you can see we timed it perfectly right at the golden hour.  For this shot I asked her to just walk back and forth and occasionally look at the camera.  Seems pretty easy right ?  Well, as she walked back and forth my exposure kept changing as she went in and out of the sun.  I love the look on her face.  The sheer fabric of her top and her long legs all add to make this shot just beautiful and timeless.

natural lighting on location, fashion photography

Lighting like this is one of the techniques I teach in my workshop.  There are many questions that arise.  For example, do I use a lens hood ?  How do I keep my focus dead on ?  And also how to gain the trust of your model to get basically half naked out on location ?

Comments and questions are welcome.