Courage Persistence Tenacity:
February 13th, 2009This is a video a friend of mine sent to me recently. It has nothing to do with photography however, it does have something to do with us as human beings. MOST of us have 2 arms and 2 legs and are intelligent. Watch this video. I have to admit it made me cry but also inspired the hell out of me.
February 15th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Thanks for sharing … made me cry …
Rudi.
[Reply]
February 16th, 2009 at 10:03 am
you’re very welcome. Made me cry too. We always have to remind ourselves how good we really do have it. There are always going to be tough and difficult times. But you MUST keep pushing !
[Reply]
March 6th, 2009 at 10:30 am
damn… this made me think hard about my life… thanks for sharing!
–jan
[Reply]
June 5th, 2009 at 8:05 am
One question I wanted to ask you about was when you were first
starting out how did you stay focused and not get discouraged?
[Reply]
Jason Christopher Reply:
June 5th, 2009 at 11:21 am
Hi Steve, this is a very good question that everyone asks themselves even when they “make it.” When I first started I had many people telling me that my images were uninspiring, boring , the make up sucked and many other things. Sure it sucked to hear that but it made me angry which I used to push harder ! Instead of just accepting the criticism ask for constructive criticism. The person that says your images are boring, say to them ok I respect your opinion, what would make them not boring ? ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ask for feedback, specific feedback. And if you still don’t understand their feedback, ask them to explain again. DO NOT GIVE UP !
Now another thing I want to add to this is to consider your source. Who are these people that are criticizing your work ? Do they know anything about the fashion world ? Don’t ask a doctor or a lawyer or a brick layer for their opinion lol. Also, DO NOT ask anyone from these sites like Model Mayhem or One Model Place or others of the kind, unless they are TRUE professionals and their name is known and they have been shooting for a long time. But let’s not sugar coat this. 99% of the so called photographers and models on Model Mayhem etc. are weekend warriors who just want to compare penis size with everyone. In other words, they brag about their expensive gear they have yet can’t shoot their way out of a paper bag. Instead of asking other amateurs ask photographers like me, or Jerry Avenaim, or Richard Reisndorf and the list goes on.
Another thing you should do is go into a modeling agency and talk to a booker and get some input from them. And remember, opinions are like assholes, everyone has one, at least I hope they do lol.
Entering photo contests: I have never entered one because they are so
subjective.
You know, I stayed focused and determined because I realized that I was still new and learning and that eventually IF YOU SHOOT WHAT YOU LOVE it will pay off. You must develop your own style and once you find that style stick with it. Think of the band AC/DC you know it’s an AC/DC song when you hear it. And how long have they been successful ? ohhhh FOREVER LOL
I have seen your work and your technical skills are there but what is not there is model selection. You gotta shoot agency models and stop using friends, internet models and craigs list models. The whole package counts. The make up, styling and model selection must all come together otherwise toss the shot in the trash. I want you to send me images anytime BEFORE you retouch them and I will give you constructive criticism, and that is a promise.
[Reply]
June 5th, 2009 at 11:51 am
My wife Meela, ModelMayhem #48595 is reading over my shoulder and would like to have a word with you…LOL
Seriously, she is very supportive of what I do and appreciative and surprised (as am I) that you take the time to give feed back that you do.
I’ve known for a while now that I have got to step-up the caliber of model I work with. I’ve written, submitted books, and emailed the agencies (only three that I know of in Texas)…everything short of going in and talking to them. Rejected thus far but NOT giving up by any stretch of the imagination.
Thanks again
[Reply]
Jason Christopher Reply:
June 5th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Well Steve I will say you are one of the most fortunate guys on this planet. Your wife is BEAUTIFUL ! As a matter of fact I would love to shoot her. If she came to LA I could get her meetings and I am gonna go out on a ledge here and say she has a VERY VERY good shot at getting signed. So, now that I have seen her my advice is to shoot the hell outta her. Now I will agree your photos do lean much more on the glamor side which is not going to go over well with agencies, unless you want to shoot Playboy etc. I will guarantee you that if you get her in some clothes like Guess, Abercrombie, that style and shoot a story with her your book will be 100 times better. Then you take those photos and ONLY those photos into an agency and they will give you models to test with. You got some other girls on there that if you style them correctly you will end up with more professional looking work.
1. Make up – less is more. All your photos the models are wearing waaaaaay too much make up.
2. Don’t pose your models like they wanna take in the (beep) lol
3. Pick up a couple fashion mags and literally recreate those poses.
4. Search online for Guess, True Religion Jeans and go buy those looks. You don’t necessarily have to buy from those actual stores but recreate those looks. You can always buy and return. Shoot a 4 page story for each model. Every page the model must have a different clothing look. So if you do a Guess look change her 4 times.
5. Do this with 4 models, show me the shots and we will go from there. But I can almost bet my life that if you follow this guide, you will not only get agency models but you will also get work. But you also have to DIRECT the models too. It’s not just about the clothes etc.
And as far as me giving you feedback, I have no problem with it. If you take my workshop you will gain even MORE information and improve 100 times more than just emailing me.
[Reply]
June 6th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Jason,
Thanks for the compliment….my wife is blushing
I will certainly try to get something going here soon. I am not looking to do glamour and honestly (especially the most recent stuff) was not intended to be glamour. I got at least two of my last few shoot ideas from Italian Vogue. I’ll grab some US mags and see if I can reel it back in a bit.
The make up comment is a surprise though. If there’s one thing I didn’t go cheap on it was the MUA (she’s from LA BTW). However, I let her do whatever she wanted with the make-up because of her experience with fashion (more than mine for sure). Next time I will ask her to scale it back though.
I really appreciate the feedback and the workshop is definitely in the plans.
[Reply]
Jason Christopher Reply:
June 7th, 2009 at 8:42 am
One thing that is VERY important is to direct your make up artist and hair stylist. No matter how good they are or where they are from, make up and hair artists will go over the top if you let them. They are notorious for that. That is why it is so important as a photographer to know every aspect of the shoot. Not that you have to know how to apply make up, but you do have to know where to go with it for the specific look that you see in your mind. When I first started out I was afraid to tell the make up artist what I wanted because I figured that was her area and I was supposed to not interfere. This is soooooooooooooooo not true. As soon as I started getting criticized for the bad make up that’s all it took lol. My next shoot I became THE DIRECTOR ! And that is your role in the shoot. You are the director. I am happy to hear you are considering the workshop because I don’t just cover photography. Directing the make up artist is one of the aspects I go over. I have you sit there and observe while the make up artist explains what she or he is doing. And if there is something you don’t like then you tell him or her.
Your work is really good Steve. You’re still “finding yourself” which is totally normal and all part of the process.
[Reply]